Why does the media love Apple and trash Dell?

I'm not a big fan of surveys, so I don't quote them often. But a recent Consumer Reports survey about PC manufacturers listed Apple as No. 1 in tech support, with Lenovo second, Dell third, and HP dead last. I should also say that Dell came in second in desktops.

I thought the headline should be "Survey says leading PC maker HP dead last in tech support." But that's not what happened. The media hailed Apple, trashed Dell, and gave HP a pass.

Horror stories about Dell's support are all over the blogosphere. Why is that? I mean, why does the media give Dell such a hard time?

Because perception is reality. But aside from being a pithy statement, what does that really mean?

Well, according to Merriam-Webster, perception is "physical sensation interpreted in the light of experience."

As it turns out, I have a great deal of experience with Dell. And while I think the quality of some of Dell's computers seems to have declined in recent years, my experience with its tech support has been quite positive. That's my experience.

So what is it about the media's experience that makes them love Apple, ride Dell, and cut HP slack? I guess the media has learned through experience how to get eyeballs. That doesn't make them bad; it's just how they get paid by advertisers.

Eyeballs seem to gravitate to winners and losers. Clearly, Apple's hot these days, so it's easy to understand why the media loves Apple. Apple's a winner.

And while HP's operating results have been strong in recent quarters, its tech support appears to be subpar. And since that makes HP neither a winner nor a loser--it seems to fall somewhere in the middle--that means no eyeballs. So HP gets a pass.

But Dell, well, Dell's another story. Dell has fallen on hard times lately. Its growth engine has stalled amid stories of executive dysfunction, battery problems, and degradation in tech support. Michael Dell has returned as CEO to fix the mess.

These days the media loves to trash Dell, not because Dell's a loser, but because it's a former winner that, as of late, has fallen from grace. That, to the media, seems to be even better than being a loser. A winner that falls off a pedestal (that the media helped put Dell on, mind you) gets lots of eyeballs.

So, the next time you read a blog that seems to be "piling on," remember, that's just the media doing its job. The media isn't paid to reflect reality, it's paid to get eyeballs. And if bloggers perceive that they'll get eyeballs by dragging Dell through the mud while hoisting Apple on the highest pedestal they can find, well, that's just what they'll do.

And if that bugs you, well, you only have yourself--actually your eyeballs--to blame.

As for Dell, it only has to worry about the perception of its customers and shareholders. But what if its customers and shareholders are also influenced by the media? Uh-oh.

[teamster02]

"The media isn't paid to reflect reality, it's paid to get eyeballs"??? Oh really? What happened to the responsibility of providing unbiased information? Forget about the truth, it's perfectly OK if we make up whatever we want as long as we get "eyeballs", right? It's a shame the media has come to this. Now it's all propaganda. Thanks for letting us know that you in the media are nothing but a bunch of lying, self-serving idiots.

[M C]

No, No, you don't GET it! Steve ISN'T in the media! He just writes, you know, columns, that are, you know, distributed VIA the media to thousands of people! That makes him an...um...well...wait, what was I saying again?

[mediocrates--2008]

"It's a shame the media has come to this. Now it's all propaganda." You're fooling yourself if you believe it's ever been otherwise.

[ivorycruncher]

Responsibility to provide unbiased information? The media forgot about that a few decades ago. It's been nothing but biased, liberal propaganda for as long as I can remember.

[open-mind]

Except for Fox News. They're fair and balanced.

[Kesteral]

""The media isn't paid to reflect reality, it's paid to get eyeballs"??? Oh really? What happened to the responsibility of providing unbiased information?"

The media has never had the responsibility to provide unbiased information. There is no constitutional mandate that says that they must do so, there is no government watchdog group that holds the media on a leash. The closest we come is that the media can be sued for defamation of character. Many media outlets SAY that it is their responsibility to be unbiased, but that is justan attempt to sell their product.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as unbiased reporting. An unbiased athiest reporter would put a much different slant on a religious event than an unbiased religious reporter. The very fact that they are reporting what they percieve biases the report. The best one could ever do is to look at report from several different biased sources and make thier own decisions.

[zaneman007]

This is journalism at its best. This show just how uniformed this author is. My question is why was he allowed to write about something he obviously knows nothing about? Problem is that there are people who are actually less informed and less knowledgable than he is. They will believe this rubbish. You need people in the industry to write about the industry. It would appear to me that individuals in the media feel that they are experts just because they have an audiance? HELLO. I have both a Dell and an Apple. I have called tech support for both systems. No one is trash Dell, but Dell.

[dorli829]

Thanks Steve for reminding us about the media's funny habit. Although, you're part of the whole things :-), but perspective like this brings some balance in this whole mess (competition for more eyeballs).

[Galaxy5]

You've got to be kidding. Ten years ago, Apple could do nothing right and was doomed to failure in the eyes of the tech media stenographers who simply parroted everything that the navel-gazing "analysts" said.

This article is useless - it simply reinforces everything we know - that reporters lately simply regurgitate what they're told with a veneer of "balance" instead of providing analysis and facts. This is especially true outside the tech industry, where lies are repeated for the sake of "balance" and reporters go ga-ga over St. McCain's BBQ Feasts.

[open-mind]

Except for Fox News. They're fair and balanced.

[retrosteve]

At least the media, eyeball bias or not, is paid to learn to think critically and express themselves clearly. Steve Tobak has done that very well here.

I wish I could say the same for the commentaries.... My lord, where do these people come from?

[Thomas, David]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. If Dell didn't sell so MANY computers they would not be getting bashed over there miserable support. It IS deserved. For the handful of people who get to have support from a decent center within Dell, HOO-FRACKING-ARAY FOR YOU. --- Dell sells MILLIONS of computers, and the majority of their support is for CRAP.

[supoman]

Because Dell $uck$!!! People are wowed by innovation but mediocrity is what it is. The last time Dell did anything new and original was when they were the first to customize PC back in the day!!!

[jwatsonnj]

I work for a Dell shop and do some desktop/server support consulting on the side and concur with your assessment that is getting the shaft on this one. While true that Dell had serious support problems several years ago, I can say that in the last year and a half to two years my experience with Dell support (quite a lot of it) has been outstanding.

[noprobs]

As Galaxy5 points out, Apple has had their turn being the butt of plenty of "beleagured Apple" stories back in the 90's when it looked like it was heading down the gurgler. Considering Apple?s amazing performances in so many markets (computers, phones, MP3 players, online music, TV, movies, retail etc etc), it does seem that they can do no wrong. As such the adulation isn?t baseless.

In the case of Dell, they are quite obviously a one-trick pony that has had the one-trick (cut-out the middle-man distribution) copied by one and all and are thus now showing their weakness in the face of the competition. Michael Dell?s infamous quote that Steve Jobs should ?shutdown Apple and give all the money back to the shareholders? is now coming back to bite him in an epic way with Apple now worth 3 times the market cap of Dell. Hubris has ramifications.

-Mart

[custompcmax]

I think part of the problem is the much wider user base that Dell has over Apple (and most other companies). More users = more problems and complaints. But, over all, I can't say for sure if they hold the same percent of problems as others. But, on the same note, I do think that Dell does have more problems with their PCs than Apple does. But, Apple gets the upper hand in that they use almost proprietary hardware, so there are no compatablity issues, etc... It is hard to say. Personal experience with Dell has led me to never recommend or purchase from them. I know people that have had the hardest time getting help with the most simple of tasks. And in the past (I am unsure how much it still happens) Dell has had a track record of using their own proprietary parts, like PSUs, Mobos, and video cards, making it difficult and expensive to swap parts out. Which, is a big no-no in my book. One of the benefits of using a PC over a Mac is the ability to have a wide range of parts for upgrades. http://www.custompcmax.com

[ToddWBeaver]

Why does the media hate Dell? Just try their tech support once and you'll hate Dell too!

[timmyj75]

teamster02, Tobak may not have meant to carefully craft that statement but the result is the same. The media does not gain a large audience nor does it garner huge advertising revenue by simply reporting the facts and allowing you to interpret.

Case in point: if the 24-7 cable news channels only reported the simple facts you would hear the same news loop over and over. By adding the editorial and opinion, they have created a whole industry that drives millions of dollars in revenue from advertising.

Whether or not you believe the media ought to be paid to reflect reality is not the point. They are paid to get eyeballs.

[Joelieb1234]

That's it media can't get worse. Same thing with Apple vs Microsoft. I'm not saying Microsoft doesn't have its problems but Apple has their share of problems too. BUT the media has decided Apple and Steve Jobs are COOOOL.

[jpasha]

I have also had a great deal of experience with DELL over the last 10 years I have bought 4 Dells and I am not a member of the media. They are the WORST,I repeat WORST, customer service I have ever had to use in any company, not just a computer company. Ever since they outsourced the majority of their customer service and tech support overseas, it has been unbelievably awful!! I recently had to send my computer in to be fixed after I spent about 6 hours on the phone with a tech support rep after being transferred 3 times and to 3 different countries. I sent my computer and after DHL attempted to deliver the computer, I asked for Dell to change the address of delivery to my work address as opposed to my home address. A supposedly simple request and was assured by Dell reps it wouldn't be a problem. I then embarked on a odyssey that took me six weeks to get my computer returned to me and never actually got my original. After multiple phone calls and emails, at least 6 -10 calls, each lasting about 2 hours with multiple transfers as they passed the buck as I tried to talk to someone who had some authority to help me, they finally sent me a new computer, that had the same thing wrong as my old one. The problem was that I wanted to downgrade to XP from VIsta on my computer. All I had to do was slipstream SP2 with my copy of XP Professional which was the solution I asked one of their tech support managers for on my initial phone call, but he said it was something with the motherboard and I had to send it in. The fix was a simple procedure, but because they couldn't even diagnose the problem after 6 hours, it put me in a great bind without a computer for over 6 weeks. I will be fair, they did give me $175 in rebates for their screwups, but I ended up working a full-time job to get this resolved and continually their promises were never made good. For the amount of time and headache this was no compensation. Besides, I was told all along the way that I would get phone calls about the progress so I wouldn't have to keep calling and they inevitably wouldn't follow through with these courtesies, so I would call and be angry and they would apologize and make me more promises that they wouldn't follow through on. Finally they cut me off and I had no where to turn or complain. You can't get in touch with a human being in Texas to explain the situation because they don't want to hear about it. So, DELL deserves everything they get from the media and blogs out there. You are completely inaccurate about your summation that this is a media ploy to sell a good vs. evil scenario. DELL is absolutely irresponsible and their customer care and tech support is inept and ill-trained at helping with problems. The infrastructure feels as convoluted and full of red tape as the government. I will be buying an APPLE the next time around after being a loyal Dell customer buying 4 Dells over the last 10 years. I would be pleased to hear from anyone from DELL. We can look up all my case numbers and go through the whole thing.

[mpfinneran]

I think you need to make a distinction between the blogging media and the traditional media. The traditional media, as individuals, are not paid for eyeballs. Sure the publication profits from more eyeballs but reporters as people are not, and the vast majority of them go to great lengths to be objective. I can't comment on your remarks about trashing Dell because I don't know specifically what articles, etc., to which you are referring. But that's not really my point. The point is to make a distinction between the blogging media and traditional media. The blogging media generally is much freer to opine with much less regard for the truth. And that's a problem.

[close5828]

Before I comment, let me say that I use Macs almost exclusively at home and in class, but use Windows at work; this is my computing environment, and how I get around digitally.

Macs do what they do well, and that is where 90% of the "reality" of their Apple-goodness is; however, the other 10% are the fanboys, both media critics and home users alike that seem to pride themselves as being a pseudo-PR machine for Cupertino. Since I'm not being paid by Apple or Microsoft, I remain ambivalent, independent, and pro-consumer. If Windows is your thing, all the power to you. If Macs are your dig, then all the power to you. I will never tell someone "...you are wrong because you use Windows" or "...you need to get a Mac." Sure the camaraderie is there where people like to bust each others' chops, but as long as it is all in good fun and not flaming/bashing/etc.

In other words, if you're a Mac-head, don't show the ugly side of Mac Evangelism. If you're a Windows guy, don't show the ugly side to everyone else. I think the media likes to feed into the partisanship of desktop computing and therefore puts out ads like, "Dell is sinking, Apple is soaring", and more of those quotes/ links end up in forums and comment boards like this.