Media coverage of Apple studied by Pew Research Center

> Of the stories analyzed, 42 percent described Apple has “innovative and superior,” while another 27 percent praised the company’s loyal fans. For comparison, only 20 percent of stories about Google portrayed the search giant as having innovative and superior products. > > But Apple received its share of negative publicity as well, as the Pew Research Center found that 17 percent of stories suggested that the Cupertino, Calif., company’s products do not live up to the hype. Another 7 percent of stories said Apple is too controlling with its products. Apple gets the majority of the tech press because it consistently produces interesting products. If Microsoft were to invent the next iPod instead of copying it two years later, it would generate more excitement.

Apple also has a far more effective marketing department, and does a remarkable job of keeping most of its announcements under wraps until the exact right moment (recent leaks notwithstanding). It also paces announcements every few months throughout the year and has a consistent track record of exciting new technology. It is a well-oiled machine, developed over decades. And the competition, in contrast, is particularly inept in this area.

The press doesn’t like Apple better, in other words. It just likes juicy, interesting stories that catch people’s attention better.

I would argue that calling Apple “innovative and superior” does not constitute “positive” press, either. The mere existence of those words does not speak to the overall tone of a particular article.

Let me give you a for instance: “Apple’s products can sometimes be innovative, but the superior attitude of Apple loyalist fans is largely unwarranted.”

Would you say that’s a positive statement?

And calling Apple fans “loyal” is a backhanded compliment, at best. It’s usually used as a way to dismiss fans as zealots under the control of their mercurial leader, Steve Jobs.

Apple Insider’s assertion that this study finds “Media coverage of Apple overwhelmingly positive” is also strange. 42% is less than half. That’s not overwhelmingly anything.

I generally trust the Pew research center to be relatively unbiased, especially compared to many other research agencies. I think a lot of people are using the findings of this study to make conclusions that the research wouldn’t necessarily support.

The big shocker for me was that only 7 percent of stories suggested Apple is too controlling. That sounds crazy low to me. I must not be reading the same sources they are.