At 15 Apr 2008 05:00:53 -0700 4phun wrote:
> When you have the best demographics and an exploding user base you
> always get special treatment. Is it fair, certainly not; but that is
> the way life works.


Actually this particular story works more like that old kid's game of gossip,
where kids sit in a circle and pass an oral story around and see how far it
gets twisted by the time it comes back around...


> A new offering by the Associated Press titled the 'Mobile News
> Network', will offer a round-up of the company's own news coverage
> with that of local newspapers formatted specifically to support the
> Apple iPhone.
>
> http://www.talkiphone.com/iphone-ass...s-service-346/


Here's how the gossip game works:

AP's Press Release announces a "Mobile News Network" that "will provide a
national platform for smart phone users..." and "be optimized for the
richest multimedia experience the new*wireless devices will allow..."
(Note the word "iPhone" was not mentioned in the PR.)

The story passes to reporters, who have to add an iPhone angle, because you
can't possibly write a story about mobile phones without mentioning the
iPhone, like this Broadcasting and Cable article headline: "The
AP... ...announced the formation of the Mobile News Network, which will
deliver news to smart phones including Apple's iPhone."

Which passed on to iPhone bloggers becomes: "Associated Press announces
Mobile News Network for iPhone and other smartphones..." which continues to
make the rounds and eventually becomes "formatted specifically to support
the Apple iPhone."

A few more blogs and soon it'll be for the iPhone only!


But yes, the AP will be producing a local-newspaper co-branded, ad-supported,

mobile web service to complement the other thousand mobile news
pages/services out there now.

Slow iPhone "news" day, 4phun?