Bookraft

Everybody who works in the IT and Computing industry knows that it is changing rapidly. For example, in the past4 years Apple has gone from 0 to 60% of its stock value added alone by its iDevices line of products - iPod, iPad, and iPhone. And the stock price itself is up by 250% to $250 over that same period. And the market has been quite tumultuous as the new Face of Personal Computing emerges in the shape of smartphones, tablets, slates and other iDevice-like tools. Several key issues have emerged - lets see how well the Tech Press has covered them. Note that stories marked in green are must-reads on their topics:

1)Will Microsoft Windows Phone 7 make the mobile market cut - this is Redmond's 5th and last swing for a presence in the rapidly emerging and huge mobile and iDevice markets. They have already had swings and misses with Windows Mobile 6, Mobile 6.5 , Courier and Kin - another miss would see Microsoft out of the fastest growing and most IT influential market. How has the Tech Press covered this?

BNet - sets the "what is at stake table" with So Where's Microsoft ?
BusinessWeek - mid July & Ballmer promises presence in Smartphone and tablets

Computerworld - Hints of trouble with Window Phone 7 and reliance on Zune software

Computerworld - Humor - Why was Russian spy working at Microsoft?

Engadget - Looks at 5 gadgets that failed including Microsoft Kin as prelude to WP7

eWeek - Lists ten markets misses for Microsoft, Mobile phones is at the top
eWeek - Sets out 4 key success factor for Windows Phone 7
NYTimes - has hinted at problems with Youthful market spurns the wares of Microsoft
Gizmodo - July 19th Windows Phone 7 Review is upbeat with caveats
Infoworld - July 15th Windows Phone 7 : Don't bother with this disaster
Note these three must-reads could not be more different in their conclusions
ZDnet - July 18th technical preview of Windows Phone 7 - a winner come Christmas

PCWorld - grave reservations on Windows Phone 7...Vista again
theRegister - Humor - Vista hating Microsoft throws poo at Apple iPhone 4
ZDnet - a second, more cautionary take on Windows Phone 7

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2)Apple's Steve Jobs has done a PR no-no: openly disparaging Adobe's Flash software while cutting off Java and program generators from use on Apples iDevices - Is Steve's harsh criticism of Flash justified? Why include Java and program generators as banned software tools? Is Steve's HTML5 to replace Flash solution viable ? Whats behind the ban?

AllthingsD -

If Steve Jobs Is a God, How Could He Be So Wrong About HTML5 vs. Flash for Us Mere Mortals?

Businessweek - lays bare Steve Jobs attacks on Adobe Flash
Gartner Blog - very early on in debate defines some of the key trade-offs on Flash, Java, and HTML5

Gartner Blog - compares the Apple developer economics to Facebooks
Gizmodo - Apple takes developers hostage in War on Adobe - how far Apple goes to ban Flash
Infoworld - Java developers are left outside of all iDevices
Keep an Open Eye - Apple vs Adobe: Vetting Steve Jobs Flash Assertions
NYTimes - Is Apple a victim of Sour Grapes briefly mentions Apples ban of Flash

O'Reilly - YouTube and Hulu voice caution about replacing Flash with HTML5 video
theRegister - Humor - Apple reels as Steve Jobs Flashturbates
Wired - decidedly for Flash replacement by HTML5

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3)Google's Android is coming from behind to challenge Apple's iDevices with an Open Development and Support model in contrast to Apples Closed Ecosystem - Do the two ecosystems make a difference in consumer and/or corporate buying decisions? How well is Android doing in the mobile phone and tablet markets? How is Apple fending off the OS leads that Google has?

BusinessWeek - 10 best Smartphone Apps for college - iPhone-10, Android-6, BBerry-2
Computerworld - the iPhone 4 vs Android battle

Engadget - Nielsen says iPhone has 3 times market share of Android phones

eWeek1 + eWeek 2- 2 mustviews cover major trade-offs between iPhone4 vs Android2.2
Gizmodo - great graphic summary:The-dogs-of-war: Apple vs Google vs Microsoft
PCWorld - one of several very good articles on Android vs iPhone
theRegister - Humor- The "truth" about the iPhone 4 antenna problems
theRegister - superb analysis on developer advantage Android has over iPhone

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Summary
The Tech Press acquitted itself reasonably well in covering these issues. First, there is a surprising amount of good if sardonic humor. One could easily double the number of humor articles. The traditional Tech Press acquitted itself well with eWeek, Infoworld, and ZDnet all bagging must-read articles. The nouveau gadget press also is well represented with AllthingsD and Gizmodo showing up in the must-reads. TheRegister easily took the humor crown with some delicious funny send ups that The Daily Show or Stephen Colbert would flash green with envy at.

What was surprising were three things: not much presence of the Business press with just BusinessWeek, Gartner and NYTimes catching mentions [if Gartner and NYTimes can be thought of as Business Press]. I looked at Forbes, theEconomist, Fortune, WSJ... and they were doing latest news stories on these fast moving, big events in IT but certainly not the Brobadingnagian Battle Story. Second, the Android vs iPhone story got a lot less coverage than expected. After all these are former near partners now swinging tooth and nail with Apples iDevices' Design++ and Closed Ecosystem vs Google Android and Chrome's Massive Competence and Open Source Ecosystem. This is legendary Business Case material - only BusinessWeek showed up with big view articles.
However, the most interesting trend was the widely diverse opinions on Windows Mobile 7. Gizmodo and ZDNet loved it; Infoworld was thorough, but curt with its assessment - "Don't bother with this disaster". PCWorld was middling, but favoring caution. This is no small matter because if Microsoft shoots itself in the foot a fifth time for Mobiles - the train has left the station. And what brought Microsoft to so much power in the IT industry, its UI and Windows, will surely wither away over the next 3-5 years barring a major merger or acquisition.

In sum, the IT Press coverage was a lot better than expected. I suspect the young guns like Engadget, Gizmodo, TechCrunch [just missed on 3 stories] are keeping all the players more committed to following the IT game. With the two Steves out there pitching their IT wares and throwing a lot of high heat - there are big Summer Blockbuster stories to be found.