How eBay Drives iHype

(AP)

Over at Lost Remote, Michael Gay has posted an entertaining rant about iPhone reporting.

"Every station has done this before: some big product comes out, a producer goes to eBay and searches for it, and they quote the highest price they can find to make it sound like a bigger story. Stop it. An extreme is not a story, and it adds hype to a story that doesn't need your help to be bigger…," he writes. "[W]hat does it add to the story when you report on national TV that the cost [of an iPhone] on eBay is $2,799? I just found one for $20,999,999 (at least shipping is included). That doesn't mean that's how much the phone costs."

CBS News fell into this trap on Saturday's "Evening News." Towards the end of a balanced piece on the much-hyped product, reporter Michelle Miller said the following: "Just how hot is the iPhone? Well, at this New York City Apple Store, and others like it across the country, they refor--retail, rather, for between five and $600. On eBay, they're going for as high as $1,300."

The "going for" bit is the issue here. Corey Spring did some research and found that "[a]mong those [eBay] auctions that did close successfully, few were having the large markup that many expected to see the iPhone go for from third-party sellers... and a significant amount were only making their money back, even closing at a loss."

That isn't to say that an iPhone hasn't sold for $1,300. But it does mean that the $1,300 figure isn't terribly representative. The explanation for why the iPhone hasn't been going for all that much on eBay has to do with simple supply and demand: The product is still available in most stores, so the average consumer doesn't have much reason to pay an inflated price online.

While Miller did say "as high as $1,300," – and deserves credit for making it clear that that figure marked an extreme – Gay is right to point out that unrepresentative eBay numbers don't necessarily benefit a story. And it's not as though the iPhone needs much more in the way of hype.

[ronmwanga]

Let's all take a cleansing breath and relax.

[ronmwanga]

Let's all take a cl;eansing breath and relax.

[ronmwanga]

Let's all take a deep, cleansing breath. As a former Editor of MacDirectory I can say that covering these Apple product releases demands all the strength of one's soul to maintainone's journalistic integrity. We had a term -- the press covering Apple -- the "Steve Jobs Distortion Field" for the launches. God bless Jobs for evangelizing as an effective CEO is supposed to do, but blame the journos who fall prey to the "Steve Distortion Field". As innovative as the products are, nothing can match up to the hype of coolness Apple has spun around itself. We may all need some time and distance to get an objective key on the iPhone.

[ronmwanga]

Let's all take a deep, cleansing breath. As a former Editor of MacDirectory I can say that covering these Apple product releases demands all the strength of one's soul to maintainone's journalistic integrity. We had a term -- the press covering Apple -- the "Steve Jobs Distortion Field" for the launches. God bless Jobs for evangelizing as an effective CEO is supposed to do, but blame the journos who fall prey to the "Steve Distortion Field". As innovative as the products are, nothing can match up to the hype of coolness Apple has spun around itself. We may all need some time and distance to get an objective key on the iPhone.

[ronmwanga]

Let's all take a deep, cleansing breath. As a former Editor of MacDirectory I can say that covering these Apple product releases demands all the strength of one's soul to maintainone's journalistic integrity. We had a term -- the press covering Apple -- the "Steve Jobs Distortion Field" for the launches. God bless Jobs for evangelizing as an effective CEO is supposed to do, but blame the journos who fall prey to the "Steve Distortion Field". As innovative as the products are, nothing can match up to the hype of coolness Apple has spun around itself. We may all need some time and distance to get an objective key on the iPhone.

[ronmwanga]

***Let***'***s*** ***all*** ***take*** ***a*** ***deep***, ***cleansing*** ***breath***. ***As*** ***a*** ***former*** ***Editor*** ***of*** ***MacDirectory*** ***I*** ***can*** ***say*** ***that*** ***covering*** ***these*** ***Apple*** ***product*** ***releases*** ***demands*** ***all*** ***the*** ***strength*** ***of*** ***one***'***s*** ***soul*** ***to*** ***maintainone***'***s*** ***journalistic*** ***integrity***. ***We*** ***had*** ***a*** ***term*** -- ***the*** ***press*** ***covering*** ***Apple*** -- ***the*** &***quot***;***Steve*** ***Jobs*** ***Distortion*** ***Field***&***quot***; ***for*** ***the*** ***launches***. ***God*** ***bless*** ***Jobs*** ***for*** ***evangelizing*** ***as*** ***an*** ***effective*** ***CEO*** ***is*** ***supposed*** ***to*** ***do***, ***but*** ***blame*** ***the*** ***journos*** ***who*** ***fall*** ***prey*** ***to*** ***the*** &***quot***;***Steve*** ***Distortion*** ***Field***&***quot***;. ***As*** ***innovative*** ***as*** ***the*** ***products*** ***are***, ***nothing*** ***can*** ***match*** ***up*** ***to*** ***the*** ***hype*** ***of*** ***coolness*** ***Apple*** ***has*** ***spun*** ***around*** ***itself***. ***We*** ***may*** ***all*** ***need*** ***some*** ***time*** ***and*** ***distance*** ***to*** ***get*** ***an*** ***objective*** ***key*** ***on*** ***the*** ***iPhone***.