Apple is banning ALL books published by John Wiley & Sons (publishers, among other things, of the "For Dummies" line of instructional books) from their retail stores because the disapprove of a biography written about Steve Jobs (which apparently isn't even negative).
Eh, it's Apple. We already know that they are headed by one seriously paranoid and controlling individual who can't stand the free flow of information.
Are they going too far? Yeah, but it's not really a surprise nor is it something that Apple or it's loyalists will really care about.
Tim
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit. -- Erasmus
It's not like these are Apple branded books. They are a third party that doesn't have to be part of the Apple store.
I see this less as censorship and more as standing up for their prinicipals. It isn't like Apple is suing the company to keep their books from being printed, they just aren't going to give them any of their money.
Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
Originally posted by StiltonApple is banning ALL books published by John Wiley & Sons (publishers, among other things, of the "For Dummies" line of instructional books) from their retail stores because the disapprove of a biography written about Steve Jobs (which apparently isn't even negative).
1. Censorship is only performed by the government.
2. Apple has the absolute right to sell whatever they want in their stores. It doesn't matter if Steve Jobs just doesn't like John Wiley's haircut. The owner of an establishment can sell _ or not sell _ whatever they wish, as long as it isn't an item that's prohibited by law.
Originally posted by the articleI think this episode with Wiley and Apple's earlier legal attacks on people who it accused of leaking product information are part of a campaign to look tough to movie studios and record companies. As I've surmised before, Apple is trying to put together a high definition movie download service that requires content from all the major movie studios. If Steve looks soft on IP theft or unwilling to flex his corporate legal muscles, the studios may think he won't adequately protect their corporate jewels.
Interesting to note that since banning this, sales of Jobs' biography have shot up (just not at Apple stores), so it almost looks like a winning situation for everyone (except for those who think Apple is making a mistake...)
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Apple can sell whatever they want. Hell they could sell comic books, but they dont. Who cares if they dont sell some stupid line of books. They still have the best computers, its not gunna drop their stock worth or anything.
Originally posted by Crimedog 2. Apple has the absolute right to sell whatever they want in their stores. It doesn't matter if Steve Jobs just doesn't like John Wiley's haircut. The owner of an establishment can sell _ or not sell _ whatever they wish, as long as it isn't an item that's prohibited by law.
I agree they may sell or not sell what they want. However, while only the government may impose official censorship, we all censor what we consume constantly. And that is as it should be. It is only problematic when we move past self-censorship and attempt to "enlighten" everyone.
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=106297 "I, Lusiphur"/"Poison Elves" was pretty much the only independent book I could pick up on a regular basis.