Assignment 1

The ubiquity of news coverage is difficult to evade, even if one wanted to. The truth is, stories that used to be limited to merely print, are now available in other forms: audio and video. But are all mediums used to disseminate ch stories created equal? Here I will take one story, the unveiling of Apple Company’s "iPhone," and discuss the pros and cons of each way it is presented to the anxiously awaiting public.

The first version of the iPhone story came in print-flavor; I stumbled upon it in Time magazine. At about 5 pages long, the article cleverly titled "The Apple of Your Ear" gives a plethora of information about the new trendy must-have gadget. It discusses the thought process behind the miracle invention, pausing to reiterate how well Apple and its gadgets have been doing over the last 2 plus years. We know, the iPod is God’s gift to the world, bla, bla, bla. The author of the piece, Lev Grossman, then goes on to explicate exactly what the iPhone can do for you, hardly leaving anything to the imagination. It is smooth and pretty, organizes your phone calls and messages, and has a touch screen for ease of text-messaging. It also has bluetooth technology, web access, and can store photos and music. Who needs a significant other when they basically have a shinier, more organized version of a person living in their pocket? Of course no article about a gadget wouldn’t have crazy-awesome graphics to seal the deal. Shown in photograph are the iPhone’s many capabilities including one of it shown in actual size. It’s like a free paper iPhone. Yipee! The Pros of the print version of this story is the ability for it to have loads of background information and lots of room for photos and other visual embellishment. The words are there to read and reread– in case you just can’t believe that the touch screen allows you to send a text message with your eyes closed. A con of the print article might be that it is lengthy, and for those non-readers who loathe big words and little type– this medium might be hard for them to get their head around.

At 1 minute, 48 seconds, the video coverage of the new iPhone was short but sweet. I can see how this medium would appeal to such a large amount of the public. Although short, the report gives the viewer a good idea of what the iPhone is, what it does and what it looks like. The clip showed footage of Steve Job’s actual presentation which includes Job demonstrating all that the iPhone can do. It was definitely cool to see the phone/computer/music player can actually do. The pictures were crisp and the giant phone showed on a giant screen practically sold itself. This medium would be attractive because it is visually stimulating and gives the information in a fast and easy way to obtain. One con might be that the length of the short may limit information about the story. The print story was much better from an informational standpoint.

The last version of the story I looked at–or listened to, was the audio version, which I found on the NPR website. The recording is called "Apple Has It’s ‘I’ On New Cell Phone" and is by Wendy Kaufman. I found this recording to be the least beneficial mainly because of its lack of visuals. Especially when reporting a story about a new product, it is helpful to have some images of the new gadget. Though it reported everything accurately and in detail, the iPhone was not done justice.

My pick is still the print version because it provided apt visuals and information simultaneously.