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Comment by michaelmartin | Hacker News Reader

I think the author is making too big a deal of this video not being promoted by Apple.

Sure, to us reading from the author's blog, we know it's an independent video. To most people who would load up iTunes and see a big banner for a Steve Jobs video on the front of the store, it would seem as though Apple were behind it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with not actively promoting that sort of confusion.

If they'd really thought it was "too controversial" (Not sure why the author quoted that phrase, and then didn't say if it was an actual quote?), they wouldn't have put it in the store at all. It's not like banning something from their store is something they're afraid to do...

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You misinterpret. It's just the old "See the X that Y doesn't want you to see" sales routine.

Exactly what I thought. There are lots of movies/apps/games/albums they don't promote.

X. Cringely's always been a little crazy... I love his two PBS documentaries though, they're really nice.

Has there been any more information on that startup documentary he was filming?

He's going to put it on YouTube "in a few weeks." http://www.cringely.com/2012/06/28/why-youtube-isnt-future-t...

I don't think it getting credibility in that way was ever any sort of a risk. A small independent documentary for a niche audience was never going to get the same sort of billing as John Carter.

But that's probably what's happened - it's a small niche interest film that they've just dumped in there. Looking at the new releases I don't think that's all new releases, just potentially popular ones.

Not everything gets equal billing in iTunes and not promoting something isn't the same as burying it. I suspect that this has had precisely the same level of attention applied to it as any other small, indie film - that is none at all.

He's just trolling. Assuming his film doesn't make $100M at the box office or win a bunch of awards he knows there's no chance in hell Apple is going to promote it for him.

In other words: don't confuse indifference with derision.

I think they also know that banning an interview with Steve Jobs from their store would create untold publicity for it, so if they are not including it in their 'new releases' section, then they are probably burying it. And it doesn't take much of a byline to indicate that something is an independent production, so I don't think there is much difficulty in avoiding that sort of confusion, while still having it more visible.

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