The new, lighter mobile phone: news or hype?

On Tuesday, in Evening newsToni Cruanyes announced: "And now a technological note for Apple fans and the rest of the sector." It was about the upcoming release of the new iPhone 17. "Tim Cook has presented the different versions of the iPhone 17 through his YouTube channel. Among them, a prominent place has been reserved for the iPhone Air, the thinnest and lightest in its history." The images to complement the news were from the brand's presentation videos, where we could see, slowly moving, the new phones with their sinuous shapes and the usual striking colors. They are very tempting images that seem to confirm that all those magical dystopias that we imagined were far away will finally be in our pockets. Cruanyes continued reporting: "We were also able to see the new range of smart watches and headphones." And, finally, some service information for viewers: "They will be available for purchase starting September 19." In the images, we saw how Apple's presentation also alerted us to the possibility of ordering them from that moment on.

There's no doubt that Apple arouses passions, even obsessions, often due to the brand's seductive power rather than the mastery of technological features we users have. It's understandable that the news wants to respond to the interests and concerns of viewers, but what we saw wasn't news but advertising driven by Apple's power of influence. Technological innovations have become a prominent part of media coverage, and it's essential that they be included because it's a reality we live with. But we should do so from a critical and expert perspective, asking whether these innovations are truly a step forward, if they respond to certain commercial strategies, or even if they can be assessed from a more global technological perspective and not as a new virtue of the brand. Innovations can be understood in the context of the Mobile World Congress, or if a certain part of a new widget is manufactured in Catalonia. Newscast Does it also inform us about the release of new models from Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, or Huawei and their features? In a few days, the news will be about long lines in stores to get the iPhone 17. Like Tim Cook's announcement, these are reports that serve to create purchasing incentives or generate a false sense of need. The journalistic challenge is to establish a clear reporting criterion on technological innovations and find a way to report them that gives a broader and more critical view of the latest device. Apple's literal following, parroting the big headlines of its promotion, is pure inertia without any filter from a news professional. The brand's great power of seduction, so subtle and intoxicating, also takes advantage of the more traditional media, which provide a large part of the advertising campaign for free. And we should try not to fall on all fours.