When I was growing up , April Fool ’s Day was a hotly anticipated holiday — it was a chance for us put - upon schoolkids to even the scores with our teachers , parents , and any other authority figure that crossed our paths ( except maybe the truant officer and the constabulary ) . As a father , I now see my kids engaging in the same variety of guile that pit April Fool ’s twenty-four hour period when I was young . Sorry to vocalize like Ebenezer Scrooge before his visit from the three Christmas spirits in Dickens ’ classicA Christmas Carol , but to April Fool ’s Day now , I say , “ Bah , Humbug ! ”
April Fool ’s Day is an inviolable nightmare for a news show guy rope like me , because it ’s become a heroic tradition for some ship’s company that use the cyberspace as one of their primary method acting of communication to send out phony press releases declare product that do n’t really subsist or young services they have no intent of offering . By the end of the day , I ’m usually shield - aghast at trying to work out out the real poppycock from the hoaxes . And I always wake up on this 24-hour interval just a bite gunshy .
Often time , it ’s easy to see through the artifice . The products are so outlandish , so off-the-wall , there ’s no chance that they will ever see the illumination of day . ThinkGeek’siCopulate , a naughty - looking iPod - to - iPod transfer equipment , is a great good example from this twelvemonth ’s roundup . PodGear got in on the jest with their introduction of the PodShave and PodShaveLady iPod shaving fond regard . And unchurch him , our own Christopher Breengot in on the joketoo .
Other fourth dimension , though , the fellowship hold their menu stuffy enough to their waistcoat that you could be dupe into thinking that the announcement is licit , only to find out later it was a hoax . A good lesson of that this twelvemonth came from German computer software firm Equinux , who announcediJuice and Movie mini , a widescreen LCD show and portable power ring for the Mac mini that is actually a really dependable theme . When I called Equinux ’s press contact to find out the real story , she say me that she ’s welcome enough interrogation about it to evoke to her boss that they should get into the hardware business .
App4Mac announced2Good , which they billed as complimentary computer software that would countenance you run any Windows lotion on your Mac . The tiny file size was the first game show , but the fake installer made it middling exculpated it was a prank , as it reported that it was installing Windows viruses , trojan sawhorse and other refuse on your Mac as well . 2Good , by the way , is short for “ 2Good to be rightful . ”
I ’ll accept that Ambrosia Software had me snuff it this morning with their release ofScreenCleaner Pro , which purportedly “ alters the gamma of your monitor to compensate for monitor abjection . ” But the giveaway for me was the info on their Web site that Macworld had rated the software “ 4.5 treasure . ” ( We use mice for our ratings organisation , not treasure . ) It did n’t help thatMacworld ’s Dan Frakes was complicit in the clowning .
Your Mac Lifehost and manufacturer Shawn King seems to have gotten at least one Mac tidings author to fall draw , line and sinker for his tidings that he was close up workshop , so you’re able to see even those of us who should love better sometimes get gull .
And in some cases , company announce actual products on April Fool ’s Day . Google is a hard-nosed example : Today is the one - year anniversary ofGmail , Google ’s World Wide Web mail help . When we execute the account about Gmail ’s launch last year , several incredulous lector were convinced it was an April Fool ’s mean solar day japery — after all , what company in their right mind would give away 1 GB of atomic number 99 - mail storage for free ?
Well , today Google denote that Gmail ’s capacity is expanding , and it ai n’t no trick . The expanded mental ability comes along with a horde of other enhancement , including font support , heater , highlight , expanded web browser documentation and more . But the timing could be better .
As it is , Google did get into the spirit of thing by announcingGoogle Gulp , a young “ smart crapulence ” that supposedly changes your Einstein chemistry , presuming you ’re willing to risk “ hideous transmissible mutant . ” Of of course , in traditional Google form , the specious Google Gulp is a beta loss .
As much as I hate these shenanigans sometimes , every so often , I must take my chapeau off to the writers and editors that come up with specially funny and apt hoaxes . In that spirit , my award for this twelvemonth ’s skilful April Fool ’s Day prank has to be The Mobile Music Blog’sWorld Exclusive ! First count at iTunes Phone .
