“CNET Networks has acquired the TechTracker family of Web sites, including VersionTracker, MacFixIt and iPhone Atlas. Separate notes confirming the acquisition were posted to all three sites late on Wednesday,” Peter Cohen reports for Macworld.
More info in the full article here.
Appleās first foldable iPhone is expected to headline Wednesdayās āSurprise and Shineā event, but the product itself is not a last-minuteā¦
Apple holds its biggest product event of the year on Wednesday, September 9, at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT at Apple Park in Cupertinoā¦
Global foldable smartphone shipments are on track to pass a major milestone by the end of 2026, with lifetime volumes expected to exceedā¦
Patience is the cheapest upgrade in Appleās lineup. Skip launch day, wait a few months, and you can buy a Certified Refurbishedā¦
Apple has already previewed a more customizable Camera app and a dedicated Siri shooting mode for iOS 27. Code in developer beta 8 pointsā¦
GOD NO!
That explains the histrionic articles on MacFixit!
There goes the farm…
Great news! Key Mac service websites acquired by an anti-Mac publisher.
Geeze. CNET……..this is bad news.
I hope there are loopholes in the non-compete clauses.
This can only mean one thing: CNET expects the Mac market to be growing faster than their core business.
Actually good news.
this sucks.. š ++++++
Sorry this is not good news…..
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
i actually saw that this morn when on macfixit. was wonderin why there was a “this is a c|net site” in the upper rite corner. like Paul Johnson stated: “Great news! Key Mac service websites acquired by an anti-Mac publisher.” ā¦armagedonn is near!!
Oh well, those 3 websites will now totally go to hell…
The only thing worse would be Macromedia being bought by Ado… never mind… **
..or Bungie being bought by Microsof…. err…
…What’s the hell is next? Apple bought out by Wal-Mart?
** Sorry C1-Nothing personal
nothing good will come from this
Cnet, microsoft shills, so long macfixit
No worries, my work there is nearly done.
What the F@$*…this is terrible news.
Just as well that MacUpdate is now at better than VersionTracker.
Those sites are now removed from my bookmarks.
“She’s a liar. She’s a liar and no good will come of her . . . “
adios versiontracker thanks for the help – hello macupdate
Where is the new MacFixit alternative since this one will be a no no now…?
Horrible, horrible news.
Cnet is rabidly anti-Apple. Every review while on the face seems positive, manages to slam Apple.
Listen to Buzz out loud, one of their podcast-one of the hosts continously slams Apple-even referring to the iPhone as a turd.
“Also . . . I can kill you with my brain.”
I can only hope someone key at CNET reads this thread so they know what we think of biased Mac reporting.
Not that MacUpdate’s any better–some days you can’t browse the site without first being harassed to accept Jesus into your life. Nothing against Christians in the abstract general, but the site’s proprietor is a total Jesus nutjob.
C|NET, MacUpdate… Who let these right-wing freakoids in, anyway? What happened to the Mac community I used to know and love?
CNET? Oh well, their off my bookmarks also.
Oh well, they were good sites. I’m sure they will turn into download.com crap! Bye bye.
You might as well have told me that Microsoft was the acquiring company, since CNET seems to function as MS’s public relations department.
I do see the possibility that this is actually recognition on the part of CNET of Apple’s growing prominence. But CNET’s documented anti-Mac bias over the years does not encourage me to belive they will take care of websites I respect and use frequently.
This seems more like a cynical grab for relevant Mac properties based on Apple’s stock price.
DAMMIT! I guess this means that we may have to find ra replacement website for Version Tracker. š
I hope not, but we’ve been down this all-too-familiar road before.
ie: Bungie, Virtual PC, etc.
They have been on a slippery slope into irrelevance ever since they started charging for “archive” articles. Most of which were contributed to them by readers for FREE. I can get pretty much the same contents by googling around. As long as they keep this $-grubbing policy, they’re dead to me.
Another jedi lost to the dark side.
Goodbye, VersionTracker and MacFixit. Was nice knowin’ ya! Why couldn’t it have been Macworld or Mac Life?
@ tvdoqi: Welcome to the world of the mainstream Mac. It will only get worse. I mean that about neither left- nor right-wing types, but the influx of ex-Windows-using mouthbreathers in general.
Just to be clear, “Why couldn’t it have been Macworld or Mac Life?” should read, “Why couldn’t it have been Macworld or Mac Life that acquired you?”
I hate CNET as much as the next rabid Apple fan. But after bringing the Macalope onboard, they have left him alone to bite the hand that feeds him.
They may just benignly neglect the sites and collect the profits.
“…Who let these right-wing freakoids in, anyway? What happened to the Mac community I used to know and love?…”
It never existed, except in your own mind. The mac community has never been so politically one-sided. The feeling you have is a by-product of you thinking that since we all use the same computer, we all must think the same as well.
And have you ever actually been stopped from browsing Macupdate before answering questions about religion? I’ve been using it for years and I’ve never been harassed or seen any evidence of proselytizing going on.
Me, I’m now done with those three, as I have been for a lone time with CNet…
Let’s hope that CNET will enhance these sites instead of cancelling them…
MacFixit is an incredible site, hope they don’t ruin that one…
MacFixit et.al. must in dire financial straits to go in this direction. Nothing productive or useful ever comes out of CNET’s mouth. MacFixit just made itself irrelevant.
My subscription will not be renewed.
Just adding to those crying NO! Versiontracker was a refuge of sanity!
Who uses CNet anymore?
Wow! So what’s the alternative? Because these sites are doomed. MacFixIt will be focused on Symantec Virus installer issues on the Mac…as if anyone’s ever installed one…
F*ck C|NET and their blatantly bias “journalism”
If ever there was a story for an opinion! Well??
I just died inside a little bit.
How long until cNet sucks the soul out of VersionTracker?
F**K!
MDN Word ‘Mean’
Sad!! Yet if it is a sign that Cnet gots religin* then it is not soo bad. Those big boys be learnin’ where all of da money is going to be in the future… Another brick in the Apple edifice… not too long until 50% market share… and besides..if you don’t have inside talent, you must buy it!
MW: season, as it Appl season… crisp, crunchy and luscious
This is horrible news. Those sites are going to go to hell in a handbasket unless CNET just owns it on paper but leaves daily running to those good folk who have made the sites what they are now. Let’s hope CNET stays out of day-to-day management.
Oh this has just made today a sad day…
We will build more!!!! Thanks for funding the Mac Community!
you know, Someone Else is right. A long time ago, I used to use MacFixIt all the time as my first resource for Mac troubleshooting. Then they started charging for archive articles and so I have never used them since, looking elsewhere on the web for help.
But I never realized it until now when Someone Else pointed out that all these troubleshooting suggestions were submitted by users visiting the site and were submitted for free. It was kinda’ sh*tty that MacFixIt started charging to view help tips submitted to them freely by their readers.
MW: range as in home, home on the…
Can you say Advertisement Revenue? That’s what you will see MORE of on those sites now. All with C|NET logos everywhere too.
This is yet another shot across Mac users’ bow. Apple itself hasn’t learned that there are some entities –Adobe being the most obvious– which, in someone else’s hands, have the potential to harm Apple and the whole Mac community. Apple needs to protect itself (and us) by BUYING ADOBE and any other developer that has become critical to Mac use. I would certainly suggest that Apple looks at Parallels and other developers’ software. But the loss of VersionTracker and related sites is also a bad thing. Luckily, we have a backup to VT at the moment, but that can also be gobbled up.
There is still MacUpdate.com.
There goes the store…
…Even though I mention a “backup” to VT, that is not at all to say it is nearly equal. VT has been a solid mainstay for Mac users to get the most out of the Mac. I have always been sure to add a bookmark to it in the menu bar when setting up someone’s new Mac. I share the concern “others” [MW] express. Condolences should be sent to VT along with gratitude for their past years of excellent service.
@ Paul Johnson says, “Great news! Key Mac service websites acquired by an anti-Mac publisher.”
I think that sums up my feelings as well. Nevertheless, don’t forget that being desirable can also mean you’re profitable. Could be (yes I know this is wishful thinking on my part), that CNET just wants to make sure they get a sliver of the upside of being connected with Apple Inc. in any way shape or form.
Forgive me for being over optimistic, but you never know. We should track it for awhile and see what happens.
FANTASTIC NEWS!! Now someone else can come in and do a better job. This will not be hard as we all expect cnet to destroy these services.
Yeah, the MacFixit or yore was great and invaluable. Then they closed much of it to the public and it was too easy to find the same information elsewhere.
It would be interesting for CNET to do an immediate shot over the bow and remove the subscription requirement. Then somehow transform it into the site to go for mac troubleshooting.
Bye-bye VersionTracker, I’m moving to MacUpdate.com
” Could be (yes I know this is wishful thinking on my part), that CNET just wants to make sure they get a sliver of the upside of being connected with Apple Inc. in any way shape or form.”
So they(CNET/MS) can quash it.
MacUpdate now has my exclusive business.
cos
CNET is funded by Microsoft corp.
The acquisition is mainly to house and traffic the iPhone sucess from the “www.iPhoneatlas.com” site.
Where they shall learn and attempt to errode Apples’ market with MS soon to arrive (5 yrs from now) with it’s Zune-a-Phone, which shall only be seen in a theatre near you.
ahhhhh – hahaha!
Yup – all CNET crap off my BOOKMARK list too!
j
For great alternatives, try Macupdate and OS X Hints
Here is a copy of what I just posted in the MacFixIt Forum, which I believe is valid and should remind everyone posting here of the valuable, constant, and consistant example provided by Ted Landau over the years –
Will try to be a smart troubleshooter and wait for results from the next step in the process before jumping to any conclusions.
But, troubleshooting skills also teach that we must believe previous results – and, sorry, can’t remember many positive coming from cnet.
For your sake, and the sake of the Mac Community who’ve depended upon, supported, and trusted you these many years – hope you have not just made a huge mistake.
We’ll see.
Thank You
BC Kelly
Tallahassee Fla
P.S. – something I failed to give there, but will offer here:
Never forget these words of wisdom from the Ol’ Navy Chief who taught this essential truth about troubleshooting electronics, or anything else …
Son, make damn sure when you try to fix something you don’t come out of it with more problems than you had going in.
So long versiontracker, it’s been nice.
@nekogami13 Listen to Buzz out loud, one of their podcast-one of the hosts continously slams Apple-even referring to the iPhone as a turd.
I totally agree. I used to really like BOL every day, but after James Kim’s passing and the new year starting, Molly Wood is just too much to handle. It’s a shame when media folks like her just go over the top to create sensationalism and controversy just to get “hits” and subscriptions. I don’t listen any more (it also probably went downhill drastically after Veronica left); and in fact it echoes many of our sentiments here that the once-good CNET ship has turned its bow away from balanced reporting over the past few years.
I just hope VersionTracker and MFI don’t get ruined.
MDN: action; as in, what action can we take? (none I fear)
CNET…….don’t they make hairspray?…..
VersionTracker is one of my favorite download sites. Many of the people are from the Portland area, and I have always recommended them to other Mac users who are looking for a program that does something. MacFixIt too, has been a recommended site for many Macintosh people who need help.
For their sake, I hope that they scored a bunch of money from C|Net and are still around to continue their future support of the Macintosh platform.
I’m trying to be positive about this, thinking that the Macintosh and the Mac OS X’s growing acceptance and the growing number of switchers is forcing C|Net to start looking for better Mac support on their web sites. But, I can’t help feeling bad about this whole thing.
Maybe it’s time for the Macintosh community to step up their support of the Macintosh platform and start giving back to the community too.
Comment from: Chris ][
Those sites are now removed from my bookmarks.
Well, I guess this means the weird doesn’t-work-as-you’d-expect problems on VersionTracker will be fixed by the amazing web developers that make CNet hum so smoothly. Er, maybe not.
So, I guess that means that clicking ONCE on the Submit comment button in VT will now post 8 copies of your comment instead of only 2 or 3?
MW: Go “directly” to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Oh well – no more reading MacFixit for me!
Or using version tracker either.
CNET sucks – expect anti-mac fud all over those sites now.
CNET HATES MAC USERS!
ALL OF THOSE MAC WEBSITES HAVE JUST GONE COMPLETELY DOWN THE DRAIN.
I’ve been feeding the VT RSS to mac everyday for years. I just unsubscribed. C/NET hasn’t ever been any good.