It’ll be 22 years of publishing for MacDailyNews next month (September 18th).
So far we’ve published 81,579 posts. That’s an average of 3,708 posts per year or 309 per month.
Sometimes, we’re even a bit prescient: Is Apple building ‘The Device?’ – December 10, 2002
When MacDailyNews.com started (we wrote our own CMS using a simple language to create and maintain a database with some rudimentary HTML – you can see what the first site looked like here), it made just over $60 the first month. We didn’t start publishing until the 18th day of the month, so to generate $60 in 12 days was pretty good back then. Interest in Apple news was high. The site paid for its hosting that month (and every month since). At our height, hosting alone cost over 25x our original hosting bill (of course, many of our earliest visitors were still on dial up! We started the site on dial up 😲!).
In the Steve Jobs II era, the site was lucrative enough to actually live on, with some excess which we used to invest in AAPL. Thank God and Jobs we did that! Several splits later, dividends, stock price increases – those investments in AAPL have worked out well.
Today, the site generates almost exactly 1/8th of what it did when Steve Jobs was alive. It’s not enough to live on. Hourly, it works out to below minimum wage, which is why it’s becoming more and more difficult to devote a ton of hours to it.
See also: Visionary: Hear Steve Jobs, at the dawn of App Store, predict the future of mobile (and mention MacDailyNews) – July 26, 2018
Getting paid 1/8th of what you were once paid for the same amount of work is… something. So, we look on the bright side: it’s a unique situation that most people don’t get to experience. 🙂 Also, it’s a challenge: Can we keep it going? Can we grow revenue to livable levels again?
When the U.S. FTC approved Google acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, it was a huge mistake. Google monopolized search and digital advertising. The advertising rates held up for a couple of years and then the monopolist did what monopolists do. Rates declined.
It did not help that ad-blocking arose at that time, too. Nor did it help that at the same time Apple lost its charismatic, visionary leader. A live Steve Jobs keynote drew eyeballs!
This confluence of events ended up killing many small, independent publishers, including a huge portion of what was once referred to as the “Mac web.” We miss sites like MacSurfer (thankfully, we still have MacHash!), MacNN, and many others. The handful of us left are devoted to coverage of all things Apple.
Soon, there was no way to pay for the site’s operation but to look to reader contributions. We currently have a small group of contributors who keep the site going, but it’s not enough to live on, much less to allow us to turn off ads once and for all. Without our MacDailyNews contributors, the site would not have made it even to 20 years and we’re now nearly two years past that!
Thank you so, so much, MacDailyNews contributors! Without you, MacDailyNews simply would not exist.
Now, we’re trying Substack. This way – at macdailynews.substack.com – we can offer unique, extra AD-FREE content meant only for subscribers (plus, of course, everything else posted here on MacDailyNews.com).
Please consider subscribing to enjoy subscriber-only content with NO ADS and also to help keep MacDailyNews going for another 22 years!
Thank you,
MacDailyNews
Ah. Awesome insights! Mechanical Estimating is basically important for the correct cost and duration measurement of a project. I’ve watched through detailed estimates of how they streamline the whole process, so I would really need some recommendations on reliable estimation services.
Great information! This is when the 3D Rendering Services really transform the presentation. Are there any other types of services that someone found really useful in making those awesome visuals?
Great discussion! Romanesque Architecture is very interesting, with all those heavy structures and such delicate details. I’d love to hear which of the buildings or details others are inspired by!
Great post! It’s not just about designing buildings;What do Architects do play a very important role in project management and interaction with clients. What are the most interesting aspects of their work?
Great post! Xactimate Estimating is really so powerful in creating an accurate and detailed estimate. Now it’s a must-have for my projects. Anyone has suggestions on how to really use its features?
Great article! Metal Estimating can be extremely important in budgeting and planning construction projects using metal materials. Would love to hear how others are doing it precisely.
What do you mean “keep going?”
You posted this question to your dwindling audience and … the last several messages are total spam junk that you can’t be bothered to delete. This after years of providing a platform where extreme right wing US political activists took over most discussions so nobody on your pathetic forums could actually discuss Macs … perhaps this is the level of moderation one should expect. Your trite opinions haven’t been worth the time you put into them, underneath your click and paste cherry picked articles
Goodbye and good riddance.
This post has some great insight on 3D visualization techniques. I just recently put up a guide on my site about some different methods to achieve more realistic-looking 3D visuals Check it out if you need some ways to improve your visualization projects
This post delves deep into 3D Gaussian Splating/, such an innovative technique I recently wrote an article exploring its potential for smoother visual transitions and lifelike effects If you are curious to learn more, check out my blog for some practical applications
It captures perfectly the value of 3D Virtual Staging that I recently put together for any person who is eager to create realistic virtual stages, making spaces come alive; check it out, folks, if you’re ready to dive in even further into this revolutionary tool.
This article shares the increasing relevance of Virtual House tours in real estate. I recently published a few tips on my blog about creating immersive tours to engage potential buyers. If anyone is interested in boosting their listings, check it out.
Great read on the intricacies of Construction Estimating. It really makes one realize just how much detail can make such a difference in the final outcome of a project. I’ve put a few of my best practices and insights together on my website for anyone looking to up their estimating game.
This post covers some key points about Estimating Software that I have been exploring different tools and sharing some tips on my blog for those interested in refining their estimating practices. If you are interested in finding the best software for your projects, check it out!