One of the primary goals of AppleTLDR is to be a trusted source of high-quality information. Where you, the reader, can enjoy the content shared on both this site, our social accounts, and in your interactions with us and other readers. This is a space where we can agree and disagree in a civil and courteous way. And when errors happen (which they can and will), they’re corrected at the earliest opportunity. You’ll find an outline of how we achieve that primary goal, the ethical practices of our business, and the review policy below. The AppleTLDR privacy policy is outlined separately.
JB, Owner of AppleTLDR 🔍
I worked at Apple from 2010 to 2020. I chose to leave on good terms and have great respect for the company and my former colleagues. During my time there, I had various jobs including sales, tech support, hiring, training, and working on software for some products. I worked in Apple stores and corporate offices in the UK, Ireland and the USA.
I don’t have insider knowledge about Apple’s future plans or new products. However, I do know a lot about their existing tools, products, and technology. I expect this knowledge will become less relevant over time as the company changes. Because of the agreement I signed when I joined Apple, I can’t share more details about my work there.
I was an Apple shareholder, with stocks purchased at a special rate via an employee purchase program and granted as restricted stock units that vested over time. I no longer hold any stocks with Apple and sold my options in 2020.
Sponsored content 💸
AppleTLDR needs sponsored content to make money and to keep the site online. We only work with respected, trusted brands. We won’t suggest products or services that do not meet a high standard for quality or reliability. We are careful about the companies we work with and perform appropriate due diligence. If we aren’t satisfied with what a company offers, behaves or how they want to work together, we won’t partner with them.
If there is to be an exchange of products, services or money, we require companies to provide a contract before an endorsement is created for them or before entering into a sponsorship. We rarely grant a license to our content in perpetuity. Meaning the companies we work with should not expect to have the right to use our content indefinitely without negotiation. We will also negotiate other terms with the companies we work with, ensuring both parties sign the contract before any content is created.
Any paid endorsements will be clearly marked as such, stating that the content is a form of advertisement and outlining the nature of the endorsement. For example where products are provided to review.
Reviews ✍️
Reviews will be clearly marked in the title or content of the work. AppleTLDR reviews are based on actually using a product or service for a reasonable amount of time. Often, we own the product that is being reviewed. If that isn’t the case and a review unit or loaner unit has been provided, this will be clearly stated. All opinions in our reviews are independent, regardless of how the review product was sourced. Companies can pay for us to review a product, but they can’t pay for favourable coverage. A precondition of working with with us is that opinions will be based on experience, real-life usage, and most importantly, will honestly reflect the quality, utility, and value of the product. This will be reflected in contract terms when review units or loaner units are provided.
Our reviews are never written from a spec sheet. They may lean into synthetic benchmarks in combination with real-life usage to help form opinions. But value, quality, utility, and more are never based solely on specs or benchmarks.
AppleTLDR does not provide review scores. As an Apple-focused site, it would be difficult to do so while maintaining credibility in the eyes of readers. Instead, we provide subjective commentaries in reviews, stating, as applicable, the positive and negative attributes of a product. We will state if we recommend a product or not to help readers in their research and purchasing decisions.
Sources 🕵️♂️
Official Sources
Communications with AppleTLDR from marketing professionals or communications teams will, by default, be on the record. Meaning we can record who you are, what you said, your role and when you said it. That’s an expectation and condition of working with us in an official capacity. You may request to go “on background” but you will have to tell us why you would like to change the default “on the record” way of working, every single time. We don’t allow or publish “source familiar” communications from official representatives.
As mentioned, if you communicate with us in an official capacity, you can request to go “on background”, meaning your name will not be stated and you will not be personally identified. Instead a description such as “company spokesperson” will be used instead. This must be agreed first, otherwise you’ll be assumed to be on the record. You have to request this and we have to agree to this every single time we interact.
If you want to go off the record, we will not identify you or report the information you share unless it can be sourced elsewhere too. But this must be agreed upfront, every single time. It’s rare that this will be agreed to without very specific reasons.
Third Party Sources
By default you’ll be on record. That means information you share with AppleTLDR including name, role or otherwise, can be reported along with any information you choose to share. However unlike official company spokespersons, you can choose for all of your personally identifiable information to be redacted. For example if you wanted us to consider reporting some information that you have, but where you do not want to be associated with that information. You need to request this up front. In most cases we will agree to this and will clearly state if this is agreed to prior to any exchange of tips or other information related to a story.
As with official sources, you can request an off the record conversation with AppleTLDR. Meaning the contents of any conversations, interviews, emails or otherwise, will not be published. But you must request to go off the record and we must agree to this upfront. Otherwise by default, you’ll be “on the record”. Reasonable measures will be taken to protect digital interactions (like emails, sms, direct messages) and prevent them from being exposed. Digital interactions will be deleted as soon as possible on request (if legal and appropriate to do so). Every effort is made to protect sources and their confidentiality.
Opinion pieces and commentary 💬
Sometimes AppleTLDR might create content about a product, service or feature without first-hand experience of it. For example, when discussing rumoured products or to provide initial opinions based on provided marketing materials. When AppleTLDR does this, we clearly state so and outline that such pieces are not reviews. We make it clear in such instances that any opinions shared are “working opinions” or “current opinions”. Not facts based on observed product characteristics.
Editorial Content 📰
All content on the AppleTLDR website and other platforms, like Instagram, is written in-house. We always give credit when using information from other sources. AppleTLDR uses writing tools to improve things like spelling and grammar. But we don’t generate written content using these tools or any other AI. AppleTLDR believes in originality and that technology is at its best when it enhances and enables human creativity. But it should never and can never replace it.
Images 📸
AppleTLDR uses original photos, graphics and videos whenever possible. If that isn’t possible, we sometimes use free media from websites like Unsplash and Pixabay. Even though these sites don’t always require it, AppleTLDR always gives citation and states where the content came from if that information is available.
Sometimes, AppleTLDR might use images from sponsors. When that is the case, this is clearly labelled. We never knowingly use copyrighted images without getting permission first. If that were to happen inadvertently, a disclosure would be made and the content removed immediately.
Video 📹
AppleTLDR videos are mostly original content. Sometimes, we may include short clips from other sources to review them, comment on them, or give them new meaning. When we use clips from others, credit is always given. This credit is shown either on screen, in the video description, or both. This follows the rules of UK copyright law.
Audio 🎵
AppleTLDR aims to use original audio content whenever possible. When that isn’t possible, we use open-source resources like Story Blocks or paid resources with licensing. We always clearly label these sources in the work itself, captions, or description boxes. Sometimes, we briefly use other audio sources to review them, comment on them, or create new meaning. In these cases, proper citation is provided.