Can someone please explain daring fireball to me? Every single post appears to be about how great Apple is. That can't seriously be the blog, can it? Why would people read this?
I think Gruber seems to be a smart guy but all of his posts seem to praise Apple and hate on non-Apple especially Google. I think he says some interesting things but I just can't take the guy seriously. He's like the RMS for Apple.
What makes DF interesting (or at least relevant) is that John Gruber tends to think like Apple does (as a collective). Steve Jobs even went so far as to use Gruber's rationalization during the iOS vs Flash debacle as an example of a well reasoned argument.
The short version is: Gruber is a good read if you want to know what Apple is thinking.
His columns are almost always written about Apple's actions either in hindsight or in the very near term future, but he makes very few predictions or longer-term insights.
I find Gruber unreadable simply because he is so predictable. If it's about Apple, then it's praise; and if it's about Android, it's criticism.
That said, I think he's smart and knows exactly what he's doing. His audience is probably about 95% Apple product owners and he does a great job at suppressing any cognitive dissonance they may have regarding their Apple purchases - which keeps them coming back.
Reading his column is just another ritual for faithful followers of the Church of Apple.