Rumors have always been a part of the Apple community but it seems that recently they’ve taken on a new intensity with rumors about everything from the iPhone to Steve Jobs’ health popping up on an almost daily basis. Are these rumors still just part of the fun of Apple or does something need to be done?
Assistant Editor Nick Mediati: Apple Rumors Have Got to Go
Rumors Aren’t a Reliable Indicator of What’s To Happen
Rumors Take Away the Element of Surprise
David, let’s take the original iPad announcement. Remember all the hype and speculation surrounding it? Remember how it was expected to blow our minds? Then remember how it was derided as a big iPod Touch? Would we have been as disappointed at first if it wasn’t so overhyped by rumors beforehand? I don’t think so.
The iPad 2 is another example. Prior to the official announcement, rumors had it that the iPad 2 would have a “retina display” and an SD card slot. The iPad 2 was instead an incremental update to the hardware, with no significant hardware feature additions. Yawn.
Iffy Reporting
“ iPhone 5 To Have NFC, Says Person Who Knows A Man With A Friend Who Works At Apple “
Ye gods!
Speaking of the iPhone 5, it may come out in late June. Unless it comes out this fall. But it may not come until next year.
Wait, what?
The fact of the matter, my dear David, is that none of us really knows who these “insider sources” are, and how reliable they are, so that makes it hard to put stock into any of the rumors. Unfortunately, all too often, rumors end up being reported as fact–or as something that’ll almost assuredly happen, as evidenced by claims made by “extremely reliable” sources.
So, while a small part of me likes following the rumor mill, I wouldn’t be too upset if the whole concept would just completely dry up and blow away. Surely David can see the logic here?
Next: Staff Editor David Daw explains to Nick why Apple rumors should stick around.
Staff Editor David Daw: Rumors Are Half the Fun
They’re Fun
I suppose if nobody on earth knew the iPad was coming they couldn’t be as disappointed as my stick-in-the-mud coworker apparently was, but I think the hype and corresponding disappointment was more a result of Apple’s history of product launches (and with the idea of the Apple tablet itself) than some random rumor that suggested the cost of the new product would be $2.99, that it would run better than most PCs, and that it possibly would be able to cure all known diseases.
Rumors might lead to some disappointment, but they also lead to excitement. Nick apparently doesn’t care about these issues: How close were we to getting it right? What’s going to be the “one more thing” this time?
Taken with a grain of salt, the hype machine can be quite a ride. Some people may get let down when the products don’t live up to every rumor making the rounds, but that says more about them than about rumors.
They Are Useful
One wonders why anyone bothers to read Apple rumors if, as Nick suggests, they’re always wrong. The answer of course is that they’re right at least some of the time and that information has value. For all Nick’s hand-wringing about how inaccurate Apple rumors can be, they can also get a lot of details right months in advance.
Unlike a lot of companies, Apple doesn’t tend to announce product launches or refreshes far in advance. Since Apple computers also tend to be big-ticket items, purchasing a Mac can sometimes be a risky proposition if Apple announces a refresh soon after your purchase.
It’s What Apple Wants
With rare exceptions, what Apple wants Apple tends to get: Nick just has to get used to this. Once the company has a vision, it works tirelessly to make that vision a reality. So we have to assume if this state of affairs wasn’t what Apple wanted they’d be working to change it. But why would they?
Sure, the Apple rumor-mill sometimes gets out of hand (for instance, I’m sure Steve Jobs isn’t thrilled by the constant rumors about his health) but, in general, the process serves as good clean fun that builds up excitement for Apple products. My valued co-worker doesn’t appear to grasp this.
Apple cracks down on Apple leaks sometimes, but only when they take away all the mystery like the iPhone 4 debacle. Apple doesn’t want us to know exactly what they have in store, but the company actually likes to keep all of us–especially Nick–guessing what it is up to.
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