Plus the great thing about all the rumors is they must drive Google and Scamsung nuts running around like headless chickens trying to figure out what to copy and anticipate and beat Apple to the releases. I've long advocated that Apple should have a department dedicated to creating fake products, patenting things they will never use and leaking stuff.
I think Tim Cook knows that he will never be able to force all component suppliers to stop all leaks. Factory workers are not highly paid, and I'm sure the leakers get cash for the components and/or photos. So sneaking a circuit board or backshell out of the factory for a photo session could be a way to boost income. (And if the part is brought back before anyone notices it's missing, then nobody gets in trouble. Maybe.)
But how does this affect Apple? Well, the average consumer probably doesn't read AI or any other rumor site. They wouldn't know a printed circuit board from a cheese grater anyway. And when it's time to replace their feature phone, it's likely that they'll drive their family car straight to the AT&T / Verizon / T-Mobile store in the nearest mall and buy what the sales clerk tells them to buy. Unless they have read Consumer Reports and have already picked out a model. So component leaks don't directly affect the average consumer.
On the other hand, Apple fans, technophiles, and self-appointed "alpha geeks" tend to read sites like AI. And if an average consumer knows one of these technophiles, that consumer might ask the technophile for advice on buying their first smartphone. And that technophile (if they own an iPhone and are an Apple fan) would tell the consumer "Buy an iPhone. But not just yet. Apple is about to release at least one bigger, better, faster, thinner, prettier, all-new iPhone this year. Wait until September for the first one. In the meantime, check out this cool rumor site called AppleInsider..."
So rumor sites may help to build mindshare among consumers, but only indirectly by informing consumers' techie acquaintances. And, as we've seen, technophiles and alpha-geek-wannabes* tend to join one side or another. (E.g. Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft vs. BlackBerry vs. Samsung ad nauseam.)
{ * I remember when "geek" meant "someone so face-down in the code or circuit diagram that they can't relate to normal people any more."
Now it means "someone who likes to use gadgets." }
I tell you how apple controls suppliers, it call they will never do business with Apple again, They know who does their PCB as well as the case, it is a very small group and it pretty easy to look at a picture and know which supplier the part came from.
You do not want to be the supplier who has to say they lost the Apple account because they let parts leak out. If you ever been to these places where they make these part they have all kinds of security measures in place to make sure people do not bring in things they should not and nothing leaves, in some regards they have better security than at the airports. Even place I been to in the last 20 yrs they all have metal detectors and do not allow any personal items carried into the factory, everything must be check into a locker before hand.
At this point I do not think Apple and its suppliers got sloppy.
To your other point, it is not just the so call geeks talking about the iphone 6 it every day people who are aware it is coming. The information has filtered into the mainstream, and I here of people talking about waiting for the 6 before they buy another phone. It seems to be having the affect of making people hold off buy competitor products. Plus we all know iOS make the phone what it is and iOS 8 is well known for the feature it will bring to the new product.
I think Apple has changed it strategy about information leaks and they are using it to their advantage as long as it does not hurt current product sales.
I tell you how apple controls suppliers, it call they will never do business with Apple again, They know who does their PCB as well as the case, it is a very small group and it pretty easy to look at a picture and know which supplier the part came from.
You do not want to be the supplier who has to say they lost the Apple account because they let parts leak out. If you ever been to these places where they make these part they have all kinds of security measures in place to make sure people do not bring in things they should not and nothing leaves, in some regards they have better security than at the airports. Even place I been to in the last 20 yrs they all have metal detectors and do not allow any personal items carried into the factory, everything must be check into a locker before hand.
At this point I do not think Apple and its suppliers got sloppy.
I think you're right. Apple could easily add "you leak, we cancel" clauses to their supplier contracts. And yes, it looks like Apple likes to have multiple suppliers for the same component if possible. That way they can force the competing suppliers into a bidding war and they could legitimately threaten to cancel all business with suppliers that leak information or otherwise breach their contracts.
I'm starting to think that the "doubling down on secrecy" refers to Apple employees becoming even more oppressed. You may or may not be able to control people in other companies. But you can certainly control people whose paychecks you write. I work in Silicon Valley, right among a bunch of Apple buildings. No, not in Cupertino, and I won't say where exactly. But I tell you, those Apple employees really don't like to talk much to us outsiders. A few blocks away, there's a huge Apple building the size of a movie multiplex with no windows. And another one a few blocks away with frosted windows everywhere except the lobby. (And yes, I've walked by several of those buildings with AirPort Utility running on my iPhone, and not one single AirPort network showed up. Of course not.)
Originally Posted by Maestro64
To your other point, it is not just the so call geeks talking about the iphone 6 it every day people who are aware it is coming. The information has filtered into the mainstream, and I here of people talking about waiting for the 6 before they buy another phone. It seems to be having the affect of making people hold off buy competitor products. Plus we all know iOS make the phone what it is and iOS 8 is well known for the feature it will bring to the new product.
I think Apple has changed it strategy about information leaks and they are using it to their advantage as long as it does not hurt current product sales.
It's hard for me to measure non-geek buzz about Apple products. I hang out with too many actual geeks all the time. But yes, after years of new-iPhone-every-Fall, I guess consumers have been trained to expect new models around September in advance of the big holiday season. Kind of like how car buyers expect new models around Spring in advance of the warmer, dryer driving seasons.
Sigh. It's going to be a long summer. Do rumor sites have to report every time some Asian news source translated by some no-name American tech site reports on a rumored delay of a rumored product?
Nope. They only have to report every time some Asian news source translated by some no-name American tech site reports on rumours of a rumored delay of a rumored product.
Comments
Plus the great thing about all the rumors is they must drive Google and Scamsung nuts running around like headless chickens trying to figure out what to copy and anticipate and beat Apple to the releases. I've long advocated that Apple should have a department dedicated to creating fake products, patenting things they will never use and leaking stuff.
Hmmm, who's to say that they don't!
I think Tim Cook knows that he will never be able to force all component suppliers to stop all leaks. Factory workers are not highly paid, and I'm sure the leakers get cash for the components and/or photos. So sneaking a circuit board or backshell out of the factory for a photo session could be a way to boost income. (And if the part is brought back before anyone notices it's missing, then nobody gets in trouble. Maybe.)
But how does this affect Apple? Well, the average consumer probably doesn't read AI or any other rumor site. They wouldn't know a printed circuit board from a cheese grater anyway. And when it's time to replace their feature phone, it's likely that they'll drive their family car straight to the AT&T / Verizon / T-Mobile store in the nearest mall and buy what the sales clerk tells them to buy. Unless they have read Consumer Reports and have already picked out a model. So component leaks don't directly affect the average consumer.
On the other hand, Apple fans, technophiles, and self-appointed "alpha geeks" tend to read sites like AI. And if an average consumer knows one of these technophiles, that consumer might ask the technophile for advice on buying their first smartphone. And that technophile (if they own an iPhone and are an Apple fan) would tell the consumer "Buy an iPhone. But not just yet. Apple is about to release at least one bigger, better, faster, thinner, prettier, all-new iPhone this year. Wait until September for the first one. In the meantime, check out this cool rumor site called AppleInsider..."
So rumor sites may help to build mindshare among consumers, but only indirectly by informing consumers' techie acquaintances. And, as we've seen, technophiles and alpha-geek-wannabes* tend to join one side or another. (E.g. Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft vs. BlackBerry vs. Samsung ad nauseam.)
{ * I remember when "geek" meant "someone so face-down in the code or circuit diagram that they can't relate to normal people any more."
Now it means "someone who likes to use gadgets." }
I tell you how apple controls suppliers, it call they will never do business with Apple again, They know who does their PCB as well as the case, it is a very small group and it pretty easy to look at a picture and know which supplier the part came from.
You do not want to be the supplier who has to say they lost the Apple account because they let parts leak out. If you ever been to these places where they make these part they have all kinds of security measures in place to make sure people do not bring in things they should not and nothing leaves, in some regards they have better security than at the airports. Even place I been to in the last 20 yrs they all have metal detectors and do not allow any personal items carried into the factory, everything must be check into a locker before hand.
At this point I do not think Apple and its suppliers got sloppy.
To your other point, it is not just the so call geeks talking about the iphone 6 it every day people who are aware it is coming. The information has filtered into the mainstream, and I here of people talking about waiting for the 6 before they buy another phone. It seems to be having the affect of making people hold off buy competitor products. Plus we all know iOS make the phone what it is and iOS 8 is well known for the feature it will bring to the new product.
I think Apple has changed it strategy about information leaks and they are using it to their advantage as long as it does not hurt current product sales.
I tell you how apple controls suppliers, it call they will never do business with Apple again, They know who does their PCB as well as the case, it is a very small group and it pretty easy to look at a picture and know which supplier the part came from.
You do not want to be the supplier who has to say they lost the Apple account because they let parts leak out. If you ever been to these places where they make these part they have all kinds of security measures in place to make sure people do not bring in things they should not and nothing leaves, in some regards they have better security than at the airports. Even place I been to in the last 20 yrs they all have metal detectors and do not allow any personal items carried into the factory, everything must be check into a locker before hand.
At this point I do not think Apple and its suppliers got sloppy.
I think you're right. Apple could easily add "you leak, we cancel" clauses to their supplier contracts. And yes, it looks like Apple likes to have multiple suppliers for the same component if possible. That way they can force the competing suppliers into a bidding war and they could legitimately threaten to cancel all business with suppliers that leak information or otherwise breach their contracts.
I'm starting to think that the "doubling down on secrecy" refers to Apple employees becoming even more oppressed. You may or may not be able to control people in other companies. But you can certainly control people whose paychecks you write. I work in Silicon Valley, right among a bunch of Apple buildings. No, not in Cupertino, and I won't say where exactly. But I tell you, those Apple employees really don't like to talk much to us outsiders. A few blocks away, there's a huge Apple building the size of a movie multiplex with no windows. And another one a few blocks away with frosted windows everywhere except the lobby. (And yes, I've walked by several of those buildings with AirPort Utility running on my iPhone, and not one single AirPort network showed up. Of course not.)
To your other point, it is not just the so call geeks talking about the iphone 6 it every day people who are aware it is coming. The information has filtered into the mainstream, and I here of people talking about waiting for the 6 before they buy another phone. It seems to be having the affect of making people hold off buy competitor products. Plus we all know iOS make the phone what it is and iOS 8 is well known for the feature it will bring to the new product.
I think Apple has changed it strategy about information leaks and they are using it to their advantage as long as it does not hurt current product sales.
It's hard for me to measure non-geek buzz about Apple products. I hang out with too many actual geeks all the time. But yes, after years of new-iPhone-every-Fall, I guess consumers have been trained to expect new models around September in advance of the big holiday season. Kind of like how car buyers expect new models around Spring in advance of the warmer, dryer driving seasons.
Sigh. It's going to be a long summer. Do rumor sites have to report every time some Asian news source translated by some no-name American tech site reports on a rumored delay of a rumored product?
Nope. They only have to report every time some Asian news source translated by some no-name American tech site reports on rumours of a rumored delay of a rumored product.
Keep up at the back, there.