This past weekend was a hotbed of geek activity. Sure, there was an Icelandic volcano, whose name I can’t even begin to pronounce, grinding the airline industry to a halt. And yes, Coachella was rocking out with some great acts. But that’s nothing compared to the nerdcore voyeurism that blew up the gadget blogs: leaked photos of Apple’s rumored next-generation iPhone, or iPhone 4 as some are calling it.
It started on Saturday with an Engadget post showcasing pictures they were sent of a new iPhone prototype that was found on the floor of a San Jose bar, and was followed on Sunday with more leaked shots of the phone next to a then prototype iPad, and several other websites joining in the fun. Monday saw all iHell break loose with Gizmodo apparently getting their hands on the non-functioning device in question resulting in a post so detailed that it puts their reviews of working products to shame. Apparently the device was left at a Redwood City bar, not San Jose, and someone else with secret connections to Apple verified that the device had in fact come from Apple and been lost.
Now sometimes things are exactly what they appear to be, and if it were any other company, I might believe that some new gadget was left behind only to be retrieved by some unsuspecting passerby. But this is Apple we’re talking about, a company so renowned for its vice-like grip on company secrets that it’s been alleged to have punished vendors for talking out of turn, threatened websites reporting on secrets, and caused severe stress for those close to the Apple business. So with a lock on information that’s tighter than Fort Knox, how can I believe that some engineer or QA tester at Apple decided to grab a drink after work and just left the most sensitive piece of company IP at a random Bay Area bar by accident?
The answer of course, is that I can’t, which begs the question: did Apple intentionally leak a prototype iPhone?
The planned or intentional leak has been around for a long time and used by far more than just tech companies. As a promotional stunt, Nine Inch Nails once left USB drives in the bathrooms of concert venues loaded with an upcoming track of theirs. Buzz for Microsoft’s upcoming Courier device was publicized almost entirely through planned leaks with Engadget. The “unreleased product selling on eBay” is another example. The planned leak is not something a lot of companies will admit to. Some think it smacks of dishonesty because you’re essentially tricking your audience. Others think it’s an acceptable tactic that can generate a good deal of buzz if done right, and no more dishonest than an alternate reality game or faked stunt in an online video.
In Apple’s case, you’d think that for a company whose every blink causes fanboys to palpitate with excitement, and whose every cough generates mountains of media coverage, that they wouldn’t need a stunt like the planned leak to drive buzz, but in my opinion this stunt smacks less of buzz-building, and more of an exercise in competitive pressure with Apple trying to keep the heat on Google in the ongoing mobile battle. In fact, a former Apple marketer has even admitted that the company does use planned leaks, sometimes for that very purpose, so it’s not inconceivable.
What do you think? Am I seeing a conspiracy theory where there isn’t one? If you think I’m right, do you think it’s a good ploy on Apple’s part? Either way, I think we can all agree on one thing: that new iPhone sure looks sexy, don’t it? It’s so shiny!