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Whoohoo!!!!

good for Apple....the press isn't going to talk about what Apple releases next week....just what they didn't release because of the rumor sites

Jkel, except that by suing based on trade secret claims Apple has given those articles credibility they didn't have yesterday.

Kindly like if I published an article saying that you were found mating furiously with a monkey at the local mall. A suit for libel would be denying what I published. On the other hand, if you sued for invading your privacy one thing everyone could be sure of was that there was an awfully sore monkey at the mall.

That sucks, Thinksecret does many of us a great service by finding the rumors. Apple should be upset at it's employees for leaking the info not Thinksecret for posting it.

This is a sad sad day. And since when did RUMORS become headline news anyway? RUMORS are just that, RUMORS!!

If websites choose to take unconfirmed news and report on it, thats there mistake if it does not turn out to be true.

So is this a confirmation that the headless *Mac is not a figment of the imagination, or is Apple suing Thinksecret for getting everyone's hopes up and therefore potentially damaging their reputation? Who knows...

Ray I think Apple is suing thinksecret in order to obtain that information.

I think Apple needs to layoff on the lawsuits in regards to the various mac rumormill sites!

Any press is good press. Apple's secrecy fuels speculation and generates interest in the keynote. If Apple confirmed or denied the rumors in a statement they would kill interest in the keynote. By suing they have, to a degree, confirmed the rumors, gained more press and hightened interest in the keynote. Brilliant!!!

And since when did RUMORS become headline news anyway? RUMORS are just that, RUMORS!!
--

*chuckle
Quote of the Day
MacRumors.com

I CAN see where releasing news about this product could screw Apple up though. Like for example if they were NOT planning on announcing it at MWSF and only announcing it later after they had all their ducks in a row this could screw them up bad. If they don't announce it, everybody thinks it is not true and the stock price could tank. If they do announce it but are not ready to ship, everybody could be waiting for the cheaper Mac and their sales in the interim could take a hit.

I understand they want to know who's responsible, I think they need to find a better way to do it.

Honestly, Apple should be somewhat honored. What other company do people predict weeks ahead of time what new products they will release? Besides, Apple is concerned that their competition might get a head start? Big Deal! The story of the headless iMac comes less than two weeks for before Mac World. How much of a head start can the competition get? Besides if Apple has a better product, which they do 99% of the time who cares what the competition does?

I'm sorry but all these lawsuits are changing my view of Apple from a bunch of geniuses who love technology to a greedy corporation who wants to shut down the freedom of others.

Hey Steve, would you had taken this approach in the 60's?

It's hard to be the alternative to the Evil Empire when you start suing everyone.

My guess is that they want ThinkSecret to divulge their source since that is who needs to be sued.

Ouch!

I think what apple needs are counter-spies. Put a mole or two into Thinksecret and other such sites. Start up a software version of the cold war.

Apple is wrong to sue reporters for reporting. Even the Defense Department is not permitted to sue newspapers for exposing national security secrets, right? Apple is damaging its own reputation by doing this. The benefits that competitors could glean from 2-week notice about this are miniscule anyway, I would guess.

The 'confirmation' seems to have pushed the share price up.

I enjoy the Mac soap opera as much as anyone else but don't blame Apple at all. Think Secret know what business they are in, and they profit from Apple rumours by virtue of the advertising they sell.

Apple has to pursue leaks and broken contracts (NDAs), if they don't it prejudices their ability to do so in the future. I don't think Apple is really bothered about the runour sites, it is when the mainstream press goes big time on rumours that Apple has problems. The rumour sites are cited as the sources for the mainstream press so that's where Apple have to go and look.

Pssst....Steve is Thinksecret´s source...

What do they care if the rumor comes out? Who is their competition? It is not like Sony stealing/leaking info from Canon on a new camera.

Truth is there will be no headless Mac...just something they plan, but don´t do.

Macworld is going to be a bust. Will Apple go from outsider to monopolist in their market???

Think secret's source is probably an Apple Employee too!

Only a handfull of people at Apple know what products are going to be released at the keynote - so my guess their source must be someone pretty high up in Apple!

Ok, what would happen if ThinkSecret didn't give us the tale of the headless Mac before MWSF? The world would say "wow, a cheap mac", and then stop thinking about it. It would be as intresting as a new design for the milk-bottle. It would be a product, and products are intresting for those who want the products.

Rumors are exiting, unconfirmed, and they makes us think. Think about the Apple-philosophy, think about Apples future market-share, think about the potential of a cheap Mac, and at the end: Think about wether the rumor could be true. By MWSF everybody has had their heads full of Apple for two weeks. Thats good news for Steve. Too bad he is more conserned of wether he gets to tell news or confirm rumors.

iSue -- The next product that Apple is perfecting.

I predict ThinkSecret won't have anymore secrets.

I totally agree with Ray.

As I have written here before, ThinkSecret and AppleInsider only report rumors that in general come true later. Their rumors are highly reliable.

Like Ray, I worry about what will happen to ThinkSecret after this lawsuit. It has been one of the best sources for reliable rumors on the Mac web in the last 5+ years. AppleInsider only became a respectable source of rumors in the last year or so.

If you empathesize with Steve Jobs, maybe you can understand why they want to sue... These rumors totally take the element of surprise out of these big annoucements!

Which rumour site hinted at a $99 iPod, hmmm?


ThinkSecret should disclose fully who their sources are.

solarflare: "Only a handfull of people at Apple know what products are going to be released at the keynote - so my guess their source must be someone pretty high up in Apple!"

Uh, what about the marketing people, Apple web desingers, the public relations people (yeah, they generate press releases), retail managers (who do you think gets those publicity posters to the stores). Oh, and don't forget the hundreds of programmers, hardware engineers, and product designers.

We should all be mature enough to realize that if we have signed a non-disclosure agreement, we are bound to abide by the rules (employees, contractors, and press as well). Apple has the legal right to sue to obtain the information regarding who leaked the details.

Right now I think everyone is foaming at the mouth in desperation for the keynote. Why are we so impatient?

Kind of thinking of different possibilites, other than the obvious. Wonder if it's possible Apple is worried about these leaks because they set up false expectations that may drive stock prices down when they don't materialize. Apple may certainly be working on these projects, but what if they aren't anywhere near completion, or are only concepts, and they aren't able to deliver like people expect? Personally, I don't believe completely that because Apple is pursuing this legally, that it necessarily means all (or even) some of the rumors are completely true as they have been interpreted.

No way these sites should disclose sources - then there will never again be any sources leaking/releasing information.

And remember this doesn't mean that these products will be launched by Apple. Even if they say "unreleased computer product", it might just mean it's in development, but won't be released.

Rumors will continue to flourish, no doubt. Sites might have to be a bit more careful about how they get them though...

When an employee is hired at Apple, they sign a confidentiality agreement saying they will not divulge company information. If they have broken contract and spoken with ThinkSecret, then ThinkSecret should divulge who these people are. It is that simple.

edgeknight:

Why are we so impatient? Because it's something to be impatient about. It's uncertain, it's rumors, it's something that isn't true yet but still is more entertaining than our dull imagination. Impatiency is exiting, knowledge is boring.

Not Steve Jobs:

Your argument is like saying that Bob Novak should reveal that it was Dick-head Cheney who gave him Valerie Plame's name. Yeah, right.

Apple must cultivate this product interest not knock it out.

It get everyone excited about what SJ is going to announce. When did anyone last care what Balmer had to say !!

Even the UK broadsheets are talking up the roumors of a low cost heeadless Mac.

It's all great fun.

I wonder if ThinkSecret and their mystery source could just start using pig latin whenever refering to Apple and it's products. We'd all still know what they mean!

It's Phil Schiller! Blame Canada!!

Ray, not to burst your bubble, but corporations don't (yet) have the ability to take away your freedom. What Apple is doing is protecting their property. Jeez, this ain't All the President's Men, and Think Secret ain't Woodward and Bernstein. Think Secret doesn't have any claim to information that Apple has provided to others under an NDA, but Apple does have a right to ask the courts to compel Think Secret to either assist in finding the person or persons who are violating the NDA or pay the price for not complying. An analogous situation: If you had a house that someone keeps vandalizing, and some neighbor knew who is doing it and wouldn't tell you or the police, getting a court to subpoena the neighbor to testify (with penalties if they refuse to testify or suborn perjury) wouldn't be considered outside the scope of possible actions.

Why does ThinkSecret anyway mention Apple in their reports? They could say "a leading computer manifacturer" and everybody would know it was Apple, while Apple would have a harder job conviencing a court that it is their secrets revealed.

There is a good change that TS *Think Secret does not even know who it's own sources are.

If I was giving secret apple info to TS, I would hide my identity 100%. Use a public isp, or call from a payphone and change my voice. Yadadada.

The problem with these leaks is that it creates a bit of paranoia within the company which is not a good thing. So whoever is responsible for these leaks if you're reading this and you love the company you're working for, please stop.

This message has been brought to you by the Alliance of Concerned Consumers of Apple Products.

You know, I go back and forth on this. I totally understand Apple's right to not disclose that 3 weeks after I buy a $3000 product, a much more valuable one will be available to me for less. If I knew that I'd not buy the older product and Apple would lose a sale on soon to be discounted technology. That said, it is Apple's job to make sure I do not find that out, not the legal system. I depend on whatever news I can to best inform me what and when to buy a product. If it comes from a rumour site then I have to weigh how much I choose to believe it. If it's a press release, I'm sorry but I still feel I need to weigh how much I believe it. If they announced a rumour that turned out to NOT be true and which it can be shown that it damaged Apple, then I guess I say Apple should go ahead and sue if they want. But if they sue because a rumour IS true then it's not a rumour, it's fact. If a reporter or site reports a fact then that's freedom of the press. There is a reason the press is allowed to report things even if a government or company doesn't feel it best serves their purposes. There's a reason why it isn't the responsibility of the press to divulge it's sources. Of course I can't blame Apple for trying either. It's not like they are lobbying for an amendment banning rumour sites... they are just suing.

Regarding the low-end Mac rumour, people should bare this in mind: Sony is going to release a G5 based PS3 in the next 12 months or so for a price of around $500, and as we know it is a PC in everything but name. Likewise the Nintendo GameCube and MS XBox.
It's certainly well within the bounds of probability that Apple will release a stripped down G5 Mac sans monitor for around the same price.
But to be successful with the PC enthusiast crowd, it must be capable of having most components, and in particular the graphics system, upgradable with commodity stock-standard components from the major players (or preferably almost anyone's components capable of using the chipset manufacturers standard Mac firmware/drivers). But such a move would put the G5 iMac in a difficult position, would it not? Unless the next update of the iMac introduces end user graphics upgrades.

But Aryugaetu says very clearly that there is no low-cost Macintosh and that its all nonsense - clearly someone is lying or wrong.

that may be correct. but even using an anonymous tip, Apple may have the resources, subpoena Service Providers and other tricks to track down who done it. TS on the other hand don't want to know.

Good for Apple. It's about time.

Everyone is between a rock and a hard spot on this. Apple can, should, and is required to defend its' trade secrets. The "press" as we like to think of ourselves want the freedom to report "what is" and what isn't.

In this scenario, Apple is protecting its turf, impeding freedom of speech, AND getting some great PR pre-release announcements that will have everyone thinking "Apple and Mac" for months to come.

Here's a view of the above. 30-minutes worth. Please don't leave trade secrets as comments, though:

click here

Apple pulls a hat trick, freedom of speech suffers, the Mac maker gets a lot of publicity for a new product even before it's announced.

We live in interesting times.

Tera Patricks
Mac360

I think Bill Palmer's going to have a red face in a week.

He's entitled to his opionion of course, but why does he rant so?

Just get a load of his verbal diarrhoea at:

http://www.billpalmer.net/

Steve has been throwing a hissy-fit for the last few days, throwing Monsters AG and Toy Story dolls around his office (broke Woody´s arm even), stamping his feet, and screaming really loud, "But I wanted to be the first to announce the mysteryMac!!! Me! Me! Me!"

And then he convened a staff meeting and told us all, "Forget it, the secret is out so now I am not going to bring out the mysteryMac after all. I will teach them all a big lesson" And then he stuck out his tongue, crossed his arms and said, "So there!". And then he stuck in his iPod ear buds from his personally autographed U2 iPod, turned the the U2 music up real loud and sulked for the rest of the afternoon.

---From a real Apple Insider...

Charko, Palmer's opinions are just that, but he does present a good argument for the suit...the expectations are there for a headless Mac and if it doesn't show up, how do you think your stock will do? Apple's stock will take a drop, and Apple doesn't want that. I agree with Gandalf, I don't think Apple gives a rip about the rumor sites until the mainstream press starts running the stories as facts. That's when Apple starts looking at their stock value and starts to worry.

First, Apple has every right to try to determine who is leaking information--yes, that includes lawsuits. And Think Secret may defend itself in that this information provides useful information to the public. If Think Secret divulges it's sources because of an Apple lawsuit, fewer people will be willing to provide information. Conversely, Think Secret is protecting a person who is breaking the law.

Frankly, it's up to a judge to determine whether the public's right to know outweighs Apple's right to trade secrets. It will be interesting to see whether or not the folks at Think Secret will fight this or not.

Knock, Knock.

"Who's there?" (says A real Apple insider)

"Apple Legal with your summons."

Nah, you are all wrong. Somebody high up in Apple is dropping secrets about Apple. Probably somebody that is quitting or getting fired real soon. Probably some compensation is having to be paid to this person for when the leave.
Steve (paranoid as most CEOs are) wants to build a case against this person so Apple won´t have to pay a termination compensation.
Just something along those lines and as simple as that.

Check out the the new "Time" magazine with the new headless Mac on the cover that comes out tomorrow.

I think Steve would flatline.

MDN and all of us should be ashamed that we are sucking leeches for Apple info that we are

Apple survives by innovation, if they stopped Apple would die.

This entails keeping one's mouth shut so competitors can't get a quick jump and allow Apple time to make money on it's R&D;.

We, by OUR VERY OWN FEVER is killing what we love.

control ourselves please!


YOU DONT SEE MANY APPLE ADS ON RUMOR SITES!!!

"Check out the the new "Time" magazine with the new headless Mac on the cover that comes out tomorrow."

Or write a script that continually loads the pages for the iMac & eMac from the Apple Store and looks for any changes.

(Remember a few years ago when the specs ended up on the Apple Store for the G5(?) because somebody was testing something?)