“A visit Wednesday evening to a West Coast distribution center of Apple contract manufacturer Quanta Computer shows a company hustling to get mysterious boxes of, well, something, on the move,” Brian Caulfield reports for Forbes. “During one 20-minute stretch alone, three semi trucks from FedEx Freight and a smaller truck from Advanced Logistics trundled around to the back of a distribution center owned by Quanta.”
“Quanta’s employees are working overtime as Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs puts the final touches on his June 9 keynote at the company’s annual developer conference. Apple will almost certainly announce an updated version of its iPhone, putting the device on sale shortly thereafter,” Caulfield reports.
“To do that, Apple would have to have millions of the new phones on the move around the world already. Yet the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer-and-gizmo company has managed to keep the design and precise specifications of the device a mystery. Shipping records dug up by import tracking service ImportGenius.com, however, show Apple and its partners secreting shipments of a mysterious new device into ports on both coasts,” Caulfield reports.
“The real action [at Quanta] took place behind the building–and could only be seen from the parking lot of an adjacent company on the other side of a shallow creek,” Caulfield reports. “A security guard working for the company across the creek from Quanta’s facility approached this reporter before a thorough survey could be made.”
Full article here.
Forbes’ “In Pictures: Stalking The iPhone” is here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Patrice” for the heads up.]
Ahh… this reminds me of the fervent spy activities of auto reporters and grainy pictures upcoming models on test tracks and disguised mules out on the roads.
Is anyone besides me awestruck at Apple’s ability to keep their plans secret? Thousands of employees. Thousands more employee’s of manufacturing and distribution partners. Thousands upon thousands of reporters and bloggers and some of the most inquisitive and persistent fans in the world – and we still don’t know a damn thing about the look or the content of the new phone.
Simply amazing.
With a title like this am I the only one who thought of Jeff Goldbloom in Independence Day when the ships were moving into position overhead….
“30 seconds to save the world? You better have the right phone”
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my god I am getting getty with anticipation.
how in the hell do you spell getty anyway?
If by secret, they mean, via FedEx, then probably yes.
If it’s a secret, then how do we know about it?
Sonic boom.
giddy
It’s “giddy”.
Those photos remind me of some of those back hallway, quick unboxing and then reboxing photos that pop up the night before a keynote.
“giddy”
Pronunciation:
\ˈgi-dē\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): gid·di·er; gid·di·est
Etymology: Middle English gidy mad, foolish, from Old English gydig possessed, mad; akin to Old English god god
Date: 14th century
1 a: dizzy <giddy from the unaccustomed exercise> b: causing dizziness <a > c: whirling rapidly
2 a: lightheartedly silly : frivolous b: joyfully elated : euphoric
— gid·di·ly \ˈgi-də-lē\ adverb
— gid·di·ness \ˈgi-dē-nəs\ noun
Giddy Lee
giddy is the word you are looking for.
giddy like a school girl
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MDN Magic Word – faith
As in – I have faith in Apple and Steve Jobs. I have faith they will deliver another amazing product. I want to believe!!!
i agree with Falkirk, how do we not even have the FCC documents for this?
i guess if uncle stevesy can get feist citizenship, he can do anything
Could maybe a forklift driver accidently do some fork damage and then have to check out the damage, secretly using his cameraphone? Just dreaming.
Special FCC exemption?
“How to be Fat, Rich and Happy”
by J. Paul Giddy of the Giddy Oil Company
“how do we not even have the FCC documents for this?”
Sigh. How many times do we have to say this?
The FCC has procedures to allow confidential filings. There are also other methods, such as submitting the filing through a dummy company.
This is a top secret post being filed through a dummy poster to keep my identity a secret.
| POST |:
++The Chair Is Against the Wall++
sayagainsayagainsayagainsayagainsayagain:
++The Chair is Against the Wall++
:|| END POST ||
First, the military covered up the aliens as they moved in to take over. Now the aliens are covering up their latest product – the iPhone brain reader.
It’s the beginning of the end.
Does HP scream at the top of its lungs, “We have new printers in these boxes being shipped out today!”
Does MacDonald’s shout to the world, “Look at us! Our new all white meat chicken nuggets are leaving the factory today!”
Why is this secretive? Now Apple takes care not to place any identifying markers on the boxes/crates, and makes sure its partners keep their mouths shut, but since when is loading FedEx trucks from an electronics manufacturing plant secretive acts?
Answer: Only when it’s Apple. No one gives a sh*t when it’s Microsoft, Dell, or some other plain vanilla company. They’re just shipping stuff.
why are you guys doing this? why can’t you just wait?
@ Dummy Poster,
Shouldn’t you repeat “sayagain” only 4 times instead of 5?
Peace.
Apple could probably give the CIA some lessons on secrecy.
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It’s amazing that someone along the chain to all the Apple and AT&T;stores has not opened one of these shipping boxes and taken a picture.
I’m getting wet with anticipation!
Forbes is lurking in ditches?
Well, it’s more research than they bother with for some Apple stories.