iUnicorns

• June 28, 2011
• 6 notes

Yesterday I wrote a rather speculative post about something Apple probably won’t do. This morning I woke up and thought for a few minutes about what I’d written. At first I felt a bit embarrassed. Sure I made a half decent case, but seeing Apple release a $49 Thunderbolt cable kind of put their MO into perspective. Apple may release a cheaper Apple TV, but the odds are definitely against it.

After re-reading my post and seeing some of the headlines this morning, I’m actually quite proud of what I wrote. For a post wildly speculating about Apple, I did a great job making it clear that it was just speculation. Even the last sentence of my post clarifies that I’m not suggesting Apple will actually release a cheaper Apple TV: “…but I’m more and more convinced that a cheap Apple TV would be a boon to the entire iOS ecosystem.” I’m not more and more convinced that Apple is going to do it, I’m more and more convinced that it would be a boon to the entire iOS ecosystem. Those a two very distinct assertions.

Maybe it’s always been this way, but it seems as though the tech press has been getting worse and worse at presenting speculation as fact. Headlines like “iPhone 3GS Will Still Be The [sic] Low-End iPhone Even After iPhone 5” and a million more like it that I won’t even waste my time looking up, have been driving me nuts lately.

In yesterday’s press frenzy about the possibility of Apple introducing a second, brand new iPhone model—or some other sort of stratification—one tweet stood out as a perfect example of restraint and careful wording. “We keep hearing it’s done and just waiting on Apple to pull the trigger. Really solid source.” Rene does have great sources, but he hardly ever publishes information he’s been given. The thing is, if the information is correct it may cost someone their job, and if the information ends up being false, it may still cost someone their job and Rene looks like a tool.

Apple often leaks false information to rat out sources. So, even if you hear something from a solid source who has been right in the past, there’s still no way to guarantee when or if that thing will happen. Hence Rene saying that Apple does have some sort of cheaper iPhone waiting in the wings, but Apple may or may not pull the trigger. At the end of the day, writing a story about this mythical device just doesn’t make sense for someone who respects their readers and sources.

I will say, however, that there are certain writers to whom Apple PR purposely leaks information that they want public, but don’t want to directly confirm. If you go back and look at articles written as fact by respected members of the Apple press, you may find some patterns of accuracy that weren’t obvious amid all the speculation.

Anyhow, I wont beleaguer the point further… Rumors and speculation can be interesting, but please stop reporting them as fact, it’s insulting to readers and ultimately embarrassing to sites that peddle in those link-bait tactics.