Apple is known for its secretive nature and dislike of pre-launch revelations about its products. But the degree to which it enforces that veil of secrecy has become a little clearer.
Lawyers acting for the tech giant have sent out threatening letters to a number of well-known leakers, MacRumors reports.
The letters warn that legal action will be taken if the recipient does not stop publishing information about upcoming Apple products. This information can benefit the company's competitors, the letters explain, and "mislead customers, because what is disclosed may not be accurate".
One of the letters was sent to Kang, one of the most reliable tech leakers on the circuit. Kang has an accuracy of 97.1%, according to AppleTrack, which would suggest that customers are very rarely misled by his posts.
Kang complains, furthermore (on his Weibo account), that he has never published "undisclosed product pictures" and wonders if Apple is now against "riddles and dreams".
"Dreaming will violate their confidentiality mechanism," he writes.
On the one hand, this is a logical step for Apple, given how fond the company is of springing surprises without leakers having given away the secrets beforehand. But rumours demonstrably increase interest in Apple's upcoming launches, and the letters feel rather heavy-handed.
We recently discussed the methods used by the company to prevent leaks ahead of WWDC. Rather than legal threats, Apple simply adjusted its OS beta programme so that each developer was given access only to the features relevant to them. This ruffled fewer feathers and, we would imagine, cost rather less money than employing a legal firm to crack its knuckles.
But it isn't always possible to keep a secret, and it's far more difficult to limit access to hardware, which needs to make its way through a labyrinthine supply chain (and be taken home by Apple employees working remotely during the pandemic).
It will be interesting to see what effect the letters have on the fertile Apple leaker community, and whether the company follows through on its threats against those who do not choose to stop their work.
For our thoughts on the leakers most worth a follow, read Who is the best Apple leaker?
This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation and additional reporting by David Price.
You may be interested in:
>> Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop, Intel Celeron N4020, 11.6" HD Touch
>> Google Pixel 4a - New Unlocked Android Smartphone - 128 GB of Storage - Up to 24 Hour Battery - Just Black
>> Oculus Quest 2 — Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset
Related Posts:
>> What is Complication on Apple Watch? TOP 10 Complication should be used the most
>> What are AirPods? What's so special about Apple's wireless headphones?
>> Advice on choosing the best TV for people who are not tech-savvy
0 comments:
Post a Comment