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~Shard~ said:
... And this is what happens when secrets of Apple's are leaked. Apple will lose money and market share because of this. Now where are all those people who were slamming Apple for taking a hard stance on this? Do you not want to see Apple succeed? Apple must secure, protect and defend its IP or else things like this will happen. It just makes good business sense.
If something doesn't pan out that the stock analysts are expecting -- aka, the Flash iPod -- Apple could expect a thrashing on Wallstreet soon after the MWSF Keynote.

They "may" be expecting a huge unit sales boost due to the Flash iPod, on the level of the iPod Mini.
 
Sun Baked said:
If something doesn't pan out that the stock analysts are expecting -- aka, the Flash iPod -- Apple could expect a thrashing on Wallstreet soon after the MWSF Keynote.

They "may" be expecting a huge unit sales boost due to the Flash iPod, on the level of the iPod Mini.

Exactly, good point as well. And with AAPL up over $4 on Friday, it might be ripe for a short, even though it just experienced a triple moving average crossover and its MACD is bullish. We'll just have to see....
 
AidenShaw said:
http://www.mpex.net/news/archiv/00512.html

"(MPeX.net/DB - 26.12.2004) - Der MuVo Micro N200 ist Creatives Kleinster. Er misst 34 x 66 x 13 mm und wiegt gerade mal 34 g inklusive Batterie. Funktional ist er alles andere als ein Winzling, sondern digitaler Audioplayer, FM-Radio, Diktiergrät und MP3-Rekorder.

Das Gerät ist in den Farben schwarz oder weiss, sowie in drei Speichervarianten mit 256, 512 MB oder 1 GB erhältlich."

muvon200_1.jpg



Amazing - Creative hears of the leak and rushes a product to market nearly two weeks before the leak is published.

Yes, it's a cut-throat business....

Translation by Sherlock:
The device is in the colours black or knows, as well as in three
memory versions with 256, 512 MT or 1 GB available.

Format-technically the Winzling on MP3 and WMA files, inclusive WMA
with right management (DRM) understands itself, as some on-line music
providers use it. For the newest messages the FM radio with sender
browsing and 32 station memory provide.

An integrated microphone makes the N200 the dictating machine. The
accommodation takes place, as also with the FM radio, in the ADPCM
format. Over the LINE in input can be taken up against it directly by
other audio devices to the MP3-Format. Three quality classes are to
the selection (96, 128 and 160 kbps with ever 44,1 kHz).

The data communication of and to the PC takes place via USB 1,1 or the
faster USB 2.0. Under Windows 98SE, 2000, ME or XP the device is
treated as removable data carrier. Thus music and files without
special software can be transferred, e.g. with the Explorer or by
Drag'n drop. Who would like, to the provided Creative MediaSource
software in addition, can fall back, which supplies functions for
creating and administration of music libraries.

For energy a commercial AAA battery or an appropriate Akku provides.
About eleven to fifteen hours radio operation or music playback should
be possible thereby.

To the scope of supply belong beside the Player pair Stereo earphone,
one micro battery, a 1 USB cable as well as a kurzanleitung with
installation CD.

Nothing about when it will ship. But yet it does show that Apple could be hurt by leaks, since there may be others willing to wait till this unit ships.
 
Chip NoVaMac said:
Nothing about when it will ship. But yet it does show that Apple could be hurt by leaks, since there may be others willing to wait till this unit ships.

already shipping

from an austrian price comparsation homepage for european market (mostly german/austrian stores...many web shops)

http://www.geizhals.at/eu/a124640.html
lowest price 151 euro including geram 16% vat for 1024 mb on a web shop

alternate (a very reliable one) has it for 167€ including tax)

512 mb version starts at 109€
256 mb version at 80€

(all including the german 16% vat)
 
takao said:
already shipping

from an austrian price comparsation homepage for european market (mostly german/austrian stores...many web shops)

http://www.geizhals.at/eu/a124640.html
lowest price 151 euro including geram 16% vat for 1024 mb on a web shop

alternate (a very reliable one) has it for 167€ including tax)

512 mb version starts at 109€
256 mb version at 80€

(all including the german 16% vat)

Given this, I doubt that the leaks have hurt Apple, unless the manufacturing process time has bee shortened to just a couple of weeks. :eek:
 
Did you all miss the comment that Creative announced their product at least two weeks before the leak????

Before the leak....

So, maybe the leak will help Apple, since people might wait for the FlashPod announcement before buying the MuVo that's already in the stores.

Of course, the MuVo has an FM radio and recording capability, so maybe after seeing the FlashPod people will go ahead and buy the Creative player.
 
pubwvj said:
It takes a LOT longer than two weeks to bring a product to market.

That is what I thought. But also so many companies announce products that are months away from actual shipping. Just having a prototype is enough to steal enough thunder from your competitors to have an effect.
 
Chip NoVaMac said:
That is what I thought. But also so many companies announce products that are months away from actual shipping. Just having a prototype is enough to steal enough thunder from your competitors to have an effect.
Moving up an announcement for a future product to get the word out to consumers isn't unheard of, and quite possible.

Especially if you don't expect it to impact your shipping date.

Quite a bit different from an "available now" announcement being moved up two weeks -- not very often when thing come together just right to allow this, especially near a Christmas and New Years holiday.

It isn't too unusual for an Apple competitor to announce their own product just prior to an Apple event -- sure beats doing it after Apple announces their product.
 
Sun Baked said:
Moving up an announcement for a future product to get the word out to consumers isn't unheard of, and quite possible.

Especially if you don't expect it to impact your shipping date.

Quite a bit different from an "available now" announcement being moved up two weeks -- not very often when thing come together just right to allow this, especially near a Christmas and New Years holiday.

It isn't too unusual for an Apple competitor to announce their own product just prior to an Apple event -- sure beats doing it after Apple announces their product.

Given that Apple does not show at the other "general' consumer show; but rather have their own thunder at their own events; one can see the benefit in limiting "exposure" to what they want to feature.
 
Blackout for rumor sites?

Does anyone know if Apple legal has thrown down it's proverbial fist on the rumor world? I've noticed that none of the sites I usually check prior to a MacWorld event (which are usually buzzing with constant updates) have added any new dirt since Friday afternoon. These include MacRumors, MacMinute, AppleInsider, ThinkSecret, and even MacOSRumors did nothing more than repeat what they'd been saying all week for their Saturday update. Two days of hush hush just before MWSF. What's going on here!?!
 
JerseyMike73 said:
Does anyone know if Apple legal has thrown down it's proverbial fist on the rumor world? I've noticed that none of the sites I usually check prior to a MacWorld event (which are usually buzzing with constant updates) have added any new dirt since Friday afternoon. These include MacRumors, MacMinute, AppleInsider, ThinkSecret, and even MacOSRumors did nothing more than repeat what they'd been saying all week for their Saturday update. Two days of hush hush just before MWSF. What's going on here!?!

to be honest, i dont think most of the sites really update on weekends. i know appleinsider doesnt, macworld uk doesnt, macminute generally doesnt, etc.

expect a fair few updates on monday though - that's normally when updates are leaked, the day before :)
 
AidenShaw said:
Did you all miss the comment that Creative announced their product at least two weeks before the leak????

Yeah, I'm surprised that others didn't read your post more carefully.

As to whether it will help or hurt Apple, Forbes take on it makes for a very interesting read....

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2005/01/07/cx_ld_0107apple.html

Yes, I know the same article was posted here yesterday, but then again I feel that it's more relevent in the iSue thread :)

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103864
 
You folks just don't get it

The Forbes article talks about Apple as if it's just another tech company whose upcoming products get leaked, but that's naive. Apple is the tech company other companies copy. How long was it after the first iMacs came out that we started seeing transparent colored cases for a wide range of products and other iProducts? When you're the innovator, you have to maintain secrecy about your future products. The longer it takes other companies to copy your ideas, the longer your product maintains a position of exclusivity, and than means more sales. Too many people think Apple is just being a bunch of jerks being driven by their legal department, but that's not the case. They really are just trying to protect their rights and the investment they've made in development and design.

And FWIW, they have to sue some of these people to protect their rights. Many times companies sue over copyright or trademark infringement because they know if they don't, it sets a precident that could make it harder to protect their intellectual property rights in the future. Apple doesn't sue as much as it could, but people shouldn't be surprised when it happens. And it's not like the people Apple is suing are innocent victims who didn't know they were doing anything wrong. Apple is only going after the worst offenders, people who clearly knew they were crossing the line. I have no sympathy for them.

Furthermore, their point about the "buzz" is also valid. They want people awed and excited when a new product is released, not ho-humming because they read about it a month ago. They want people to be able to buy while the hype is at its peak.

Apple is a big company doing business in a competitive industry. They are not our best buddies and they don't owe us anything anymore than GE owes us something when we buy their light bulbs. Apple's new product ideas are theirs to share or keep secret as they choose. We may not like that, but we should respect it. If more people did, Apple's legal department wouldn't have as much to do.

Someone said Apple should "start printing a roadmap of products so the consumer can make a logical decision." That's just about the dumbest thing Apple could do unless their real goal is to kill sales of current products months or weeks in advance of new products and ensure their competitors bring copycat products to market immediately after Apple releases theirs.

Secrets are standard practice in industry. Why do so many people give Apple grief about it?
 
thinksecret lawsuit. true identity of Nick dePlume

check out the post on blackvortex.net about Apple's lawsuit against ThinkSecret and to learn the true identity of Nick dePlume.
 
Doctor Q said:
The Mac Observer reports that the Electronic Frontier Foundation will provide legal representation to AppleInsider.com and PowerPage.org, but not ThinkSecret.com, in this matter.
Interesting, but the linking to other sites mean the sites in question would probably fall under Section 230 -- the get out of jail card for people rebroadcasting news items.

Sort of interesting that they are representing 2 of the 3 in the December 17th filing -- but not TS is the same filing or the January action.

TS will probably get some help from the ACLU, maybe.

Edit: sorry it was Section 230...

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. § 230,
has been critical to protecting and expanding this forum, facilitating the
exchange of opinions and ideas within these diverse online communities by
encouraging both large and small intermediaries to open forums for
discussion, free from fear of liability for what someone else says. Congress
wrote Section 230 expansively, covering individual intermediaries – the
users of online forums. Under the cloak of federal immunity, such
individuals are protected from being held liable for exchanging others’
articles or observations as part of the dialog carried on through newsgroups,
weblogs, listservs, or through the simple action of forwarding an interesting
message to a group of friends.
 
LEAKS can be Dangerous

Once upon a time I heard a leak, It was Steve Jobs and he leaked that a G5 2.5DP was available. I waited 4 months for delivery. How many others kept their money waiting for the inevitable drop in price of other machines. (still it gave me time to save up).
Don
 
donaldfleming said:
Once upon a time I heard a leak, It was Steve Jobs and he leaked that a G5 2.5DP was available. I waited 4 months for delivery. How many others kept their money waiting for the inevitable drop in price of other machines. (still it gave me time to save up).
Don

How can it be dangerous in your case? You did still end up buying from Apple, they just got your money a little later. Eventually you needed to upgrade either way.
 
3Memos said:
How can it be dangerous in your case? You did still end up buying from Apple, they just got your money a little later. Eventually you needed to upgrade either way.

it stops the flow of cash, who will buy an old mac at full price knowing an updated version that's bigger better faster (bionic man theme tune) is just around the corner. My point is that apple sometimes shoots itself in the head by releasing specs before the product has even been built. may be they do it all the time, judge demand, I only know about the 2.5 because I bought one. maybe if I order a 30in screen with v card, imac 20in, ti powerbook, ipod photo 60gb, and thinking about ordered a mac mini I'd be getting more pissed off. Seems to me that apple deliberatly screwed up 2004 to make 2005 look good.
don
 
donaldfleming said:
it stops the flow of cash, who will buy an old mac at full price knowing an updated version that's bigger better faster (bionic man theme tune) is just around the corner. My point is that apple sometimes shoots itself in the head by releasing specs before the product has even been built. may be they do it all the time, judge demand, I only know about the 2.5 because I bought one. maybe if I order a 30in screen with v card, imac 20in, ti powerbook, ipod photo 60gb, and thinking about ordered a mac mini I'd be getting more pissed off. Seems to me that apple deliberatly screwed up 2004 to make 2005 look good.
don

I seriously doubt that Apple messed up in 2004 on purpose. No company want to mistreat customers on purpose. A company relies in it's customers for success.
 
wdlove said:
I seriously doubt that Apple messed up in 2004 on purpose. No company want to mistreat customers on purpose. A company relies in it's customers for success.

Apple are about to have their best year (probably ever). In no small part due to the fact that in 2004 they had little to sell with emacs being taken out of production, then in again. and lap tops, g5's being in very short supply.
 
donaldfleming said:
Apple are about to have their best year (probably ever). In no small part due to the fact that in 2004 they had little to sell with emacs being taken out of production, then in again. and lap tops, g5's being in very short supply.

Yes, Apple definitely has a lot to sell this year. Now for the first time, they have a product that fits almost every need and budget. They need to upgrade some badly needed items like the eMac, Power Mac, & PowerBook.
 
Apple will lose

I dont think Think Secret in any way can be found culpable.
They are completly covered by the First Amendment on this one.
The media constantly reports classified info that they get from leaked sources.
Which brings me to the real reason why IMO that Apple brought this lawsuit.
I think they brought it to try to find out TS's sources of the leaks... So they can sue the leaker.
Second IMO they brought this lawsuit to try to scare rumour/leak sites from publishing leaked info.(No real chance there)
But Sites like TS and MR and all, cant really aford the lawsuits, so Apple wins by breaking their backs financially even though Apple will lose in court.
 
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