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Asifasim22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 4, 2013
23
0
with basically the whole apple line expected to be updated this fall , none seem to be game-changers. my question is how often have apple products/software been released in the past that the media has no idea of or rumor of it's release? this isn't a thread to post theories of what is being released this year, or the next big product but rather please just share a time where major "game-changer" apple products be it hardware or software were released when no one had any idea they were coming.
 
IMO the iPhone was the last real secret in that there were no leaks aside from rumors of an Apple branded phone in development. By the time it released everyone kinda knew to expect "a phone" from Apple but I think the end result still blew everyone away.

Ever since then though it's been one leak after another, with very few surprises come keynote day.

Before the iPhone you rarely saw substantial leaks or incredibly accurate rumors aside from broad ones, like "Apple rumored to be switching to Intel".
 
Now that Apple is as big as it is, rumors and leaks are big, big business.

I heard there were entire websites dedicated to rumors and leaks! Can you believe it?
 
My guess is the last major announcement that didn't have many rumors beforehand was the original iPod although I wasn't following Apple then so there may have been rumors about Apple doing a music player.
 
If the fingerprint sensor is real, then I must say Apple has done a good job keeping the physical evidence secret, because nobody has actually leaked the sensor yet.
 
If the fingerprint sensor is real, then I must say Apple has done a good job keeping the physical evidence secret, because nobody has actually leaked the sensor yet.

This is true. Even though we usually see almost everything before they're officially announced, there are still a few things that will be new. For instance, we don't know how Apple will implement the fingerprint reader, nor how exactly it will work.
 
This is true. Even though we usually see almost everything before they're officially announced, there are still a few things that will be new. For instance, we don't know how Apple will implement the fingerprint reader, nor how exactly it will work.

I'm surprised that we haven't seen any pics of the sensor/home button and that nobody's said anything about biometric authentication in iOS 7 beta, at least not that I'm aware of. So this is indeed one area where Apple has kept something under wraps (or it's not happening).
 
IMO the iPhone was the last real secret in that there were no leaks aside from rumors of an Apple branded phone in development.

I agree. iPhone rumors weren't big business back then. The leaks were probably there, just no one thought anything of it.

I would say the last big rumors that was a real surprise was the switch to Intel chips. That leaked maybe 2 days before the keynote? Caught everyone off guard.
 
Last thing that wasn't leaked was the new Mac Pro. Before that? Maybe the iPad? Not sure on that one though. Then the iPhone. All the iPods don't really have any concrete leaks anymore (but who really cares nowadays :p). Oh and the 1080p Apple TV. I don't remember any leaks then either.
 
The iPad was a pretty well kept secret. There were rumors of an "iSlate" ahead of the release but they were all way off.

Likewise with the retina iPad and retina MBP, there were rumors and some people thought they were coming, but there was no evidence before the release.
 
Back in 'the good old days', Apple had very tight control over their products and releases and rumors. I remember when I bought a Max IIcx, I asked several Apple people that I knew at the university that I was at if there was anything new coming out and was assured that no, there wasn't. I plunked down my bucks through the campus computer store to get the IIcx. Then I found out that model had 'dirty ROMs' and that an fix was planned because it had a ROM expansion/replacement slot to address the issue. Well, apparently someone at Apple decided that the release of a SIMM with genuine Apple ROM's would be inviting someone to copy them so they never released a fix, and just outside of the window for return/exchange Apple released the IIci! With 'clean ROMs' and a speed bump. No rumors, no hint of another model coming out, and the campus computer store couldn't/wouldn't do anything about the issue.

Yeah, back in 'the good old days'... I actually swore off Macs after that. Then the iMac with the 'popup' monitor came out. I waited until near the end of that model run and ordered one, and the order was 'delayed', then marked 'shipped' and was surprised to get the all-in-one iMac. I haven't looked back sense. I do miss my IIcx though, mainly for the size and the amazing appearance of the chassis. It was a pretty sexy system. (The bizarre CD drive was a stitch, looking back. It used a cartridge to hold the disc and had to be inserted into the tray. Comical compared to today's slot loading systems)

Has anyone been really surprised by the final release of any Apple product since possibly the original iPhone? Given the way they beat up the folks over the 'found' iPhone, Apple's 'security' sucks... But is it planned?
 
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