Would it be ethical for Apple to release false iPhone info leading up to a release?

It really isn't possible these days for them to be releasing false info and keep the real model under wraps, especially during the manufacturing phase.

 

its pretty certain that their double down on secrecy is going on as planned..

 

It doesn't matter how hard they try to keep things secret. Things are going to get leaked.

 

I think the better question is how is it unethical? Because it's not....

Anyways, I think we're going to get a surprise on the 12th

 

Of course not; that's ridiculous.

What IS unethical is for people to leak out info about a company's product before it's released.

 

ethics have no place in this kind of business.

That being said, I'm pretty sure these atrocious leaks are the real deal at this point.

 

It would not be unethical for Apple to do that. People are doing their best to get their hands on confidential prototypes and early info, it is fair for them to do whatever it takes...including producing a fake iPhone, in order to keep people off the trail. Give them slow but consistent leaks through an unknown source and everyone will be looking for that.

Is it possible to keep under wraps? I think so...it just depends on how far they want to go to make it happen. Regarding leaks during the manufacturing process, the workers are on total lockdown, working in a highly monitored setting and living in dorms. Not only that, they know they face prosecution if they make off with a part. It would be very hard and very risky to try to get something out.

I guess will know in about a month if Apple was successful in keeping things under wrap...

 

Problem is, what do you do if people fall in love with the idea of a "false feature" that has no plan to be implemented? Huge let down, which could ruin the product launch.

 

Ethical? Its their product, their property. They can chose to keep it secret if they want to. In fact if Apple doesn't want want us to know about their product, then we have no right to know anything about it. The only reason they would release false information is to keep their product secret.

They are doing nothing wrong. In fact I like the suspense of not knowing exactly what it will look like before it is released.

 

Real people aren't paying attention to the rumors...

 

The only people who feel Apple is deliberately releasing false information are the ones who are bitterly disappointed in the product the leaks seem to indicate, hoping that they are false and that Apple has something else in the works

I have no doubt Apple tests devices, etc. in dummy cases and such
But I don't believe they have an orchestrated effort of misinformation and misdirection to the magnitude the OP is implying

 

that's not what Pinocchio told me

 

I concur. This is nothing new - people believed the leaked iPhone 4 was a decoy from Apple in 2010 (the leaked iPhone 4 was indeed the real iPhone 4). They wanted to believe it was a decoy because they disliked the design.

 

Good reply thewitt. Just count how many are on this forum compared to the millions that will purchase the new iPhone. Just a few die hard enthusiast on a few forums.

 

Hate to burst the bubble for that person, but why would they get so excited about a prototype/leak/etc when nothing has been announced?

Those kinds of people need to come back down to reality

 

How much have we seen leaked for the iPad Mini? In terms of actual parts, like the parts we have seen for the "taller" phone...

I can only remember the back casing that showed up on the iOS Blog... not credible enough for the MR Front page.

 

^ This.

Nothing. People that buy into rumors as fact deserve what they get. Rumors are rumors. Treat them as such. The rumor hounds are a tiny fraction of a percentage of the overall consumer base anyway.

 

I could imagine that false information could cause trouble with transparency rules for investors. That said: having some different protypes extra on hand might be still ok.

 

And with this rumor... the majority of people do not like it, or at least they want more then what we are supposedly going to get. Even people in favor of 16:9 are still interested in a screen larger than 4", so we get a phone that is taller and wider.

Going off of this poll:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1417360

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I believe we are going to see this taller phone on Sep 12... But I hope we dont.

There is also a chance that Apple has been successful in hiding it from the public and snuffing out the leaks, look at the purported iPad Mini, if that shows up on Sep 12... We haven't seen much in the ways of parts as far as I know. Maybe this is a prototype that someone got a hold of and Apple had nothing to do with it. It was a normal leak, just a leak for the wrong item.

We won't know for sure until the 12th. but i think it will be the taller phone... sadly... I might add.

 

I think it's a stupid Steve Jobs tradition to keep things so top secret in regards to their phone/tablet design. I know a lot of people like the surprise of the product announcement events but why is it such a huge deal if someone knows ahead of time?

 

Product hype and buzz
Sales of current products
Giving competitors a roadmap

Just to name a few

 

this!

 

We were seeing a new iPhone during all the rumors this time before the 4S was released. See what happened ?

 

Meh. I don't know, if that was the case every tech product would be released under secrecy . I think it's just an outdated Jobs bit.