How Apple Orchestrates Controlled Leaks, and Why 195
Posted
by
CmdrTaco
from the bite-of-fruit dept.
from the bite-of-fruit dept.
Lanxon writes "'I was a Senior Marketing Manager at Apple and I was instructed to do some controlled leaks,' confesses John Martellaro. Monday's article at the Wall Street Journal, which provided confirmation of an Apple tablet device, had all the earmarks of a controlled leak. Here's how Apple does it. Often Apple has a need to let information out, unofficially. The company has been doing that for years, and it helps preserve Apple's consistent, official reputation for never talking about unreleased products. The way it works is that a senior exec will come in and say, 'We need to release this specific information. John, do you have a trusted friend at a major outlet? If so, call him/her and have a conversation. Idly mention this information and suggest that if it were published, that would be nice. No e-mails!'"
Ethics (Score:3, Informative)
Ethics (n): The 'optional' set of rules companies occasionally engage when it is a benefit to the company but publically declaire they use at all times.
Re:Stocks? (Score:2, Informative)
As long as leaks and product releases are timed with trading blackout periods (usually tied with quarterly earnings reports), there shouldn't be a problem since an insider wouldn't be allowed to buy or sell stock in the first place.
Re:The reasons (Score:5, Informative)
Re:duh? (Score:3, Informative)
Except that they shut Think Secret down, remember?
Re:Stocks? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:duh? (Score:4, Informative)
More publicity (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Controlled Leaks (Score:3, Informative)
I think you missed the point.
The Apple guy doesn't leak to the media, the Apple guy consults with a partner. The partner leaks to the media. The partner will likely have a special non-disclosure agreement that will cover his ass in the event that all goes south. It's all well orchestrated, undocumented, and not illegal.
Re:The reasons (Score:3, Informative)
Re:duh? (Score:5, Informative)
The iPhone was announced on January 9, 2007. It went on sale on June 29, 2007.
And on the day it was announced, Steve apologized for this unusual early disclosure and explained why they did it. Of course you remember, don't you? After all, you could remember the date (I couldn't).
Re:duh? (Score:4, Informative)
They actually said in that case that they were announcing early because they had to file papers with the FCC, which would essentially make the product public knowledge anyway.
The other time that they frequently announce products ahead of release is OS upgrades, but that's usually done around the time they're starting to release developer builds of the OS.
Re:duh? (Score:3, Informative)
In general, Grandparent is right. In the case of the iPhone, they had to announce early or let the FCC do the announcing for them, because the FCC publishes data about the various phones they approve.
But most of the time, a new product is available for purchase within a week, if not a day, of the announcement.
Re:duh? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:duh? (Score:3, Informative)
Had to do with the application for an FCC clearance, after which all kinds of things were going to become public anyway.