DNA From The Mac Gene Pool: Are Rumor Sites Good Or Bad For For The Mac 'Ecosystem'?
We asked our contest entrants what they thought about Rumor sites such as AppleInsider and MacOS Rumors, given that both of them have been in legal hot water recently. Did readers feel that these sites helped or hurt the Mac 'Ecosystem'? About 60% or respondents thought that Rumor sites helped the Mac, most citing the fact that these sites generate interest in the platform during fallow periods of Apple news, 35% thought these sites hurt the platform - many saying that they raised false expectations, and about 5% thought they made no difference to the overall Mac 'Ecosystem's' health.
Many of those who thought the Rumor sites were good for the Mac, did however think that AppleInsider went too far when it published proprietary information about Adobe's next version of Photoshop, and then refused to take it down at Adobe's request
Below we post some of the insightful and interesting requests we received.
Pull the other one Pete...
Somebody, I'm not going to tell you who, said that rumors hurt the community. But insiders, who prefer to remain anonymous, claim that they actually provide a service. Highly-placed unnamed sources, speaking only for deep background, have indicated that there are hints of change approaching, but declined to be more specific due to confidentiality requirements.
I personally find rumor sites amusing.
- Pete
Rumors keep interest in the Mac at a fevered pitch...
I think rumor sites help the Mac ecosystem. For one they give everyone a chance to dream ahead of time about what they could do if they had this or that new feature in software and/or hardware. In other words it gets the juices flowing. And a second reason is that it keeps the journalism from drifting into the mundane. It excites people and induces them to talk about the Mac.
- Don
Feedback to Apple may find its way into new products....
I think rumor sites help. They give people something to focus on, and if it's an inaccurate rumor, the truth will come out eventually. It's also a great way for Apple to monitor what people are thinking. Who knows, maybe they've even used some of the ideas to make a new product or design?
- Susan
Deep Apple...
Rumor sites hurt Apple's ability to manage their products in the marketplace. However I'm sure Apple's probably taken advantage of that by selectively leaking some information.
- Scott
I don't know they hung on to that mouse an awful long time...
For the Mac faithful, rumor sites give us something to look forward to, even if we are disappointed if it doesn't happen. They provide ways of spreading information that we might want to ask Apple to change before it gets to be policy and the general public gets wind of it. This might damage Apple. Apple has changed course a number of times in the last few years due to negative feedback from customers that might have been first leaked onto a rumor site. Sometimes, a rumor might have been 'leaked' on purpose from Apple to get a bit of free press
- Erick
We have news for you Elvis stole the prototype wireless mouse and keyboard...
The question at hand is somewhat difficult to answer with a simple yes or no. Rumor sites as a whole are based on just that, rumors. Like a tabloid's report that Elvis's niece is an offspring from aliens, the idea of Apple's supposed new wireless mouse/keyboard are read with a grain of salt. While just a rumor, I being a Mac lover enjoy the teasing tidbits of possible new products from companies I am a customer of. It's like a kid being told there's a new special edition beanie baby coming. Whether it's true or not, there is a certain level of anticipation.
However, when a rumor site breaks ethic and morality laws there's a problem. While I get a kick from the tabloids Armageddon predictions, I do frown upon sleazy magazines featuring photos of Bob Hope near death on their cover. So while, in my opinion, I do not believe that rumor sites are bad for the Mac Ecosystem, I do believe that rumors that cross a line, that are somewhat questionable in nature or are infringing on a companies product trade secrets, are better off left unreported.
The idea behind a site featuring rumors on upcoming products and or company news is not in bad taste, but articles which steal nonpublic information, that may hurt a company or their product plans, are. Rumor sites should be just that, information based on word of mouth and not information obtained in an illegal or unethical manner. Whether articles on a rumor site are based on word of mouth or leaked information readers should always remember not to believe everything they read. The articles are, after all, just rumors.
- Rick
People take out false rumor frustration on Apple...
Yes I think that rumors do hurt the Mac market. The effect IMHO is that people read these flashy rumor headlines that are designed to attract web traffic and then they read an article that is usually hearsay at best. The problem is that a lot of people (myself included) tend to WANT to believe what they are reading and this can have two consequences. If someone is reading about a product that they want (say from Apple) and the article or example promises a new 600 MHz iMac with a 17" detachable roll up LCD Monitor or some such thing, many of the people that read this will tend to want it to be true and then may delay that next major purchase only to find that when MacWorld rolls around the "promised" product is not announced. Most people will immediately fell slighted by the turn of events and that always gets pushed off on Apple - not whomever wrote the article in the first place.
The two problems are that Apple cannot live up to peoples expectations when this happens and also I would expect that there would be some minor fallout in reduced sales for Apple in the short term.
- Stephen
A reformed reader...
I have been a Mac fan for many years, and once ran a Mac news page myself. I believe that for the Macintosh community to remain a happy one, the news sites have to do their job:giving out relevant news released from companies. I have read a lot recently about the AppleInsider Vs Adobe thing over the leaked PhotoShop 6.0 documents. In this case, I do feel sorry for Adobe. They obviously had decided to keep this information secret for a reason, and will have had a justified reason to do so. Now some news site comes along and STEALS this information, to put together a scrappy story, which often proves to be wrong in the end anyway!
Seems a bit silly to me! I remember a while back about the PowerBook G3 launch, when everyone had pictures of this amazing new look computer. The public were laughing at these sites when no new glowing keyboard appeared, but just an updated version of an old model!
I now no longer read these articles, because in my experience, over 50% of the time they are wrong anyway.
- Graeme
When should Apple start worrying? When there are no rumors.....
Rumor sites may actually help the Mac ecosystem in the long run. Rumors that turn out to be incorrect are generally not believable to begin with or are corrected over time. Rumors themselves, whether right or wrong, can generate enough curiosity and discussion to promote interest in the Macintosh computer system. Rumors are not what one should be necessarily worried about, the lack rumors is what would be a cause for worry. When they stop talking about you, its most likely because you are no longer important. There's no such thing as bad advertising.
- Jonny
An informed customer is a happy one...
Rumor sites are legit. journalism. What apple or adobe is going to do next is clearly news, and there is nothing wrong with publishing it. Protecting trade secrets is all well and good, even makes sense for the most part, but look at what is really being protected, a release schedule that allows the vendor to essentially screw people who would wait the extra several weeks for the revised product. I'm not so sure that is a trade secret.
Violating NDA's is a different issue, though even that seems more complicated. If beta tester violates his agreement by telling a news source, why should the news source be bound by an agreement he has not even seen. If adobe is releasing the product in two weeks, what is the damage, other that clearing out old product (not what trade secrets are meant to protect.) If it were 10 months out and some competitor might be able to catch up, that is another issue.
Finally, as far as helping or hurting the 'ecosystem,' it can be argued either way. The existence of rumor sites actually help give people better information. Sure, this might slow down sales of existing machines, but they can also speed them up. There are people who are worried about next week, not next month or quarter. They might wait unless they knew that what they are waiting for is months away or only a small speed bump. There is really no way to tell. The general rule is that more info is good leading to informed choices, happier customers, etc.
- Joshua
Apple is the Fort Knox of information....
To be perfectly honest, I think that the rumor sites are great because it does give us, the retail community something to tell clients. Apple NEVER tells us anything. We always find out the same day that everyone else does. At least the rumor sites, try to give us info. Sure it is sometimes wrong but so are the weathermen here in Oklahoma and we still listen to them on a daily basis because we don't want to get blown away by tornado. If Apple would be a little more forthcoming with the info we wouldn't have to have them but since Apple is the Fort Knox of Mac information, long live the rumor sites!
- David
Beverly 90210 and Rumor sites have a lot in common...
I absolutely LOVE rumor sites (www.macosrumors.com especially.) But, I love them in the way my wife loved the, now dead, Beverly Hills 90210 series. They are a guilty pleasure that I do not take seriously. No decisions I make are based upon information gleaned from those sites, but it's fun to think that you have some "inside information." All of the sites that I visit are undeniably pro-Mac platform, and the speculative information they publish is typically of the form: When (insert company, i.e. Apple) releases this (insert fantastic new product, i.e. Mac OS X on Intel) everyone (or, insert a exciting group here, i.e. the government, Disney, graphic animators, Hollywood) will switch from Windows to Macs and life will be wonderful.
It's a fun fairy-tell that keeps me entertained, and I hold none of the companies rumored about (Apple, Adobe, etc.) up to scrutiny based upon the rumor site info.
- Tony
It's all just like gabbing around the water well...
Gossip is an essential element of any village - including the global one. Rumors do what press releases can't - communicate opinion, desire, and vision. So rumor sites are inevitable. The key thing is for readers to understand that the info posted on rumor sites is subject to inaccuracies and manipulation. After that, have fun and think different!
- Stuart
Nuf said...
Rumors gooood . . . lies baaad
- James
I know Jobs said to think different, but...
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. In the near future, however there will be no secrets or privacy for anyone anywhere due to technological and/or spiritual development. We will need to change our value system to adapt to those circumstances.
- Jan
I'd say pretty, I mean sort of, um just a little...
In general, I don't think rumor sites hurt the ecosystem. I do believe however, that MacNN went too far with their recent stories about Adobe products. How's that for a wishy-washy answer?
- Lisa
I want to state right here that MacReviewZone does not advocate violence towards anyone...
Rumors - Kinda like a white lie ; it might be true but may be not completely true. I'd like to put rumors , Jerry Springer ( and other mindless "talk shows" ) and Pro Wrestling ( sorry, some might still think they really do wrestle ) into the same pile and hit my DELETE button.
- Mike
Is it in fact all a vast rumor conspiracy.....
It seems to me that rumor sites can often affect the Macintosh environment in a negative way. An example of this was when Apple had financial difficulties a few years ago, rumors of imminent bankruptcy, mergers and other speculations caused Apple's stock to fall, thus putting Apple into even more financial difficulty. Apple's competitors took advantage of this and fueled the speculation. Indeed, sometimes I wonder if some of these rumor sites are just a means of negative advertising devised by Apple's rivals.
Companies who have stocks on the market are extremely vulnerable to this sort of thing-- just look at Microsoft's plummeting stocks after its recent loss in court. One could argue that Microsoft broke the law and thus deserves to have its stock plummet due to panicky investors-- but Apple did not. The rumors on web sites and in the media possibly did more damage to Apple than competition or managerial incompetence.
- Andrew
AppleInsider pissed off one of Apple's biggest supporters...
For the most part, I think rumor sites help the Mac world, especially when the news is released appropriately (both temporally and legally). Personally, reading rumor sites and learning about potential Mac products keeps me excited about the platform, and helps to maintain my evangelism. On the other hand, the lack of rumors occasionally gives the impression that the platform is at a standstill and that no progress is being made. But while I eagerly visit rumor sites for their news, I have been disappointed more than once by false rumors, so I always keep in mind the shadiness of the rumor news.
As far as the Adobe/AppleInsider fiasco, I would have to side with Adobe. While I do appreciate AppleInsider putting up information about the next Photoshop, I think that the whole point of rumors sites is to help maintain a happy, product-anticipating, evangelical Mac community. By ignoring Adobe's request, I think AppleInsider made the mistake of pissing off one of the Mac's strongest (and most important) supporters.
- Michael
Hedda who....
Like Hedda Hopper said (before your time) "I don't care what they say about me, just so they say something." Rumor sites get the blood moving, the adrenaline surging and the discussion flowing . . .
- Bill
Ouch...
What kind of idiot would sign an NDA and then violate it? Obviously this person has no integrity, and should be strung up by his unmentionables!
- Carl
Blind squirrels on a nut hunt...
Rumor sites use stolen information to cause harm to the victims of the theft. Dressing this up site noble intentions and consumer advocacy is disingenuous at best, and outright lies more often. I have stopped frequenting rumor sites entirely due to this. The fact that their accuracy record is similar to that of a blind squirrel on a nut hunt weighs in my opinions somewhere as well
- Bruce
Seems like your ship finally came in...
Rumor sites definitely hurt Apple. I've, personally, held off purchasing a new Macintosh for years on the rumor that multiprocessing would arrive within "months".
- Gray
The blind leading the blind - on a merry chase...
I think it is mostly a wash. Some benefit Mac-dom greatly by communicating Apple's direction, often better than Apple themselves (and 3rd party suppliers).
Knowing where things are going in the long run has tremendous value. Suppliers (Apple included), often don't want this message to get out so they can stick consumers with inferior product they might not otherwise buy at the same price.
On the other hand, for every beneficial rumor I've received, there has been a bad ones I acted on that I shouldn't have. The more recent was the 17" iMac rumor. I delayed purchase on some systems for a group of visually challenged folks due to this rumor. While waiting to buy is rarely a bad thing, the delay was unnecessary and placed the purchase at risk.
- Larry
Rumor sites as social workers......
Rumor sites are an integral part of the Mac culture. They breed interest and excitement about new Apple products. These sites usually have vibrant discussion boards filled with people speculating on what the next Powerbook will look like, or the what the next G4 can do. After time this has created a culture unlike any other in the computer industry, a culture in which its members care about the company and its products.
That may sound a little cheesy but, its a small part of what makes owning an Apple better than owning a Wintel.
- Fred
Psychic Network more accurate than Rumors sites......
Rumor sites need to be taken as what they are: Rumors. They can be fun, but as an Apple sales professional, it gets more than a little tiresome to have people storm in with "100% accurate" information about Apple products that they saw on rumor sites.
Early on, I fell into the trap and reported those rumors to customers, even while stating they were only rumors, only to have my credibility questioned when those rumors were proven false. Now, when I hear a rumor, I simply state that it is a rumor and that "we'll all know for sure the next time Steve opens his mouth.
People who are willing to swallow everything rumor sites say also believe in the Psychic Friend's Network, Jerry Springer and pro wrestling.
- Blaster
Of Odes and Ivory Towers......
Rumor is fine figure in many a classic play and poem. It's always presented as evil, and always presented as destructive--but then it's often right and always necessary to human relations. So, what do I think about sites dedicated to Mac rumors? They're evil and destructive, but often right and always necessary
- Alberto
Associate Professor of English
You know rat's fannies are actually quite big......
I don't think they make a rat's fanny of a difference, but they can be fun to read!
- Fred
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