Leaks, lies and the bottom line

“The iPhone 6 will be released globally on September 19th,” an email in my inbox reads. I don’t know who the tipster is, nor how they came across this nugget of information. The communication came from an email service called Leak, which allows anyone to send emails anonymously so the receiver can’t trace it or reply to it. It could’ve come from Apple CEO Tim Cook himself and I’d have no way of knowing. (Though I doubt it.) Leaks like this not only show up all the time, they’ve increased in number over the years -- and now that it’s easy to start anonymous rumors without accountability, our inboxes will simply give up. We are becoming a leak-obsessed culture. Nearly everyone wants to know about tomorrow’s devices, today, and few (if any) smartphones get launched without someone spilling the beans. The next iPhone hasn’t even been announced yet, but millions of people already think they know what it looks like and what it will do, thanks to images of its supposed chassis, casing and sapphire display. Even if the leaks aren’t accurate, it’s too late -- there are likely plenty of folks who have already (bizarrely) decided whether to buy it or not.