How rumors can lead to disappointment, lack of surprise

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]alifornia was, yet again, the center of attention today. Specifically, the Cupertino-based corporation Apple, Inc. Some great new products were announced at the California Theatre of San Jose, from the much-anticipated iPad mini to the MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina display. Apple never disappoints, but there are some things the corporation can't control, like rumors.

Over the past few years, I've been following Apple news just like every other journalist. However, news and rumors are two different things. While I used to enjoy reading the latest report from blogs like MacRumors, it's become a stale task, and even a routine at worst. During today's event, I was surprised by nothing because I'd kept up on every little report published by the likes of 9to5Mac. Sources didn't used to be as credible as they are now, and that's why the game has changed.

Every major rumor about today's event was accurate, leading to a dull experience.

Blogs that publish rumors, especially those of the Apple, Inc. variety, get more traffic than those that do not. It's understandable — everyone wants the latest scoop, whether it's reliable or not, after all. But sadly, it leads to great disappointment. In the days when things Apple did were not predictable, users, journalists, and experts were not so disappointed. It's hard to be excited about a product when you've known about it for months, after all. Apple has become such a large corporation that every publication is writing about it, whether it's centered on technology or not. Rumors are reported on NBC and CBS even.

After today, I decided it was time I stopped subjecting myself to such disappointment. The next Apple event will be a surprise because I've unsubscribed from every rumor-publishing blog I have in Reeder (a Mac RSS app). There are still good NEWS blogs out there, like MacStories and Apple's own press release Web site. Other than that, the trend has transitioned into a competition: whoever has the best sources wins. Papermail will not be like this because I know how it is to be a disappointed reader. Spoiling a surprise at Christmas is fun when you're a child, but when you develop, genuine staggering is priceless.

That's my promise: no more rumors, even in event announcement posts like the one for today's. I won't even be reading hearsay any longer, and I urge you to do the same if you want to truly enjoy a press conference. Today, even Tim Cook and Phil Schiller didn't seem very happy to announce what the corporation they're members of had developed. Maybe they're sad to see sources linking so much information too, or maybe the product is just as stale to them as the simpleton. Whatever the case, applause was only given when an astonishingly thin new iMac was announced because no one had any idea about it. At least there was a kernel of goodness.

Watch Apple's 23 Oct. keynote on its website.