There's now speculation that Apple iWatch reports published by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg within days of each other isn't mere coincidence: it's a controlled leak by Apple itself. Why? To keep its name in the news while products like a new iPad, iPad Mini and other familiar gadgets are cooking in the oven.
Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times published iWatch stories based on multiple unnamed sources over the weekend. These sources claimed that Apple was experimenting with a wristwatch-like device made of curved glass that will run iOS. They also said that Apple has been discussing with longtime manufacturing partner Hon Hai about the device.
Then on Tuesday Bloomberg cited sources claiming that Apple's iWatch was actually beyond the experimental stage, and that a team of more than 100 Apple employees were currently working on the device. Even senior director of engineering James Foster supposedly has his hands in the project.
Now Forbes is calling Apple out, claiming that the fruity iPhone maker is deliberately planting iWatch leaks now that photos of Samsung's own "smartwatch" have begun to surface. The fact that sources spoke directly with three major news organizations seemingly back-to-back, and not with the typical Asian news sources, paints a big bullseye on Apple's PR department.
Apple may be planting seeds with three major news agencies because it's had a good dose of negativity over the last several months. The iPhone 5 really didn't change the smartphone scene despite its larger screen, and iOS 6.0 caused turmoil with all iPhone users abroad. Even a less-than-stellar earnings report saw stocks take a dive while analysts reported a slowdown in Apple products.
Apple really hasn't invented anything new since the debut of the original iPad, leaving Apple, which is supposedly swimming in innovation, no different than any other smartphone and tablet maker. Even more, rival smartphone maker Samsung is eating market share, armed to the teeth with Google's Android OS. So far Apple hasn't felt the predators' sharp bite in the sacred tablet sector, but that will eventually change as consumers grow tired of the same updated product year after year.
That said, Apple is reportedly desperate to stay "relevant" and "innovative" by leaking information on a new product. Actually this probably isn't anything new with the iPhone maker – how many prototypes have shown up on forums or lost in publicly-accessed bars? Too many to be anything other than on purpose.
There's also speculation that Apple has planted controlled leaks to steal some of the smartwatch spotlight from Samsung. Apple may feel that it has dropped the ball and fallen behind its former comrade. Samsung's 3G-capable Galaxy Altius reportedly uses a version of AltiusOS, but it's unknown if this is Android-based or Tizen-based.
