An Apple employee was allegedly behind the latest iPhone 8 and iPhone X leaks, according to prominent Apple commentator John Gruber.
Leaks and rumours are common place in the run up to the launch of new Apple products, with the next iPhone, due to launch September 12, having set the rumour mill into overdrive. But Apple’s draconian stance on its employees sharing details of what they’re working on is well-known, unless such leaks were an accident.
However, on his Daring Fireball site, Gruber wrote that the leaks are almost certainly deliberate and have likely come from an Apple employee who decided to counteract Cupertino’s rules.
“I’m nearly certain this wasn’t a mistake,” said Gruber. “But rather a deliberate malicious act by a rogue Apple employee.”
“Whoever did this is the least popular person in Cupertino,” he added. “More surprises were spoiled by this leak than any leak in Apple history.”
Trusted Reviews contacted Apple for comment or confirmation on such rumours and allegations, but the company has yet to respond. And Apple is fairly tight-lipped when it comes to commenting on these topics, particularly this close to its major product launch.
There is a chance that the rumour of a rogue employee could be misinformation deliberately created by Apple to shake-off attention around iPhone leaks, particularly as Tim Cook’s crew have been reportedly clamping down on potential information leaks by employing investigators across the globe to prevent internal information reaching prying eyes and ears, as well as hunt down the source of leaks when they crop up.
Given the type of information leaked ahead of the iPhone 8 launch, which would appear to be fairly on point with what’s to be expected from a handset that needs to challenge the Samsung Galaxy S8, the leaks are likely to have been out of Apple’s control.
There’s a good chance the leaker was indeed disgruntled at Apple and wanted to do some damage against the company; often data breaches and leaks come from inside of companies either through malicious or accidental activity.
Related: iPhone 7 vs Galaxy S8
Do you think the leaks are legit or Machiavellian manoeuvres by Apple? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
