The Apple rumors have been fallacious

For many who observe tech information carefully, Apple’s occasion on Tuesday had just a few huge surprises — not as a result of there have been fully sudden bulletins, however as a result of we didn’t see issues we actually thought we’d be getting. Rumors that had sufficient smoke to be virtually a sure-fire factor in earlier years ended up falling flat.

For instance:

The Apple Watch was rumored to get an entire redesign, that includes flat edges and a flat display. We noticed this design in renders, reportedly leaked CAD files (which act as a 3D blueprint for merchandise), and even heard that it’d be taking place from famous Apple reporter Mark Gurman two days before the event. While the Apple Watch that confirmed up on stage does have some design tweaks, it seems nothing like what we have been anticipating.

Another notable analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, additionally reported days before the event that Apple would debut a brand new set of AirPods, redesigned to incorporate shorter stems. The wi-fi earbud redesign has additionally been rumored for months by Gurman, we’ve even seen alleged pictures of them, and a few famous publications wrote that Apple was set to start out manufacturing on the buds in August. With this rumor, although, it’s potential that simply the timing was off, and that Apple will launch them at an (after all!) already-rumored future event.

Gurman also suggested that the iPhone 13 may characteristic an always-on show, due to the (precisely rumored) LTPO show that would theoretically enable for the low refresh charge wanted to make always-on not destroy the telephone’s battery. The always-on rumor was additionally backed up by well-known leaker Max Weinbach earlier this 12 months. Alas, Apple didn’t announce this show characteristic that has been a staple on Android telephones for years.

Image: Apple

There was additionally just a few common weirdness with rumors this time round. Only just a few weeks earlier than the iPhone 13 was introduced, Kuo wrote that it might need the flexibility to speak with satellites, letting you make calls or texts with out cell service. The subsequent day, Bloomberg supplied its personal interpretation, saying that Apple was engaged on a satellite tv for pc communications characteristic for emergency use, and that the iPhone 13 could embrace {hardware} for it, however in all probability not software program. However, when the iPhone 13 spec web page hit Apple’s web site, it didn’t include any mention of the mobile bands that began the starry-eyed rumors within the first place.

Of course, rumors have all the time needed to be taken with a grain of salt, as anybody buying and selling in them is nearly actually going to be working with incomplete data. Still, a number of the huge names like Kuo and Gurman get it proper so typically — the rumors concerning the iPad Mini redesign, excessive refresh-rate iPhone show, and smaller notch all got here true, and we even noticed the rumored cinematic digicam mode. Success like that, and the way correct rumors have been in years previous, could make it simpler to overlook the tenuousness of rumors — regardless of what number of instances people like Marques Brownlee remind us.

This isn’t to chortle at those that believed the rumors, or say that there’s no place for rumors within the buildup to occasions — it may be thrilling to really feel like we’re getting a peek at what’s coming subsequent, and to start out serious about whether or not we’ll decide up the brand new gadget, and the way we’ll use it.

P.S. Remember this second if Apple pronounces one thing that appears suspiciously like a Mac occasion later this fall. This isn’t to say that the 14- and 16-inch redesigned MacGuide Pros with all of the ports and processing energy you ever wished aren’t coming, however treating them as a positive factor may result in some actual heartache.