Rumor Roundup: 'Not always the most reliable of sources'
Apple rumored to improve durability of new Touch ID hardware in 2014 iPhones, iPads (AppleInsider)
The source for this claim is, of course, some Asian publication which, of course, offers absolutely no evidence for its claims. In other words, one of the four food groups for rumor bloggers.
Next Generation iPad Mini Depicted with Touch ID (MacRumors)
Not that I don't fully expect the next-gen iPads to have Touch ID, but you do know this would be trivially easy to Photoshop, yes?
MAJOR LEAK: Next-gen iPad Air shown up close in new leaked pic (BGR)
Not that I don't fully expect the next-gen iPads to have Touch ID, but you do know this would be trivially easy to Photoshop... wait, didn't I just say that?
This re-blog of a Bloomberg story is unsurprisingly light on details. Bloomberg is basically saying the same things a hundred rumor blog posts have already said before it and is bringing nothing new to the table. Bloomberg is also pretty notorious for Getting It Wrong when it comes to Apple's future plans.
12-Inch MacBook Air to Begin Production in 3rd Quarter 2014 (MacRumors)
Because MacRumors can never, ever seem to learn their lesson, they did straight reporting on this Digitimes-sourced tripe without even a passing mention of the publication's galactically awful track record.
I like 9to5 Mac's take on it even better for the brazen idiocy of the article's opening line:
"A prediction by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple would be launching an all-new 12-inch MacBook Air model in Q3 have been supported by supply-chain rumors cited by Digitimes."
Oh, really? A report by a "typically reliable" source with a 50/50 (at best) track record is "supported" by Digitimes? This is roughly on par with saying the random ravings about the Apocalypse from the crazy dude on your street corner are "supported" by some website showing connections between the Illuminati, UFOs, chemtrails, and disguised reptilian aliens in positions of power in the secret world government.
9to5 Mac at least takes a limp, passing attempt at credibility by saying that "Digitimes is not always the most reliable of sources," but this is, to put it mildly, an understatement of Brobdingnagian proportions.
KGI: 4.7″ iPhone's camera may not support optical image stabilization, 5.5″ likely will (9to5 Mac)
More sourceless nonsense from everyone's favorite "reliable" analyst, full of the typical weasel-word qualifiers analysts use like "we predict" and "we believe" to protect themselves from litigation if (when) their predictions and beliefs turn out to be wrong. But because this guy had several positive hits in 2012 and a few more in 2013, we're doomed to be buried under his predictions and beliefs until the end of time, no matter how many times he turns out to be wrong.
iPhone 6 Said to Launch on Friday, September 19 in 32 GB and 64 GB Variants (MacRumors)
The source? "A new report from Chinese web portal Tencent." Sounds legit! No, wait. The other thing.
Only the 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 May Offer 128GB Models (MacRumors)
The source? "Chinese site Wei Feng." This sounds just as legitimate as that other rumor from that other Chinese site. It sounds so legitimate that this rumor's last name should be "Snow," and it should be having adventures north of the Wall. As should the people spreading it around.
Apple Planning to Launch New $199 16GB iPod Touch With Rear Camera, Multiple Colors (MacRumors)
Unlike most rumors, we won't have to wait long to find out whether this one is true or not; MacRumors claims this new iPod touch model will launch next Tuesday. We'll see.
