Rumor Roundup: The snake is eating its own tail

Alleged Schematic Shows iPhone 6 Coming with 1GB of RAM [Updated] (MacRumors)

When one of these rumor blogs appends (updated) to the end, you know it's got to be amusing. And it is: according to the article, this schematic "more likely refers to some aspect of the device's flash memory." Egg, meet face.

BGR predictably went down a more histrionic route with its own headline: SERIOUSLY, APPLE? Here's an iPhone 6 leak that will leave you disappointed. SERIOUSLY, BGR? Switch to decaf.

Rumor: Schematic suggests NFC chip in 'iPhone 6,' RAM remains unknown [u] (AppleInsider)

The same leaked schematic had all the rumor blogs beating the NFC drum again, but even AppleInsider says "the details seem questionable" and had to append its own little [u] to this article.

All around, this scenario proves that in the rush to be FIRST!, the rumor blogs aren't at all interested in being right. This isn't anything new, of course - this nonsense has been happening for years - but it's certainly an easy thing to point to and say, "You see? This. This is how you are doing it wrong."

Apple unlikely to sell sapphire iPhones this year, is setting the stage for future models - JP Morgan (AppleInsider)

Some analyst issued a "note to investors" based on his reaction to a report from the Wall Street Journal, a report which was itself just a rehashing of the various analyst-sourced rumors from the past month.

The snake is eating its own tail... wait, that's not a snake. Ewww. Someone pass me a bag of kitty litter and a shovel?

RBC sees Apple selling upwards of 75M 'iPhone 6' units before end of 2014 (AppleInsider)

Some analyst comes out with some ridiculous claim for sales numbers for the next-gen iPhone. Said numbers likely weren't pulled out of the air, but rather from somewhere far less savoury. And although it's patently obvious that this guy is just making stuff up and is merely one of many "analysts" trying to manipulate Apple's stock price ahead of the launch, you can always count on the rumor blogs to report this BS anyway as though it's legitimate news.

Analysts don't know what they're talking about when they talk about Apple. Nothing they say matters. At all. The world will not weep if you stop spreading their idiocy.

Security breach may be reason for Gatekeeper app signing changes (Updated) (TUAW)

I wouldn't give anyone else a pass for reporting this, so...

The source for this report is some random guy on Twitter. Sounds legit! Except for the whole "random guy on Twitter" part, that is. TUAW's (update) is, unlike most of the [u] appends I see, additional confirmation of its initial report rather than the rumor blog style non-apology apology about getting it wrong. This confirmation was "a second source via IRC," which I suppose is a level of legitimacy above Twitter, but still.

For its part, 9to5 Mac claims they've confirmed with "sources close to the situation" that "there is no truth to the rumors." They should know; they're the foremost experts on untrue Apple rumors.

iPhone 6 Said to Feature Faster Qualcomm MDM9625 LTE Modem with LTE-Advanced Support (MacRumors)

More analysis of the supposed logic board for the next-gen iPhone claims it will feature improved networking speeds compared to current models. This is one of those rumors that seems mundane enough to be plausible at first blush, so we'll see.

Just like last week, according to BGR, this is "a feature no one's been talking about." And just like last week, this stupid claim is demonstrably untrue.

Apple's iWatch May Not Launch Until 2015 (MacRumors)

Often-wrong analyst claims unverified, unannounced, unconfirmed to exist Apple product will be "delayed" until some vague future date. Again.

Journalism!

4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Screen Put Under Microscope as New 1472 x 828 Resolution Emerges (MacRumors)

A leaked photo from a Russian source claims the next-gen iPhone display will have a 1704 x 960 pixel display. However, cursory analysis shows the Russian claim is inconsistent with a 4.7-inch display size. Rather than dismiss the claim as BS, MacRumors immediately leaps to the conclusion that the 1704 x 960 resolution is meant for the as-yet-unconfirmed 5.5-inch iPhone 6, and it assumes a 1472 x 828 resolution is meant for the 4.7-inch model based on iOS 8 references to a display with that resolution.

All of this is to say that we're presumably less than a month away from the launch of the next iPhone, and the rumor blogs actually have no clue at all what the features of the device will be, right down to its display resolution. Hilarious.

Alleged Schematic Shows Protruding Camera Ring on 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 (MacRumors)

If this rumor is true - and that's a pretty big if - I have to wonder how Jonathan Ive is going to attempt to put a positive spin on such a seemingly awful design decision.

Second-Generation iPad Air May Get Memory Boost to 2 GB (MacRumors)

Asian source makes unverifiable claim about next-gen Apple device specifications. Rumor blogs dutifully reblog it. Rinse, repeat, ad infinitum.

New photos claim to show 5.5-inch 'iPhone 6L' shell compared to smaller model (9to5 Mac)

I suppose someone has gone to the trouble to make sure these parts are genuine and not just mockups, right?

"The parts in the images are said to have come directly from Apple's supply chain, though that claim is obviously quite difficult to verify."

Oh. Guess not.