Apple, Think Secret Settlement Is a Mistake
Chalk one up for Apple's lawyers. These savvy individuals have managed to use Apple's deep pockets to pay off one of the greatest Web sites for Apple rumors and information, Think Secret. As of today, Think Secret has officially closed its doors.
Think Secret's rise to fame took a major leap in December 2004 when it accurately predicted the release of the Mac Mini, iPod Shuffle, and iWork productivity suite that were unveiled at the MacWorld Expo that following January. It was quickly apparent to Apple that Think Secret's editor, Nicholas Ciarelli, who used the pen name Nick dePlume, had insider contacts and Apple slapped a lawsuit on ThinkSecret claiming a violation of trade secrets.
Nearly three years later, the two have reached an undisclosed settlement that "results in a positive solution for both sides." We know that Ciarelli did not reveal his sources, and he agreed to no longer publish Think Secret, but the other details of the settlement are unknown.
"I'm pleased to have reached this amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits," Ciarelli says in a press release.
Ciarelli deserves recognition for not throwing his insider source or sources under the bus to save himself.
The loss of Think Secret has massive implications in the Apple community, which has exploded over the past year. Since its launch in 1998, Think Secret was never 100-percent accurate with its predictions--but it created a buzz effect throughout the Web. Applenova, the official Think Secret message board, still thrives with 11,000 active members, 26,000 discussions, and 200 to 300 members viewing the message boards at any given time.
Today you can walk through an airport or sit in on a college lecture hall and see more glowing Apple logos than ever. Think Secret can't take all of the credit for the Apple explosion, but the buzz it created didn't hurt Apple, even if the company thinks otherwise.
As a Mac user myself, but more so as a newshound, it saddens me to see Think Secret go.
Oh, and Ciarelli, if you are listening: Any final word about an Apple tablet?
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It seems like it's a bad idea to loose such a website. If you are a Mac person (I am). But it seems to be that every time Apple comes out with some fantastic new innovation, within a month or so there are cheaper cosmetic knockoffs being offered by everybody else. OK sometimes it takes a little longer than a week, but what I'm saying is that by not letting the cat out of the bag too soon, Apple may be delaying the copy cats.
But then, sometimes the copy cats are pretty comical, I saw a sales person trying to sell a zune to somebody, had ten of them out on the counter. Must have been his bad day, all ten failed to work, all were plugged in. The guy was getting pretty frustrated, and then his daughter pipes up and says "Oh Dad, I really only wanted a Shuffle anyway"