Crab Apple
Is Steve Jobs and Apple just marketing geniuses, or did Flurry find the newest Apple product?
Reports have been pouring in all over the Internet about the iPad, iTablet or Super Awesome Jesus Apple Tablet, but will it actually be released at this Wednesday’s Apple product launch is another question. Rumors are in all sorts of places, claiming that it could have from OLED screen’s to touch sensitive backing or not be a tablet but the iPhone 4 instead. A for profit analytic company, Flurry, has claimed that they have found approximately 50 various devices that were pinpointed to Cupertino’s campus.
Could these 50 devices be the fabled Apple Tablet? Flurry seems to think so, because of the information they received back through various downloads on the devices and the specifications (10.1 size screen, which is the most popular rumor for the tablet). The devices were also running OS 3.2, which isn’t a big deal, but the iPhone is still only at 3.1.2. That being said, this could technically make this just a large iPod touch.
So is Jobs just a marketing genius? Sadly, yes.
What are the chances that this company just happened to now find this information before Apple’s launch? Pretty slim, especially since the report from Flurry states that they had seen connections from the 50 devices since October for 2009.
“Because Flurry could reliably “place” these devices geographically on Apple’s Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre‐release tablets in testing. Testing of this device increased dramatically in January, with observed signs of life as early as October of last year. Apple appears to be going through its cycle of testing and polish, which is expected from any hardware or software company as it nears launch.” – Flurry
Flurry could simply just be doing the release of information as a timing thing, since they would love more sales and all, but this just seems to be a common marketing trend with Apple. Throw out some bait, accidentally release bits of information and hook every person that has an interested in Apple or technology.
For months various Apple patents have been displayed all over the Internet, which just magically seem to find it’s way to the appropriate press immediately after they are filed. Just last week Apple sent out media invites for their product launch this Wednesday, which of course sent another mad rush of rumors.
Rumors aside, Apple will finally unveil this Wednesday either a large screened iTouch, which they will call a tablet or the small chance of the iPhone 4. More than likely it will just be the tablet, since OS 4 for the iPhone seems to be still on the testing phase.
Some additional information to lead us to believe Flurry is just Marketing garbage, no real statistics or results. Hmmm…
“This is a fair question. We feel confident that we are looking at the tablet device for two main reasons, that I can share with you. Also note that, as a company, we have experience tracking new Apple hardware devices in the past.
1) If this were an iPhone we were looking at, the hardware would tell us when we ask it (via the software). So we can rule out that this is an iPhone. Also, we already see verified iPhone devices testing OS 4.0 and these leave (Apple’s Cupertino, CA) campus, whereas this device does not. This makes sense given the secrecy around the new tablet device as the launch event nears.
2) The apps being tested match up to what the devices is supposed to feature (e.g., news, books, etc.). We cannot share further detail here due to Terms of Service agreements we have with customers that use our service, but feel that if you were able to see the data we see, at the level of granularity, it would be clear to you as well.Of course the truth will be revealed on Wednesday, but we wouldn’t publish such a report without a high level of confidence.
Flurry is not interested in building a business on rumor, but rather authority, credibility and accuracy.
Thanks,
Peter Farago
VP Marketing
Flurry, Inc.
[Flurry]
