:: This blog was written by us for Brand Republic and first appeared on their site
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen an influx of supposedly leaked images leading up to the launch of the new iPhones next week.
The pictures neatly stand up rumours about what models are coming and what they’ll look like.
We now know there’s a new iPhone 5, a gold iPhone and a load of colourful plastic iPhones on the way. We’ve seen the blurry photos all over social media – followed up by the typically vague Apple launch invite.
It’s standard Apple PR. Sit back and massage the rumour mill, then confirm an event last minute. They’ve become the masters of the PR sleight-of-hand; planting and leaking, while appearing to keep schtum.
But are the leaks from Apple getting too blunt and obvious? In the past they were subtle and believable, but now they’re starting to look a bit too considered.
Why did someone snap a pic of just one phone on factory floor? (they must be producing thousands). Aren’t the shots just a bit too blurry? (every modern smartphone has a decent camera these days). Is the timing of the leaks just a bit too convenient? (wouldn’t they be making the phones and packaging a long way in advance?).
You might say: so what? Apple could package up a £50 keyring and people would buy it in their droves.
But the danger is that next week’s event might fall a bit flat, as there appears nothing left to cause surprise. A sort of “launch bingo” as tech journos tick-off the products against their own pre-made checklist.
Perhaps Apple do have something genuinely secret to reveal next week. If not, this could be a launch-by-numbers which is potentially a bit dull.
Surely there are smarter ways to launch a smartphone.