Who Let Tech Secret Out?

Apple is well-known for its ability to hold onto technological secrets, but the legendary computer company is suddenly springing leaks. There have been two major security breaches at Apple within the last two weeks.

And these are not just hints of new products but actual prototypes ending up in the laps of major high-tech publishers such as Gizmodo and Taoviet, a Vietnamese high-tech forum. Photos and a video clip of the next generation iPhone (4G) have suddenly fallen into the wrong hands following the gadget blog and Gizmodo’s purchase of a lost prototype last month. It could be that Apple’s long era of secrecy is finally coming to an end.

Major leaks have been virtually unheard of previously at Apple, founded on April 1, 1976, in Cupertino, Calif., by friends Steve Jobs (left), Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell a computer they built in Jobs' parents' garage. Both Gizmodo and Taoviet purchased complete iPhone (4G) handsets, photographed them, recorded video chips and even dismantled them to understand every last component in the devices.

Leaked iPhones command a hefty price, too. Gizmodo purchased the prized gadget for $5,000 and Taoviet reportedly paid $4,000 for its model. Taoviet is currently under investigation to determine if any international laws were broken.
So the real question is why are these gadgets worth so much? And why are high-tech firms willing to part with thousands of dollars to secure the latest prototypes? The simple answer to this is Web site hits and lots of them!

The word on the street is that Gizmodo’s critique of the iPhone (4G) received more than 10 million hits, not to mention brand recognition from major media businesses. A few thousand dollars is actually a bargain compared to the amount of hype and attention derived from such a find.

Blogs, however, are not to blame. Actually consumers are at fault because we have an insatiable appetite to know the latest and greatest details on product information.

Consumers can purchase stock or hardware in anticipation of a major release. Blogs wouldn’t influence their resources on tracking down products from the likes of Apple, Google, Nokia, HP, and Samsung (among the thousands of high-tech firms) if there wasn’t such a huge demand. Consumers’ lust for information continues to grow daily. The main avenues for fueling this need to know anything and everything are frequent use of Google, Wikipedia, Twitter, and a long list of social and information networks as well as a myriad of Web services.

An information deficit is short-lived these days because of our global connection, which is always on regardless of what electronic device we're using.

When we want to know anything, we do a search on Google to find the answer in minutes or even seconds. With Search Engine Optimization (based upon a host of factors including key words), guess work is cut to a minimum. Further, we can find information away from our home by using our smartphone, and our lust for immediate gratification is satisfied.

A new plethora of “real time” Web startups has precipitated our expectations even more. Twitter and Facebook users know exactly what their friends are doing on an ongoing basis. Internet users can receive information about friends’ exact locations, and others can track credit card purchases or phone numbers in real time.

Those accustomed to such instant gratification feel tortured when they are not continually informed and may not know about a person or event.

It’s not that we have a curiosity. It goes beyond that; many consumers feel they have a right to know confidential information. It’s almost like we blame Apple for teasing the consumer about its strategy, and we “should” know what the computer giant is doing, regardless of competition and security issues.

The Internet has conditioned many consumers and daily users to expect the latest and greatest almost instantly anytime or anywhere.

We believe the lesson from Apple’s security breaches is that U.S. companies need to step up protection for their intellectual and strategic planning intentions. If companies like Apple -- a multinational corporation which creates consumer electronics, computer software, and commercial servers -- are to compete, it is incumbent on management to be more security-oriented, specifically in regard to terrorism and espionage.

To do otherwise, with nothing secret, is to court disaster on many levels.

This post is courtesy of TechMan who writes about trends, issues and ideas affecting business, industry, consumers and technology.