What you need to know
- Apple is clamping down on leaks in China.
- It has warned leakers that sharing information about unreleased products could mislead accessory makers.
- Apple claims that manufacturers could make cases and other accessories that are not compatible with unreleased products.
Apple has told leakers in China that sharing information about unreleased products could lead to accessory makers creating products that aren't compatible with unreleased products like the iPhone 13.
The report follows news yesterday that Apple had sent a cease and desist letter to leakers in China over prototype iPhone models, demanding that they give up information about their sources.
In a new report from Vice today more details have been shared:
Apple warned a Chinese citizen to stop advertising leaked or stolen iPhone prototypes on social media, arguing that their posts could lead other companies to make cases that are the wrong size, according to a cease and desist letter obtained by Motherboard. The company argued that advertising prototypes of "rumored" or "unreleased" Apple products will harm consumers because when the products actually get released, they won't surprise the public, which the letter says is part of the company's "DNA." Moreover, the letter read, "third-party accessory manufacturers may develop and sell mobile phone cases and other accessories that are not actually compatible with the unreleased products."
The letter reportedly further states that such situations "harm the interests of consumers and Apple" and that keeping information about upcoming Apple products confidential had "actual and potential commercial value".
Yesterday it was reported that in the same letter Apple had demanded that someone advertising the sale of an iPhone prototype cease doing so, and requested a list of anyone who had provided leaked devices.
The idea of manufacturers anticipating launches is not new, as we often see accessory makers debut cases in advance of rumored product releases that can sometimes be used to glean information about upcoming releases. Apple leaker Jon Prosser has also admitted in his videos that he is contacted by accessory makers asking for information about upcoming devices, as was the case with Apple's AirTag.
