Apple’s October leaks raise an awkward question

• Photo courtesy of macrumors

Apple has not announced its expected October products yet, but the company may have already shown some of them itself.

Images of the next iPad mini, HomePod mini 2 and fourth-generation Apple TV 4K were reportedly discovered inside Apple’s own code by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

These are not the usual blurry photos supposedly taken somewhere along Apple’s supply chain. These appear to be actual Apple product assets, complete with images and identifiers for products the company has not officially announced, and that makes this leak more interesting.

The new iPad mini reportedly carries an A20 Pro chip and changes to its camera and speaker configuration. The HomePod mini 2 appears in five colors, while another image specifically identifies an “Apple TV 4K (4th generation).” Apple is widely expected to unveil new hardware in October, making the timing even more curious.

So was this really an accident? Apple practically wrote the book on product secrecy, controlling information surrounding new devices so tightly that leaks themselves become global technology news.

There is no evidence that Apple intentionally planted these images. But if this was deliberate, it is a very effective way of creating buzz before an announcement without Apple actually announcing anything.

If it was not deliberate, however, Apple has a different problem. This is not about hackers breaking into Apple because the files reportedly came from Apple’s own software and code. That means unreleased product information apparently passed through Apple’s internal controls and ended up somewhere outsiders could find it.

It is also not the first time. Apple code reportedly exposed references to more than 10 unreleased products in August, adding to questions about how confidential product information is being handled inside the company.

One accidental reference can happen. But multiple unreleased products, product identifiers and actual images appearing in Apple’s own code start raising questions about whether this is a deliberate tease or a weakness in Apple’s information security controls.

Either Apple is getting very good at leaking its own products or somebody inside Apple needs to take another look at its information security controls.