Did Ultra Secretive Apple Leak New iPhone And iOS 7 Testing To Remind The World It Never Stops Innovating?

By Jimmie Geddes email: j.geddes@mobilenapps.com | Jan 08, 2013 10:08 AM EST

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A few days ago, we were made aware that a new iPhone running iOS 7 was spotted in server logs. Just like you can expect there to be clouds in the sky, you can expect a new iPhone and a new version of iOS from Apple. Is there more to this leak than just a successor to the iPhone 5 and iOS 6? Could it be Apple wants to make sure it keeps the already huge interest it sees whenever there's news of a new Apple device expected, alive? Is it also a message to consumers and competitors that Apple never stops innovating and creating magical devices we'll all want and it's doing it at an impressively faster pace?

I know you're probably reading this and saying Apple does not need to leak things, there is enough interest in "what's next" from Apple. You're 100 percent right, but there is a huge difference between need and want. When Tim Cook did his first ever sit-down interview since becoming CEO of Apple with NBC News' Brian Williams there were some hints at how he plans to always keep Apple relevant. News of an upcoming iPhone is always a sure fire way to keep Apple relevant. Here are some transcripts from the interview.

"And who else would have us believe they intend to be the one company that reverses hundreds of years of business history -- by becoming the one company that never fades away into irrelevance.

BRIAN WILLIAMS:

You realize if you're a company that can keep amazing us, consumers, if you're a company that can stay fresh without an expiration date, you'll be the first company ever to do that. There is a cycle, a circle of life, a life and death. And you're trying to buck that trend.

TIM COOK:

Don't bet against us, Brian. Don't bet against us.

Apple prides itself on being equal parts computer company and religion. Apple fans get whipped up into a stampeding froth with every new product release ... customers famously camp outdoors and then emerge triumphant, emotionally spent. Journalists flock to those dramatic product rollouts -- as if the CEO is going to reveal stone tablets instead of the kind with scratch-proof glass. And the legendary Apple culture of secrecy is designed to keep it that way.

BRIAN WILLIAMS:

Why are you institutionally so secretive? How is it that you know how many times I've listened to Bob Dylan or Kendrick Lamar or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and yet we never get to know anything about you guys?

TIM COOK:

We think that holding our product plans secret is very important because people love surprises."

Ever since the original iPhone was released in 2007 Apple has only released one iPhone model per year. Since Tim Cook became CEO we saw one major shift in Apple's product cycle and it began with the iPad. Apple shocked the world and its competitors by introducing the fourth-generation iPad only six months after releasing the third generation iPad. It was a clear message to consumers and Apple's rivals that Apple will always be innovating and will release successor devices when Apple sees fit, not when the calendar does.

This new iPhone and iOS 7 leak can be viewed as Apple getting the world ready and used to the fact that it doesn't need a year to innovate and release a device that they know we already want before we do. It makes sense for Apple to release more than one iPhone per year at this point; it increases their market share and also adds billions to their earnings. Samsung the current global smartphone leader releases multiple smartphones per year, running multiple operating systems, yet Apple still aggressively competes with them and holds the #2 global smartphone market share while basically only having three models on the market with most of those sales coming from the most recent model. It's an impressive fete when you compare all the different models and OS smartphones Samsung releases compared to Apple's single line.

This article is my opinion that while Apple doesn't need to leak a new iPhone or new version of iOS it may want to in order to remind consumers, rivals, analysts, etc. that while some say you're only as good as your last performance, Apple never takes a break from innovating and performing. Leaks like these from the ultra-secretive Apple are one sure way to tempt us into wanting Apple's next magical device before we even know what it is, but as Apple has always proven we're definitely going to want it.