This is not an argument against freedom of the press. It’s not my intention to say that people shouldn’t be allowed to express their point of view within the normal common sense constraints, such as not defaming someone. What this means is that some go to wacky extremes in order to write something about Apple. Or at least to put Apple in the title even if the content is only superficially related to the content.

So we had a piece a blogger wrote last week, widely quoted, that was so far off base, the mind boggles. As of the last time I checked, the comments section was essentially right on about the problems. Yes, I did add one of my own; I couldn’t resist. In any case, it’s best to look at the silliness since it’ll likely be repeated elsewhere. Indeed, I expect the article’s research was largely limited to some online searches that appear to have produced curious results, without making any effort to validate the material.

I will, therefore, not include the title or the link, except to say that it got a high position in a recent listing from an aggregator of Mac-related content.

The first claim of any significance asserted that Apple would be working to add enterprise support in iOS 9. Take a minute to breathe! As most of you know if you’ve followed the development of business support in Apple’s mobile OS, you’ll see that such capabilities have been included in iOS for several years now, expanding from version to version. Apple continues to report that well over 90% of the Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPhones. So to suggest Apple is somehow lacking in adding enterprise support is downright absurd.

What got me really concerned was the fact that the writer somehow believes that BlackBerry is still a leader in the enterprise market, not being aware, evidently, that the company’s sales have tanked for several years. Market share is in the low single digits. It appears to be only slightly removed from a rounding error.

I’m not suggesting BlackBerry is toast. Perhaps sales of services will count for something, and it does appear hardware sales have stabilized.

But I did feel when I read this material that the article was somehow written several years ago, before the iPhone started to gain traction in the business world. Or perhaps the author was lost in a time warp.

On to another troubling claim, and this one is a doozy.

When I read it, I had to look at the calendar twice to see that I wasn’t living in an alternate reality, because it was asserted that the iPhone 7 has been delayed. Delayed? What iPhone 7? As you know, no such product has been announced, and while there is some speculation Apple might move to a full version number revision for the iPhone this year, that would not be in keeping with the usual release timeframe. How can a product never announced be delayed?

Speculation about the enhancements for the next iPhone include Force Touch, which debuted on the Apple Watch, and is also included on the new MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. In passing, I expect all Mac note-books will have the feature before long, and it may even be included with Apple’s next Magic Trackpad, so iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro users can also share the joy.

The next iPhone should have a faster processor, and perhaps the aluminum casing will be strengthened using technology first developed for the Apple Watch. While the BendGate issue was bogus, meaning the iPhone 6 Plus tests as decently immune from accidental bending, it doesn’t mean Apple wouldn’t want to make it stronger.

None of that is confirmed, and specs won’t be known probably till September, but at least the speculation has a logical basis to it.

But the actual look of the device doesn’t have to change, and even with these features, a better camera and a few other goodies, this fall’s refresh would likely be called iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. One set of rumors adds an iPhone 6c that puts all these goodies in a smaller package with a four-inch screen. It would cater to people who want to save some money and still get the convenience of the smaller form factor.

I realize that tech bloggers and industry analysts want to get in early on guessing what Apple plans for the iPhone this year. But it starts with understanding what has come before, and Apple’s usual approach for such product upgrades. Just taking a few unfounded rumors and repeating them without critical thought or comment just wastes everyone’s time.

When I first read that article, I had to stop a few times not knowing whether to laugh or cry. It was that bad. The same, alas, can be applied to all those “Apple Watch must flop” claims. While I have no idea how well it’ll do after the initial demand is satisfied, suggesting it is destined to fail is downright absurd. At the very least, sales through the first weekend may actually exceed that of all the other smartphones on the market so far. That conclusion is based on what industry analysts, who appear to have a sense of what’s going on, are saying. Sales could stall after that, but it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen, at least this early in the game.

The worst part about this, alas, is that, as quickly as the memories of the article that inspired this column fade, and they probably have for most of you already, there will be other pieces equally as lame.

This article was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2015 at 12:00 AM and is filed under News and tagged with: Apple, BlackBerry, iMac, iOS, iOS 9, Iphone, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, Mac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, Macbook, MacBook Pro with Retina display, Macintosh, Magic Trackpad.