It’s been a few weeks of rumours in Apple land. First, it was the ninja throwing stars that Steve Jobs allegedly tried to take onto his private jet. Then it was the 7-inch iPad. Yesterday Goldman Sachs had came out saying that the iPad 2 will be lighter, have a front facing camera, and some kind of USB port (if that isn’t a dead giveaway that this is pure speculation, well I’ll be jiggered) basing their findings on supply chain checks.
Today it was the rumour that Tim Cook was leaving Apple to take over the recently vacated CEO position at HP. Apple (AAPL) stock price fell over 2 percent in the wake of the rumours, which were not commented on by either Apple or HP, and which analysts were quick to dismiss. Tim Cook is the Chief Operating Officer at Apple, and provided leadership to the company when Steve Jobs had to take a leave of absence due to health reasons. It seems highly unlikely that the number two executive at Apple would jump ship.
When asked about the potential move, BGC Partners analyst Colin Gills was doubtful. “We don’t expect that to happen. Whatever Tim would want to achieve at HP he could achieve at Apple. Steve Jobs will not be CEO forever. He’s on a short list,” Gillis said.
While it’s fun to sit on the sidelines and speculate about things that are happening with our favourite computer company, let’s remember that unfounded rumours do have real effects. With the increased speed at which news can be reported and disseminated to the masses via blogs and twitter in particular, it may be wise to take a deep breath, check around, and see if something is real before posting it or retweeting it.
Caveat emptor.
Article via Reuters.
