October 6 - 5:05pm EDT   Apple is softening its stance when it comes to product leaks, argues Nicholas Ciarelli. The writer, whose Think Secret rumor site was shut down due to an Apple lawsuit, observes that Apple is no longer attacking any and all attempts to reveal company products, as it was infamous for in the past. He notes for instance that although photos of the iPhone 3G and fourth-generation Nano were spread wide and early, many of the sites involved were never even approached by Apple lawyers. [full story]

December 20 - 9:20am EST   An Apple lawsuit has resulted in the shutdown of one of the Mac community's most popular websites. Think Secret, originally started in 1998, was at one point one of the most popular sources for Apple news and rumors, particularly because its author, Nicholas Ciarelli (also known as "Nick dePlume"), was able to uncover otherwise confidential information. It is this that resulted in Apple legal action however, after a 2004 Think Secret report in which Ciarelli revealed iWork and the Mac mini before the company could announce it a month later at Macworld 2005. [full story]