Unnamed sources. Hushed whispers in a hall that develop into Internet screams. Leaked information. Leaked photos. All of these things have turned the Internet into one of the best places to be during certain points of the year. Usually, a few weeks or months before an expected release of a high-end device, or even the software set to run on it, the Internet is loaded with information from unnamed sources and pretty much everyone in between.

There are some ridiculous leaks, and then there are leaks that seem about as genuine as the latest footage of Bigfoot traipsing around a forested area. The ridiculous leaks are the ones that come closer to launch, the ones that look like they came right out of the room behind the stage, just before announcement. Those are the leaks that are worthwhile, but not necessarily from the perspective of the consumer.

Personally, I think the leaks are only really intriguing for those who write about them. There’s a certain thrill about breaking a story, especially when it’s genuine. For a consumer, though, leaks just ruin the surprise.

And you still like being surprised, right?

That surprise is why, “One more thing,” became so popular during a certain company’s events. The surprise is what keeps us guessing, and keeps us interested in the next big thing. If company’s weren’t interested in surprising us, the events wouldn’t be necessary. And we all know they love their events.

Which is why I have to wonder: do you even care about leaked information or photos? More to the point, do you care about the leaked photos that are so blurry, it could be literally anything pictured? (Like Bigfoot.) Or what about the information that is completely outlandish, and comes from sources that are unnamed and only reachable by certain people.

I actually can’t bash unnamed sources. Our job is filled with them. Some people know things and sometimes they like to say those things out loud, but more often than not they can’t be named or they’ll lose their position. And that would mean they’d lose a job, and we’d lose future information. Lose-lose situation right there.

But you get the point. Even the photos are unsubstantiated. The really blurry ones, or the ones that have no details at all, are just laughable at best. They’re not even worth the effort, I don’t think. All they do is get people to joke about how that can’t possibly be what it’s supposed to be.

The leaks that are this far out don’t actually do anything to support what we believe these devices will have, more often than not. The leaks around now just drive traffic, and while that’s not a bad thing, you see where the problem is.

Leaks ruin the surprise, and that’s what it comes down to. At least, they do for me. Where do you stand on leaks? Do you look for them every day, and hope to catch what the next big device’s corner will look like, during production? Or do you skip them, all in hopes of being surprise at the grand reveal? Let me know.