We need more details about the security fixes Apple is releasing, says regular commentator Bill Thompson.
The computer manufacturer formerly known as "Apple Computer" changed its name to Apple Inc eighteen months ago, reflecting the growing importance to its profitability of consumer gadgets like iPods, shiny toys like iPhones and of course music sales from iTunes.
It was a sensible move, since the real money is no longer in powerful multi-processor servers for high-end graphics, video and music production but in laptops for the Vista-resistant masses, phones to keep workers connected to corporate servers and music devices for the kids.
Being a cool brand really helps in this, of course.
Apple's reputation may be built on high design, functionality and usability, but a big part of its current success comes not from the quality of its products but careful control of all aspects of the message.
New product launches get a lot of press attention partly because they are genuinely newsworthy.
There are very few leaks and those that do occur are stamped on with such legal force that anyone tempted to talk to a journalist will be deterred, while journalists who write things that Apple does not like might find that they do not get as good access in the future.
 |   Building system security is a collaborative activity, and Apple is not currently playing as a member of the team.  Bill Thompson |
Most of the time the lack of advance information doesn't matter, and it provides an entertaining diversion for technology commentators as they try to guess whether the new MacBook will have rounded corners like the Air or come with a non-Intel chipset.
Whether or not the next iPod nano will revert to the stick format from its current fat instantiation is really about as important as the latest celebrity diet or David Beckham's career plans, but it offers some entertainment in the technology pages.
The design and launch of new products is Apple's business, and while I think the paranoid fear of anything that might spoil the next Steve Jobs keynote is a sign of weakness rather than strength it is clearly up to Apple, and the law of commercial confidence is on its side.
BY-BBC NEWS
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