Alyssa Bereznak, writing for The Ringer:

You’ve definitely heard an Apple rumor before. Like, maybe there won’t be a headphone jack on the next iPhone? Or that iTunes is getting a major overhaul. Or that Craig Federighi has been seen hotboxing Apple cars on Apple’s forthcoming spaceshipesque Cupertino campus. (I made that one up. That’s allowed, you see, because it’s a rumor.) Today, most every media company — from The New York Times to BGR — traffics in leaked information about upcoming Apple products. They come from “unnamed,” “well-placed,” “reliable” sources who are “familiar with the company’s thinking,” or a blurry factory photo of unknown origin. And rest assured, prior to an Apple event, they will hit a fever pitch. Rumors are every bit as important to piquing interest in the company as its Taylor Swift commercials.

A sardonic look at the Apple rumor industry.