EMILY: I'm Emily Dreyfuss.
KARYNE: And I�m Karyne Levy
EMILY: Welcome to Rumor Has It! The show where we round up the week's
biggest tech rumors.
KARYNE: And vote on what sounds legit, and what seems like it'll never
ever happen.
EMILY: And remember: you can vote on all the rumors! Keep your eye out
for the poll in the interactive player, if you're watching on CNET.
KARYNE: First up, The Daily cites two anonymous sources within
Facebook, saying that the social network is on the verge of creating a new
classifieds listing technique, which would let you put ads on specific
friends' newsfeeds; Facebook would charge a fee for some types of ads.
EMILY: The advantage of using this over something like Craigslist is that
this is specific to people you know, or their friends; so if your company is
hiring, or you need a roommate, it might be worth paying for.
KARYNE: When reached for comment, a Facebook rep told CNET,
"Facebook is not working on a product like the one you describe." Of
course, that doesn't mean anything. I think this is a smart move for
Facebook: using word of mouth, essentially, that targets newsfeeds for
specific friends.
EMILY: I find it icky. It suddenly puts us on the same level as the �Get thin
in 2 weeks� ads.
KARYNE: Next, it seems that Apple might be taking a page out of Google's
book. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple quietly started a program
that gives some of the company's employees two weeks to work on
projects that aren't part of their job. It�s supposedly code-named Blue Sky.
This goes against Apple's image as a company with a top-down
management structure. Side projects suggest the move toward a culture
that would foster independent projects that could make their way into
larger products. Just like Google's program, which gave us Gmail and
Google Reader.
EMILY: In a follow-up report, the Journal noted that Blue Sky may not be a
long-term thing, adding that it was tied to Scott Forstall--awkward--Apple's
former senior vice president of software who recently left the company.
EMILY: Hold onto to something steady [Emily grabs the bar, or Karyne] cuz
this next rumor is going to rock your world, if you�re into the over-the-top
superhyped Apple rumor kind of thing.
A Chinese news site is reporting that Apple will drop three brand-spankin'
new products in the first half of next year. And not something boring and
inconsequential like a new AirPort Express, no the site claims we�ll see a
new iPhone, a new iPad, and something called the iTV.
China Times says it has spoken to �industry sources,� and though that
sounds sketchy, China Times was right about the time table for the iPhone
5.
KARYNE: But don�t get too excited -- the new iPhone it�s speaking of is not
the iPhone 6. It�s the iPhone 5S. Ugh. Which means it�ll be the exact same
plus Siri will now sing songs. Or something.
EMILY: Obviously the exciting part of this rumor is about the iTV, but that�s
also the most vague. A couple things it could be: it could be a simple
update to Apple TV, or the set-top DVR cable box we talked about a few
months ago, or it could be the most majestic tech unicorn of them all, an
Apple television set with iTunes and Airplay built in, which we�ve been
hearing rumors of for a year. Who knows. As for the iPhone 5S, I�m gonna
say it being tested early next year is possible, but I wouldn�t think Apple
would ship it until the fall, when iPhone 4S people will be out of their 2-year
contracts.
KARYNE: Right, because the iPhone 4S was announced October 2011, and
that came nearly a year and a half after the 4. Apple would totally disrupt its
own product schedule if this were true -- and people were very upset when
it did that with the iPad 4, so I�d think they�d be loathe to repeat it. Or wait,
who am I kidding? Apple never learns its lessons -- and doesn't care what
we think!
EMILY: What do you guys think? Is the iPhone 5S coming to us in the first
half of next year? What about a new iPad and iTV? Don't forget to vote, or
leave us a comment on the Rumor Has It blog!
KARYNE: We asked the CNET Council about the iPhone 5S release only.
EMILY: And the CNET verdict is a unanimous no -- we even got a hell no.
KARYNE: That�s our show everyone, share your rumors at
rumorhasit@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-750-CNET. And tweet us!
EMILY: Tune in next week for more tech rumors.
