Rumor Scores

Given the nature of our business, we often have to deal with loose truths, sketchy sources, and unverifiable information. Leaks can come from almost anywhere: supply chains, third-party developers, market analysts, industry insiders, repair shops, and even sources within Apple.

Sometimes, however, some sixteen-year-old kid starts spinning yarns on Twitter, and everybody runs with it...

Call us crazy, but we think that part of our job here at AppleInsider is not just to keep the reader up-to-date with the latest Apple news and rumors but also informed about them. In short, our job is not only telling you when something is true but also telling you when something probably isn't — and we don't work in a vacuum.

So in February of 2023, we're introducing what we're calling Rumor Score, or as we lovingly call it internally, "The BS O'Meter." As we publish leaks and rumors, we will attach a rating to them of how confident we are about them. The ratings range from Likely to B#$&(*it.

Here's how we consider each score:

• Likely: this rumor may as well have come from Apple itself. It is either verifiably true or so realistic that it would be incredibly odd to have it not come to pass, eventually.
• Possible: this rumor lies within the realm of possibility thanks to repeated information provided by multiple reliable sources. Apple is probably working on this internally, at least, and it could come, but the company is known to change its mind and never release something despite working on it.
• Unlikely: this rumor isn't clear enough, doesn't contain enough verifiable or repeated information, or it goes against Apple's usual schedule or product strategy. It could be true, but it won't be upgraded to possible without some kind of concrete information to pin it down.
• B#$&(*it: despite the censored expletive, this doesn't necessarily mean the rumor could never happen, it just doesn't have any grounding in current reality or enough supporting information to back it up. Either the person sharing this has no history, has a history of getting things wrong, or is saying something so outlandish there's no way it could ever happen. Rumors can get upgraded from this level later but could start out life here.

AppleInsider is here to ensure readers get the news they want, but we want to ensure there is more context. This scale doesn't mean we're covering every rumor we come across because there are hundreds of people on Twitter claiming to be leakers these days.

Instead, it means readers should expect AppleInsider to cover a wider range of rumors, especially those that are gaining popularity. If you see something gaining traction across the internet in various websites or forums, remember to come back to AppleInsider and see our score on the matter.