How did Apple keep products like the iPhone 6 secret?

The new generation of iPhone 6 is about to be released. As in previous years, spy photos of the new product are circulating everywhere on the Internet. Everyone may be curious about this question: How does Apple keep its products confidential in all aspects of R&D and production? After all, its products involve so many industrial chains and suppliers. Even if the R&D personnel do not leak it, it is difficult for the workers or porters in the outsourced factories to keep it completely secret.

In fact, confidentiality is a deeply rooted part of Apple's corporate culture. As early as 1977, when Apple was still a startup company with only one building, there was a banner in the lounge that read: "Trouble comes from the mouth." Confidentiality runs through all departments of Apple. Employees know that there is a special team closely monitoring their every move at all times, and they will be fired immediately if they make the slightest mistake.

All Apple product models have laser-marked serial numbers that are tracked by a central tracking system. Confidentiality of physical items is a top priority, and models must be locked away when no one is using them. Access to models is often restricted, and the default principle within the company is that colleagues don't know what you're doing.

During the development and testing process, products are codenamed. For example, until two weeks before the release of the CDMA version of iPhone 4, Verizon employees got the iPhone 4 codenamed "Acme" for final testing. In order to prevent the product from accidentally falling into the hands of others, the test product must enter a security code every 12 hours, otherwise the phone will be locked.

Internally, Apple always tries to limit information about new products to as few employees as possible. Your colleagues in other departments will never ask you what you are doing, and everyone's communication usually revolves around private topics or news outside the company. Therefore, this also causes multiple departments to be isolated from each other.

Former Apple employees revealed that plainclothes security personnel often lurk in bars near the company, and Apple employees have been fired for talking too much there. Therefore, a Silicon Valley engineer who regularly plays cards with Apple employees once said that their consistent view is that if Apple employees appear at the card table, the topic of discussion will change because they are all worried about being fired for talking nonsense.

Apple employees also have to keep secrets from their family and friends. A former Apple employee said that although he had worked at Apple for many years, his neighbors did not know what he did inside. "Apple's confidentiality work makes people feel very stressed, like someone is pointing a gun at your head. If you make a mistake, you might get shot."

In addition, Apple employees and their projects are like puzzle pieces, and only the top leaders know the full picture of the puzzle. This reminds people of the spy network planted by the opposition behind enemy lines, where each member will not know information that may incriminate other comrades.

However, as the outsourcing production chain becomes more and more complex, it has become impossible to keep it completely confidential. Currently, the number of people involved in Apple's product outsourcing has exceeded 1 million, and you can't cover everyone's eyes, ears and mouths. Because people can take photos and upload them to the Internet in a few seconds, even if their photography behavior is discovered, it will be too late when the company catches them.

For Apple, there may be no secrets in the future. All it can do is delay leaks so that more people know.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.