Photograph: Apple/Rajesh Pandey/CultOfMac
Apple guards its upcoming merchandise with excessive secrecy. Nonetheless, a significant leak in October 2024 noticed the Russian YouTuber Wylsacom unboxing the M4 MacBook Professional weeks earlier than its official launch.
The identical story now unfolds with the upcoming M5 iPad Professional. Wylsacom unboxed and showcased the machine a number of days in the past, once more weeks earlier than launch. And one other Russian YouTuber did the identical the subsequent day. So how do Russian YouTubers handle to seize unreleased Apple merchandise so early?
Such leaks are uncommon for Apple units
Android units are often those unboxed and leaked on digital camera weeks earlier than launch. Apple merchandise not often slip into the general public eye that early. However final yr’s M4 MacBook Professional and the upcoming M5 iPad Professional stand out as exceptions. Whereas the iPhone 17 lineup additionally leaked closely this yr, nobody unboxed it on digital camera earlier than the official unveiling.
Given Apple’s tight management over its provide chain, final yr’s MacBook Professional and the brand new M5 iPad Professional leak raises some critical questions. Most notably, how did a Russian YouTuber purchase unreleased Apple merchandise so early? One other Russian YouTuber Romancev768 joined the bandwagon yesterday (October 1), publishing an unboxing video of the M5 13-inch iPad Professional.
Including insult to harm: Apple doesn’t promote its merchandise in Russia by official channels. This makes the leaks much more puzzling.
In two of those circumstances, the unboxing video originated from the identical YouTuber: Wylsacom. With over 10 million subscribers, he instructions an enormous following for a Russian creator. That type of attain offers him credibility and affect, opening doorways to gray-market channels and manufacturing unit sources prepared to danger supplying unreleased units.
Leaked units hint again to Vietnam
The MacBook Professional and iPad Professional leaks have one factor in frequent: they have been made in Vietnam. So, it’s probably that insiders at Luxshare or Foxconn funneled unreleased units to Russian YouTubers.
It sometimes takes Apple a number of weeks to formally unveil a tool after mass manufacturing begins. That provides the individual sufficient time to steal a number of models from the manufacturing line and move them to Russian YouTubers or anybody else prepared to pay the value. YouTubers within the U.S. and different areas may keep away from such alternatives, realizing Apple would rapidly take authorized motion towards them.
This additionally explains why the iPhone 17 or iPhone Air didn’t leak on digital camera earlier than their debut. Apple manufactures its iPhones in China and India, not Vietnam. The corporate probably has a tighter grip over its manufacturing line in these international locations to keep away from such leaks.
