When you think of Apple, what’s one of the first words to come to mind? Rich, sure. Hipster, too. But more important than that is secret. Apple are known for their secrecy above all else. They are the most untrusting, hidden company in the technology industry, if not the world. And the primary reason for this is because Steve Jobs instilled this attitude of keeping everything under wraps until it was completely ready to launch. It built up hype, and created the huge coverage of Apple rumours in the press in the weeks before an announcement. Apple’s secrecy is its biggest strength in a number of ways. Which is there is absolutely no way that they’re releasing a TV, and it also means we can be sure they’ll release a 7 inch iPad.

In Steve Jobs’ biography, a lot of information is revealed. It’s a fascinating book, and well worth a read if you haven’t already. Of particular importance to everyone are two passages. The first is where he discusses how there should only be one screen size of the iPad to avoid fragmentation. In the second he reveals that Apple are working on a TV. Bearing in mind that Apple value secrecy above all else, these passages are complete bogus.

Steve Jobs, the most secretive man in Silicon Valley, was not an idiot. He would never reveal something as crucial as Apple’s product lineup in a book. He wanted Apple to be something that outlived him, and he wouldn’t have jeopardized that. Apple don’t want their competitors to know what they’re working on, because what always happens is that competitors just copy Apple. If the competitors had time to copy Apple before they released their product…it wouldn’t go well for Apple.

These passages are in the book for one reason, as far as I’m concerned. To throw everyone off. With the first passage, Jobs was making competitors think that 7-inch tablets won’t be very big for the foreseeable future. He was converting them to the mindset of ’10 inches is the best size for a tablet’. Meaning that competitors will make more 10-inch tablets, so Apple can then release a hugely successful 7-inch tablet later this year, and then dominate the market once again. So Apple are making a 7-inch tablet, no matter what Jobs said in his biography. And they’ll be making it on Jobs’ wishes (Jobs had a 5 year plan for the company written before he died).

Now, the second passage. A TV? THAT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. Apple don’t make huge pieces of hardware. They never have. But putting that logic aside, there’s another reason why Apple cannot be making a TV. A TV would be a huge product for Apple. It would probably revolutionize the industry. Why the hell would Jobs remove all secrecy surrounding this huge, multi-million dollar product? Because it doesn’t exist. Because he was trying to throw everyone off the trail. I can guarantee you that Samsung, LG, probably even Google, are now putting more time and money into developing smart TVs, to rival the so called iTV. That’s exactly what Jobs wanted. His competitors are going down the wrong path, so Apple can focus on something else, and have complete control over whatever market they’re looking at next. Jobs was throwing everyone off. There will be no Apple TV.

So, there you go. Jobs’ secrecy proves that both these things were in the book to throw everyone off the trail. And it’s working. Jobs lied, and Apple will benefit from it in the long run. As they always do. Because they’re Apple. The richest company in the world. And there is no way that Jobs would do anything to ruin what is going to be an absolutely fantastic legacy.