• Apple leaks have shifted from scrappy fan sites into the mainstream. Mac rumors are regularly published by Engadget, owned by AOL. Perhaps Apple is now seeking to avoid legal fisticuffs with more established companies.
• Apple's legal efforts to identify leakers have been entirely fruitless. And as Apple expands its roster of partners—the iPhone will be sold in 70 countries by the end of the year—the number of people possessing information about future products will increase.
• Strong-arming fan sites into removing their reports only serves to confirm those reports. Few were following Think Secret's story about the Mac mini until Apple sued us, propelling the leak into the pages of The New York Times.
• Negative PR ultimately tarnishes Apple's brand when it threatens, subpoenas, and sues sites run by some of its biggest fans.

(Photo by AP/Steven Senne)

Mac fanatics don't let you walk away from the life of Apple rumors easily — like a gang, you're expected to be in it for life. But let's be honest: Think Secret hasn't been the same since Apple threatened the blog three years ago. The rumors haven't been as sharp, and the competition now comes from professional publications and Wall Street stock analysts, all of whom have come to see the Mac rumor mill as a value generator, not a fun hobby. As a 13 year old compiling rumors under the alias Nick de Plume from his parents' home, Ciarelli was living his dream. In the passing years, I suspect Ciarelli's dream turned into a nightmare.

As a Harvard senior and an editor at the Crimson, Ciarelli must realize it's time to grow up and begin what is surely a promising professional career. He can add to his resume a successful defense of his sources against a big, bad corporation — a feather in de Plume's cap as he enters the job market. Is Think Secret's demise a crying shame, a travesty, an offense against the First Amendment? No. It's just about time.