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Apple failed to manage expectations - rumors ran rampant about a new design, larger screen, iPhone 4S and an iPhone 5, LTE/WiMAX...

In the face of all the rumors of possible updates, an S version of what we already had is underwhelming. In the past Apple has done a great job of strategically leaking info to the press when rumors were getting out of hand (iPad 2 Retina Display is a recent example) - that did not happen this time.

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i have a feeling that we've seen a variety of the iterations apple has been working on behind the scenes. apple doesn't like to comment on rumors as it might show their hand. i do think that there is an ipad with double linear resolution and an iphone with a body design/home button/larger screen similar to the rumored iphone 5. i think the disappointment comes from the fact that apples lead times are much, much longer than the year long release cycles. apple's secretiveness helps manage expectations by not promising things that don't ship, but does little to manage the raging speculation that makes a 4S seem downright boring.

Of course what spins in the rumor mill could possibly be indicative of what future iterations of the product could hold. It's a well-documented fact that Apple's product pipeline is planned out for at least the next five years. However, my point lied in the fact that Apple didn't leak anything to quell overzealous rumors (which is customary for them - of course they wouldn't comment on it publicly, but Apple does leak information to journalists to guide speculation and hype).

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