The account, known as Analyst941, first gained attention last year when it leaked precise details about the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island. Up until then, the iPhone 14 Pro was rumored to feature two distinct cutouts, but Analyst941 broke the news that Apple intended to visually integrate these two cutouts using software.
Following a period of silence, Analyst941 resurfaced on the MacRumors forums and then on Twitter, leaking alleged details about iOS 17 and watchOS 10 features. Despite the in-depth knowledge of future Apple software releases, which Apple usually keeps under tight wraps, the credibility of Analyst941 was always viewed with skepticism.
Recently, Analyst941 tweeted that Apple was planning on introducing Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to the iPad for the first time, with launches slated for 2024 and 2025 respectively. However, Apple’s official announcement that these apps would be launched on May 23, 2023, a full year earlier than Analyst941’s timeline, raised questions about the account’s reliability. Analyst941 now claims that this discrepancy was part of a “multi-step” sting operation that allowed Apple to identify their informant.
Analyst941 had previously disclosed on Twitter that their source was a sibling working with Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi. In a farewell post on the MacRumors forums, Analyst941 suggested that Apple had planted the 2024 and 2025 timelines with a single employee. When this information surfaced on Twitter via Analyst941, Apple was supposedly able to identify the leaker.
The truth of Analyst941’s claims remains uncertain. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that some of their leaks, such as the redesigned watchOS 10 interface, were independently corroborated, and the account consistently leaked information that could be traced back to software development.
Whether the tale is true or not, it highlights the lengths to which Apple might go in order to protect its internal secrets, especially when it comes to software leaks, which are easier to track and monitor than hardware ones, typically emerging from Apple’s expansive supply chain.
With the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) just around the corner, it won’t be long before the veracity of Analyst941’s leaks is truly put to the test.
