Interesting article on Computerworld about what writer Mike Elgan calls "the golden age of leaks" - leaks in information about unreleased gadgets, that is. Think about it: this blog and hundreds like it exist because of the enormous amount of information flowing (sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not) from manufacturers to the buying public. We take it, parse it, post about it, write our opinions and in general do as much to damage a gadget's reputation as we do push something to the Fore of the public conciousness. Personally, I don't think that's such a bad thing (and neither does Elgan), but any manufacturer who's spent a few million dollars on R & D only to see their gadget fail because plans were released long before the launch date would probably disagree.

After explaining how information leaks occur, Elgin makes an interesting point: the golden age of leaks will end when manufacturers take the lead offered by Apple and start going after those members of the media who publish leaks. However, I think when the golden age does end, it won't mean the end of gadget blogs - as with Apple products now, the rumor mills for hot potential gadgets will be so strong that there will be years of material to come.