# How does Apple Computer keep product development a secret? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-apple-computer-keep-product-development-a-secret/789634 "2017-06-22T20:16:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-apple-computer-keep-product-development-a-secret/789634/21 "2017-06-24T00:35:05Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > If company A is working on a super-cool new feature, and their competitor company B finds out about it a year before A releases it, that gives B a whole year to work on their own version of the feature, or some other feature or marketing plan to make A’s feature look lame when it’s released. Ah, yes, Ford was pretty successful in keeping the aluminium F150 mostly secret. The GM commercials lampooning the aluminium didn’t surface until after the F150 was released. Given how much we leverage our (mutual) suppliers to provide competitive intelligence, it’s likely that someone at GM knew that Ford was going aluminium-heavy, but it would be hard for them to publically acknowledge it because, hey, trade secrets. I’m not sure how it is in Silicon Valley, but in Detroit, we tend to brag to each other about what we consider inconsequential stuff. Unless we’ve signed an NDA (and seriously, we sometimes do), we’ll try to one-up each other in social situations. “A Ford engineer, FCA engineer, and GM engineer are together on a deck at a dinner party” is not the start of a funny joke in these parts, and chances are any combination of them have worked for the same company in the past. It’s not as interesting as the new iPhone 8, but in the right circles, knowing that someone is using a 2 component adhesive with an all stainless dispensing system leading to increased pre-cure handling stability is quite scandalous news. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-apple-computer-keep-product-development-a-secret/789634.md?page=1)