Court battle gives glimpse into Apple’s core

Struck by a daily onslaught of rumors and speculation about the next iPhone or iPad, Apple always refuses to discuss future product launches. Surprise is an essential ingredient for Apple’s product launches, generating millions of dollars in free press coverage, as testimony from senior Apple executives in the technology group’s court battle in California with its South Korean arch-rival Samsung showed. However, Apple’s battle over intellectual property rights has undermined its arsenal of marketing strategies and reliance on secrecy as evidence obtained and submitted to the public court by Samsung has spoiled some of its plans with the revelation of discussions last year about a smaller iPad.

A San Jose courtroom last week heard detailed testimony from Apple executives who rarely give press interviews, detailing the development and marketing strategies behind the technology industry’s biggest hype machine. The secretive technology group was required to reveal that it spent $535m marketing the iPad and iPhone last year, with the budget for its tablet computer doubling over 2010 to overtake the smartphone’s ad spend, figures it does not usually disclose in financial filings.