# Think Secret

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1998–2008 website specializing in Apple Inc. information

Think Secret Type of site News Available in English URL thinksecret.com Launched 1998 Current status Offline

**Think Secret**, founded in 1998, was a web site which specialized in publishing reports and rumors about [Apple Inc.](/source/Apple_Inc.) The name of the site was a play on Apple's one-time advertising slogan, "[Think Different](/source/Think_Different)". Think Secret's archives reached as far back as May 3, 1999. On December 20, 2007, it was announced that the site would eventually shut down as part of a legal settlement.[1] The site officially shut down on February 14, 2008, and now shows the statement "The publication *Think Secret* is no longer in operation." when trying to access it.

## Predicted Mac Mini release

In December 2004, Think Secret published rumors of a [new Mac](/source/Mac_Mini) and a new piece of word-processing software.

## Apple files suit

Apple subsequently sued Think Secret editor "[Nick dePlume](/source/Nick_dePlume)", claiming that the site's reports violated [trade secret](/source/Trade_secret) law. The rumors were confirmed on January 11, 2005, at [Macworld](/source/Macworld_Conference_%26_Expo) in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco%2C_California) when Apple's CEO [Steve Jobs](/source/Steve_Jobs) introduced the [Mac mini](/source/Mac_mini) and the [iWork](/source/IWork) productivity suite.

## Editor identified

Prior to Think Secret's legal troubles, the identity of its editor was unknown outside the Mac journalism community, as he had always written under the pen-name "Nick dePlume". It was later discovered by [bloggers](/source/Blog) at Black Vortex that he was [Nicholas Ciarelli](/source/Nicholas_Ciarelli).[2]

## Suit settled, site to discontinue publishing

The lawsuit with Apple was settled on December 20, 2007. The site said that, "as part of the confidential settlement, no sources were revealed and Think Secret will no longer be published."[3] Think Secret was officially shut down on February 14, 2008,[4] giving a [Forbidden](/source/403_Forbidden) error upon entering the site.

## See also

- [Apple community](/source/Apple_community)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Popular Apple rumor Web site to shut down](https://web.archive.org/web/20080101171350/https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071220/tc_nm/apple_dc), [Yahoo](/source/Yahoo)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-black_vortex_2-0)** ["Haha! Charade you are!"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050411102454/http://www.blackvortex.net/newsread.php?newsid=15). *General News*. Black Vortex. 2005-01-10. Archived from [the original](http://www.blackvortex.net/newsread.php?newsid=15) on 2005-04-11. Retrieved 2006-04-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mcr-settled_3-0)** Kim, Arnold (December 19, 2007). ["ThinkSecret Shuts Down, Settles Apple Lawsuit"](http://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/20/thinksecret-shuts-down-settles-apple-lawsuit/). *macrumors.com*. Retrieved March 14, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mcr-off-line_4-0)** Kim, Arnold (February 15, 2008). ["ThinkSecret.com Now Offline"](http://www.macrumors.com/2008/02/15/thinksecret-com-now-offline/). *macrumors.com*. Retrieved March 14, 2015.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Think Secret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Secret) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Secret?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.