Nick Ciarelli, who formerly ran the Think Secret Website as Nick DePlume, thinks that Apple has thrown in the towel when it comes to fighting leaks. Appleis lawyers have suddenly become silent on the issue, Mr. Ciarelli wrote for the new publication, The Daily Beast on Sunday.

Mr. Ciarelli noticed the trend in his communications with several publishers. Jeremy Horwitz, editor in chief of iLounge, told the author in an email that Apple has changed: "Probably due to the awful PR its prior lawsuits generated, and because cease-and-desist letters only confirm leaks, Apple has wisely stopped going after the people who generate its ibuzz.i"

The author gave examples of Appleis tough approach in the past, including his own unhappy experience of being sued by Apple when he was a freshman in college for leaking details of the Mac mini two weeks before it was released.

Nowadays, the tenor of Apple seems to have changed. "It may have something to do with the fact that Apple leaks have shifted from scrappy fan sites into the mainstream. These days, Mac rumors are regularly published by technology news powerhouses like Engadget, which is owned by AOL, while the spy photos of the new iPod nano this summer were first published on the personal blog of Kevin Rose, the founder of the popular social news web site Digg," Mr. Ciarelli wrote.

The author noted that when Apple threatens its biggest fans, the negative PR tarnishes Appleis brand. Arnold Kim, the owner of MacRumors.com agreed, noting that rumors keep a lot of attention focused on Apple.

"Appleis apparent shift marks the end of a self-defeating war," Mr. Ciarelli concluded. Probably with a sigh and some mixed emotions.