Gosh! What a coincidence!! At almost exactly the same instant that Microsoft launched its 
much-gossiped-about Zune media player, word leaked about Apple’s much-more-gossiped-about iPhone.
Since the original Mac rolled out more than 20 years ago, Apple has been masterful at using its base of fervent fans to spread well-timed stories (some of which are actually true) about its products. Typically, word mysteriously leaks to one or two standard media outlets or industry analysts. From there, it takes, oh, about 18 seconds for the story to spread to the dozens of Apple rumor sites. Then, it takes, roughly, another 10 seconds, for the story to spread to the rest of the world. Voila! Instant buzz.
To help get the word out about iPhone and, not coincidentally, to blunt this week’s Zune hype, this sequence of events occurred not once but twice in the last month. First, Forbes carried a story last month saying that an industry analyst heard through his unnamed ultra-secret sources that Apple is likely to unveil a smart phone and a music phone at MacWorld in January. Then, this week, an Asian business publication ran a story saying a Taiwanese vendor has been selected to manufacture a reported 12 million phone/music player devices. Perhaps coincidentally, Forbes was the first to pick up the story in the West. The Apple iPhone vs. Microsoft Zune hype war - Computerworld Blogs