Skip to main content

Debunked: Apple is not acquiring Loewe, Foxconn CEO denies iTV rumors, Digitimes is ‘wrong most of the time’

[tweet https://twitter.com/#!/up2secapple/status/202068480105775105]

Update May 16, 2012: German publication Handelsblatt (via Bloomberg) quoted Chief Executive Officer Oliver Seidl of German TV manufacturer Loewe as saying the company has had “no contact” with Apple regarding an acquisition.

Less than a month after posting a false claim about Apple’s CEO Tim Cook visiting the Valve HQ, ole’ Danny Dilger claimed this weekend that Apple is moving to acquire a German TV manufacturer called “Loewe.” Again, we did not run with the story, because we preferred to mock it instead via Twitter. Not only has that story been debunked, but more allegations about Foxconn’s CEO Terry Gou having confirmed an Apple television are now being denied by the company. Oh, and Digitimes’ track record…

Just as Valve’s CEO debunked the previous claim, Loewe’s told German newspaper Hesse (via TNW) that “there was nothing to the rumor.”

Some originally even made connections between the Loewe’s rumor and recent reports from China Daily that quoted Foxconn’s CEO Terry Gou as claiming the company is preparing for an Apple television. As expected, Foxconn now confirmed to TNW that Gou “neither [confirmed] nor [speculated] about Foxconn’s involvement in the production of any product.”

It makes sense, as Fortune’s Philip Elmer-Dewitt pointed out, reports from Bloomberg, Reuters, and Associated Press all seemed to miss the quote. Even with denial from the companies, that is not stopping Loewe’s stock price from going crazy as markets open in Germany this morning.

As noted by PaidContent, Loewe’s stock price skyrocketed by a whopping 25-percent this morning on rumors of being acquired by Apple. At closing bell on Friday, Loewe’s market cap sat at €59.1 million. However, fast forward to this morning: It has increased by over €18 million to a cool €77 million. That is after Loewe’s PR denied any rumors of an acquisition and with the European market being slammed this morning.

In other debunking news, TIME’s Harry McCracken today put Taipei-based Digitimes under the microscope; when it comes to its Apple rumor track record, the publication is “wrong most of the time.” The result of the report, which breaks down the accuracy of some of the website’s biggest past claims, is that “Digitimes rarely does anything other than to simply pass along gossip it’s heard.” You can read the full breakdown here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.