I like to think that I never make purchase decisions based on rumors. By now, eveyone buying a new computer or accessory knows that no matter when or what you buy, a cheaper and better product will be announced soon after. As for the need to get proprietary information, well publishing that material is going too far. Going after an individual who signed an NDA has to be a tough decision for a company since it will lose some good will in the process, but only the company can decide on the damage done by such a release. Hinting at new products is a lot different than publishing a detailed confidential feature list.
Lets face it, in the rumor business facts are a lot of trouble.