The momemnt such thread come out the "Official" word is bandied around a lot.

In todays world there is no Official word to start the ball rolling. Its these leaks and blogosphere interest which is inddicative of a product's existance. Any company will not say it exists untill they say it exists - so that is a moot point.

But the leaks about a product are always near the official word and herald an official announcement. That the way the market works these days.

So if there is a long period between such initial leaks and the official word - that to all purposes (not "official" purpose) is a delay.