Next iPhone 4G was reportedly lost at a bar in Redwood City and finally came in Gizmodo’s possession. The story behind lost purported iPhone 4G prototype model has completely unraveled now. There are evidences that testify the veracity of next iPhone 4G/HD, how the fairy idevice was lost and how it finally landed up with Gizmodo. The story portrays the whole epic of lost iPhone prototype in timeline capsule.
March 18,2010 According to Gizmodo (
http://gizmodo.com/5520471/the-tale-of-apples-next-iphone), an infamous gadget blog , Apple engineer Gray Powell visited The Gourmet Haus Staudt, a German Beer Garden in Redwood City, California, to celebrate his birthday, just 20 miles from the company’s Infinite Loop headquarters. Powell was carrying with him the next iPhone 4G prototype camouflaged inside an iPhone 3G case. Powell had few shots of German beer and then typed into the next-generation iPhone he was testing on the field and later abandoned the iPhone 4G prototype on bar stool, as he leaves the bar in drunken state
You may be wondering why the Apple engineers had to test prototypes outside company premises. Apple actually creates a number of prototypes of iPhone with different design models and hand over to some Apple employees for testing. The idevice must pass certain tests that would not be possible within the company premises such as antenna changes, called in various circumstances and so forth, in short, tests that require the real simulation in daily life.
March 18, 2010: iPhone 4G prototype was later picked up by a random stranger who asks around, but nobody claims the phone. The stranger believed he had found the iPhone 3GS as it was disguised in an iPhone 3G/3GS like case (Read more on how the iPhone 4G was camouflaged
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/how-next-iphone-4g-hd-prototype-was-camouflaged/2474/). He plays with it for a bit and opened the Facebook app which confirmed that Powell is the owner of the device. The stranger waited for Powell to return and claim the device, but Powell never returned.
March 19, 2010: Next day the anonymous stranger wakes up, and tried to open iPhone in order to contact Gray Powell, but the iPhone had already been remotely wiped via MobileMe service. After careful examination of the device, the stranger realized it was not a normal iPhone. Eventually, He removes the outer shell cover and finds something new – the next Apple iPhone.
March 19, 2010: The stranger attempted to call a lot of Apple numbers to return the device and tried to find someone who can transfer his call to Gray Powell, but was ignored by Apple representatives. No one took him seriously. Finally, he thought to sell it online.
April 12, 2010: Gizmodo hot hold of next iPhone 4G. Even, New York Times reported that Nick Denton, founder of Gawker Media, paid whopping $5,000 for the iPhone 4G to the person.
April 17, 2010: Guys at engadget reportedly found photos of much anticipated next iPhone model (probably iPhone 4G or iPhone HD) sporting higher resolution screen than the current iPhone, a front facing camera, 80GB of storage, running newer version of iPhone OS and more. Engadget only revealed that it was found on the floor of a San Jose bar concealed inside an iPhone 3G case sporting. No further information about the said phone was made public.
March 18, 2010:Applesfera reported that the purported iPhone 4G model images posted by Engadget is actually a Japanese counterfeit iPhone and has posted another image of the same model as a proof.
March 18, 2010: But Engadget turned Applesfera claim upside-down and said that iPhone 4G photos they posted are indeed legitimate and authentic and authenticated by a leaked iPad image (which they got it from one of the source at Apple test Lab, before the iPad Launch) that shows the image of next iPhone 4G/HD. Soon after, Applesfera retracted its claims and said that the images of iPhone published by engadget are not of a Japanese clone.
March 18, 2010: Gizmodo got their hands on the fourth-generation iPhone prototype but unfortunately, was not able to see the phone reportedly running iPhone 4.0 firmware in action, as it appears to have been remotely disabled by Apple. But Gizmodo has exhaustively reviewed its hardware and posted some images and videos of purported iPhone 4G.
March 18, 2010:Daring Fireball’s John Gruber statement further supported the legitimacy of the leaked iPhone images after he dug up a 2006 Apple patent application on a ceramic enclosure for handheld devices and considered the fourth generation iPhone 4G prototype being showcased around the world to be stolen and not a lost device and added that Apple wanted its prototype model back.
April 19, 2010: Gizmodo Editorial Director, Brian Lam received letter from Apple Inc., requesting them (
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/apple-confirms-purported-iphone-4g/2381/) to return their “prototype iPhone 4G” handset. The letter was signed by Bruce Sewell, the Senior Vice President & General Counsel of Apple Inc making truthful testimony of the whole story on the next iPhone prototype in Gizmodo’s possession. According to Apple the iPhone in their possession was not stolen but lost, and requested formally to return back, after providing the coordinates for pickup.
April 20, 2010: Before returning the fairy iDevice to Apple, Gizmodo dissected the next iPhone 4G (
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/next-iphone-4g-hd-dismantled-and-revealed-in-depth/2411/) into pieces to further testify the veracity of the device and to unravel certain interesting facts. Let’s have quick snapshot about the internal components of the next generation leaked iPhone 4G. Despite all these confirmations, the veracity of the iPhone 4G is still questionable. It is being speculated that the fourth generation iPhone scheduled for June Launch will have lots of changes in design as compared to leaked iPhone 4G unit.
April 21, 2010:Apple critic, John Gruber of Daring Fireball revealed that the serial number N90_DVT_GE4X_0493 found on the iPhone 4G prototype by Gizmodo (while dissecting) almost confirms that the said iPhone is very close to what Apple will release it in June. Even iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, confirmed that the purported fourth generation iPhone device appeared to be close to the final shipping version.
April 23, 2010: Galore of problems started for Gizmodo. CNET has reported that the police is investing to understand about how Gizmodo got hold of the prototype iPhone 4G. It is being reported that Apple has spoken to local police about the incident and the investigation is believed to be headed by a computer crime task force led by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office.
What do you think? Is this the frozen design for next generation phone? Will Gizmodo face the legal suit by Apple or will land up in Jail? Now next iPhone 4G being publicly demonstrated (only hardware and external design), will you buy the iPhone 4G? Please share your views and opinions!
