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Apple Loses Another 4th-Gen iPhone 466

An anonymous reader noted that Apple appears to have lost another of its 4th generation iPhones. This doesn't seem like the most efficient distribution mechanism, Steve. Wonder if the SWAT team will get called in.
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Apple Loses Another 4th-Gen iPhone

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  • Part deux (Score:4, Informative)

    by Dan East ( 318230 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @07:55AM (#32181140) Journal

    Looks exactly like the phone Gizmodo got their hands on, except this one has a SIM slot on the right. I tend to believe these are the real deal.

    • Deception (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Dan East ( 318230 )

      Now that I've thought about this more, if Apple were really, REALLY, clever, they would plant fakes - perhaps prototypes, or even specially created units - just to lead everyone off track. The planting of a second unit exactly matching the first would only reinforce the illusion.

      So these are either the real units, or they are a strategic deception by Apple.

    • by Bombcar ( 16057 ) <racbmob AT bombcar DOT com> on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @09:22AM (#32182156) Homepage Journal

      Andre... you've lost another submarine?

  • Wow. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by somersault ( 912633 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @07:56AM (#32181148) Homepage Journal

    After all the fuss with the last one.. you'd really have to be a complete and utter moron to do this. Did Gray ever get fired for loss of the first phone?

  • Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)

    by sheph ( 955019 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @07:57AM (#32181154)
    Couldn't be intentional to drum up interest?
    • Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Pojut ( 1027544 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:01AM (#32181178) Homepage

      I think at this point, it would have to be...years of successfully controlling leaks, and then a prototype for the same product line gets leaked TWICE within weeks of each other? Yeah...I could believe the first one to be an honest mistake, but there is no way this one wasn't planned. /tinfoil hat

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by sctprog ( 240708 )

        You could be right.. but that doesn't really seem to be Apple's way..

        More likely there's an employee in the right place wanting to make a little extra cash.. at least til

      • There's a guy facing serious legal repercussions over the first "leak". He had his house searched and computer equipment seized.

        So if it's not real, they owe him an apology.

      • Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)

        by cowscows ( 103644 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:51AM (#32181724) Journal

        Or maybe with Apple currently being more successful that it's ever been, and the iphone being a hugely popular device right now, the temptation to learn or share privileged information is just well beyond anything that Apple has seen before?

        Apple would have zero problems getting more "legitimate" news coverage if they wanted it. They're always so careful with the aesthetics of their marketing, why would they want to leak grainy photos and poorly lit videos by random people when they could easily get crisp clean front page covers of a dozen different magazines/website? I guess they could be trying some sort of "underground" marketing strategy, but that doesn't make sense for a company where image is very important.

    • by crossmr ( 957846 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:18AM (#32181352) Journal

      speaking of which, what is this i-phone thing anyway?

      • by Aeros ( 668253 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:23AM (#32181400)
        Isnt this just Apples new way of selling iphones for $4000-$5000 a pop?
      • Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)

        by natehoy ( 1608657 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:33AM (#32181506) Journal

        The early prototype for what eventually became the Palm Pre, Blackberry Bold, and Nokia Symbian phones.

        Some people still buy them out of nostalgia for the good old days when you weren't bothered with having to tether, were protected from the confusion of too much choice in applications, didn't have to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries, could concentrate on doing only one thing at a time and your phone supported this by not multitasking, and when "(whatever memory is installed in the phone) is enough for everybody".

        Ah, memories.

        • The early prototype for what eventually became the Palm Pre, Blackberry Bold, and Nokia Symbian phones.

          What are those? Like castrated Nexus Ones or Legends? ... Nexi? Nexuses?

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by DrgnDancer ( 137700 )

          you weren't bothered with having to tether

          iPhones can be tethered without Jail Breaking now. Have been able to for some time.

          were protected from the confusion of too much choice in applications

          Yeah, because the 50,000 or so on the App Store last I checked is a terribly small number and indicates a horrible lack of choice ::Eyeroll::

          didn't have to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries

          I'd grant you that this is a valid point, except it's never been a problem for me. The device lasts all day with heavy use. At the end of the day I can charge it. Under some unusual circumstances I guess I can see this one, but day to day it's hardly a major issue.

          could concentrate on doing only one thing at a time and your phone supported this by not multitasking

          The operating syste

          • Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)

            by gotpoetry ( 1185519 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @09:56AM (#32182514)
            You make valid counter points, but people often adjust thier behavior to the capibilities of a device.

            "Doesn't have multitasking" - I won't listen to Pandora while I read email.

            "No replaceable battery" - I won't use it on the plane to watch that movie, that way I can make sure to call a cab when I land.

            "It can be tethered now" - I have AT&T and they don't allow tethering, but the AT&T 3G network is so crappy I won't even bother.
            • Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Interesting)

              by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @10:56AM (#32183178) Homepage

              "Doesn't have multitasking" - I won't listen to Pandora while I read email.

              Sorry but most smartphones did not do this either. A very VERY small number of people want this. and many that did have it on a WM5 phone hated it as the phone would crawl because of having apps in the background running consuming processing power. My older Nokia smartphones also suffered from multitasking apps. nothing like getting the battery sucked dry and the phone taking 12 seconds to answer a call because of some damn app in the background using up the system resources.

              "No replaceable battery" - I won't use it on the plane to watch that movie, that way I can make sure to call a cab when I land.

              I have never met a person that carries around spare phone batteries. Plus anyone that even had a Palm Treo had the same problem. not easy to replace battery on smartphones has been a theme. Ever try to replace the battery in a Blackjack? the battery door self-welded shut every time you put it back on.

              "It can be tethered now" - I have AT&T and they don't allow tethering, but the AT&T 3G network is so crappy I won't even bother.

              It always was able to tether if you got away from a sociopath carrier. Unlock it to go to t-mobile and you can add a tethering app or more recently use the built in function.

              I have been a smartphone user for over a decade. I have used them all. and I currently have an iPhone because the apps that work with my workflow are on it, I don't have to reboot it weekly, and being a phone is first priority to it. I have never had a call I could not answer because the damned phone was busy... Unlike Windows Mobile phones. or have a phone freak on certain callers... like my Nokia E62 did.

              there are some "neat-o" things I would like to do. Like have the phone report my GPS location every 15 seconds to my server at home. It would be cool to have the house see that I am on my way home and turn the heater on the hot-tub on when I am within a 15 minute distance, or make other decisions when it senses I am on a return path. but I can live without that, or simply grab the phone, fire up the crestron app and press the button myself.

              I also still have not found a single Apple-hater that does not change their mind when I actually show them what I do with my phone that they CANT do with theirs. (lack of "app for that"(tm)(r) on their platform mostly)

              Recently the biggest was sitting at a bar, talking to a client, filling out and sending them an invoice and then processing a credit card payment over the phone right there after they got the invoice. A colleague freaked and instead of doing his typical, frothing at the mouth apple-hate, started asking serious questions about it more.

            • Re:Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)

              by MobileTatsu-NJG ( 946591 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @10:59AM (#32183228)

              You make valid counter points, but people often adjust thier behavior to the capibilities of a device.

              True. But they also sometimes find that reality doesn't live up to theory. I thought copy/paste would be a huge hindrance. I've had it for a while now and used it like... twice. Flash? Thought I wanted it yet don't miss it. There's adjustment and then there's it just not being the bfd that everybody thought it would be. I would think Linux users who are happily away from Windows would understand this.

    • Just a thought. Is water wet? :)

      One of these leaks is "probably" an intentional marketing campaign. Two, in the course of a few short weeks, is falling deeply into "Captain Obvious" territory.

      Stevie loves to be in the headlines, but doesn't have any new ohh shiny to show off right now. These prototypes are cheap advertising.

    • Re:Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Dracker ( 1323355 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:33AM (#32181516)
      Probably not, for two good reasons.

      -Apple has taken legal action against the journalist at Gizmodo reporting on the previous prototype. This would not have happened if the leak was intentional.

      -Apple is not stupid. They know about the Osborne Effect [wikipedia.org] - that releasing too much hype and information on new products causes immediate losses as people who would have bought the current product sit and wait for the new product's release instead.
    • or a decoy to mislead the competition into thinking the next version is just a revision, and the real 4th gen is quite different?
    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by mapkinase ( 958129 )

      This reminds me of a Russian joke:

      - Your honor, the victim accidentally tripped and fell on my knife seven times.

  • Why would anyone, after the last guys house having been searched and property seized, post more pictures of them having taken apart a, from Apple's perspective, STOLEN iPhone?
  • by Threni ( 635302 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @07:58AM (#32181162)

    > This doesn't seem like the most efficient distribution mechanism Steve

    I always had my doubts about the efficiency of Steve as a distribution mechanism.

  • by Rogerborg ( 306625 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @07:59AM (#32181164) Homepage

    I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Apple hardware is being found, in the same way you can find a wallet, if the owner doesn't notice your hand in their pocket.

    • by kannibal_klown ( 531544 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:12AM (#32181288)

      It's hard to do considering these phone are pseudo camouflaged, from my understanding at first glance it looks like an ordinary iPhone.

      It would be like "Finding" a wallet in someone's pocket with something specific inside (like a 2-dollar bill or a Discover credit card). Sure if you check enough wallets I'm sure you'll find them but it would be noticed fairly quickly.

      I imagine the big options are:

      - Intentional leaks by Apple. The most likely in me eyes since it's now twice.

      - *Very* careless employees, perhaps bragging that they have the new 4g (perhaps while intoxicated). Then leaving them behind, or not noticing that the phone disappeared 2 minutes after they bragged about it.

      - An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.

      - Some other sort of coordinated effort with geeks trying to find out which Apple employee might have the phone. Find out where the phones are developed, determine which employees work in fields with access to the iPhones, chat up those 1-2 dozen employees until you find one with the phone.

      • by dintech ( 998802 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:26AM (#32181434)

        ZOMG! There's no way I would buy this phone considering how easy it is to lose. They really need to work on that. /joke

      • - An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.

        I would think that corporate espionage people would not rely on random websites on opening and distributing pictures about the internals

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

          - An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.

          I would think that corporate espionage people would not rely on random websites on opening and distributing pictures about the internals

          Not corporate espionage by competitors, but by journalists.

          Face it - Gizmodo pretty much scooped up a pile of money off their iPhone 4G revea

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        - An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.

        if it was corporate espionage, it'd be locked in a lab somewhere, being dissected by an electron microscope, not on a vietnamese blog.

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward

          if it was corporate espionage, it'd be locked in a lab somewhere, being dissected by an electron microscope, not on a vietnamese blog.

          Get real. Almost all of Apple's product are using standard off the shelf components. How do you think strip down site are able to list costs to build so quickly?

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by Rakishi ( 759894 )

            Except the ipad cpu which was manufactured by apple and is claimed to also be in the new iphone.

      • - Some other sort of coordinated effort with geeks trying to find out which Apple employee might have the phone. Find out where the phones are developed, determine which employees work in fields with access to the iPhones, chat up those 1-2 dozen employees until you find one with the phone.

        Lesson learned: never bring a hot iPhone to a sex-date.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by jeff4747 ( 256583 )

        You are assuming that both events arise from the same source.

        What it appears to me is:
        1) First leak - careless, drunk employee. The timing on that incident is all wrong for a marketing campaign. Too far from the release date, too close to other releases and kills their current iPhone sales for way too long.

        2) Second leak - employee who thought he or she could make a quick $4k, but will now be in deep trouble because the guy who bought it didn't keep his mouth shut.

        Could it be intentional? Probably not.

    • Let see.
      Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around.
      Trie to contact the owner. No luck
      Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
      Sells it to Gizmnodo.
      Gizmodo contacts Apple, Apple says it isn't theirs.
      Gizmodo takes it apart.
      Apple now says it is theirs.
      Gizmodo gives it to them
      Gizmodo gets raided by the police.

      Yeah, it's like finding a wallet, trying to find it's owner then when people say ti isn't there you decided to keep the money. Then you get thrown in jail.

      The only people at fault for anything is Apple.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Duradin ( 1261418 )

        Yeah, 'cause all corporations have perfect and instant total information awareness throughout all levels of employees and branches of their offices so it's totally like dealing directly with a person who lost a wallet (assuming you are asking the right person in the first place).

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        Lets be realistic here. If you're smart enough to know that you're looking at a prototype iPhone, you're smart enough to know that ringing Apple's consumer phone line is not going to get you anywhere and that you should at least call the bar. Of course, you may also be smart enough to only call Apple anyway, so that it looks as if you tried to return the phone, even if you never intended to.

      • Pesky laws ... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Udo Schmitz ( 738216 )

        Let see. Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around. Trie to contact the owner. No luck Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.

        And this is the point where you have to give it to the police. Crazy californians, I know. Surely nowhere else are such crazy laws in place.

        Or are there ...?

      • Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around.
        Trie to contact the owner. No luck
        Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
        Sells it to Gizmnodo.

        Step 2 is where it started to go wrong, step 4 is where it actually gets illegal. I think the whole thing was an organised leak but lets assume I accept your assertion at face value...

        Step two should have been:
        "Dropped it off at police station."

        In Australia, our laws require this. If no one claims it within a reasonable amount of time the object is

  • by kylant ( 527449 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:07AM (#32181250)
    The iPhone-liberators have certainly learnt from the past:
    Instead of exposing themselves to corporate controlled police action again they decided to export the phone to a free country before publishing their victory.

    Wait, there is something seriously wrong about this...

  • shame on Gray .... Second time, Shame on Apple...
  • by Errol backfiring ( 1280012 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:12AM (#32181298) Journal
    Like one that yells "Hey, don't leave me!" every two minutes.
  • Every Apple product since the 1st gen iPod has been leaked. Why is this being reported?

    By the way, The Reg reports that it runs on the same A4 1GHz processor as the iPad does. They have pictures, too.
    • by Tim C ( 15259 )

      Because Slashdot is in love with Apple. In fact, if I were feeling particularly cynical and suspicious, I'd wonder who that "anonymous reader" is, and if in fact the notes had pictures of dead presidents on them...

  • Great (Score:5, Funny)

    by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:13AM (#32181306)
    Well, looks like our boys are going back to Vietnam.
  • I know it's a stretch, but does anyone else think these are, if not leaked by Apple directly, overlooked by the people who are there to keep things under wraps. It's far fetched but I think it could be related to that this new iPhone, while very nice, isn't all that "special" like iPhones were 3 or so years ago. Spec-wise it's pretty much on par with existing Android sets out in the field, without even thinking about the ones down the line.

    Not that it isn't going to sell a billion of them simply becaus
    • How many iphones do you think Apple has sold on the basis of tech specs? The only spec that 95% of the people who have bought them so far cared about is that it has a big screen. None of the other numbers matter to the average person.

  • by noonc ( 1458131 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:17AM (#32181344)
    I personally can't stand it anymore, I wish people would just stop reporting such thing when it's obviously going to benefit their guerilla marketing strategy. Then again, do whatever you want. I'll try to find a way to get rid of the Apple category in my browser on here for good... G5 and that was the end.
  • and do a full technical bust-open of the unit before FedExing back to Apple to show they returned it in a reasonable time?

  • by Chrisq ( 894406 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:19AM (#32181366)
    Lost your phone? We've got an app for that .... wait damn it's in flash.
  • To lose one 4G iPhone, Mr. Jobs, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two looks like carelessness.
  • by tekrat ( 242117 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:37AM (#32181548) Homepage Journal

    And a full apology from the Storm Troopers?

    At this point, it's pretty clear that NOTHING WAS STOLEN, clearly, Apple is intentionally "losing" these phones to continue to generate buzz. So unless Jason Chen was part of the viral marketing campaign (if so, I hope he's being paid real well to have his door kicked in), I think the California Police Department of Overreaction owes this guy some crow-eating.

    Apple is the guilty party, and you can't be in possetion of stolen property if it was intentionally "lost" by the rightful owner. That's called a "free sample". And if the Police State we live in can't tell the difference anymore, then companies shouldn't be allowed to viral market.

  • Fake screen? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by marciot ( 598356 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:38AM (#32181566)

    Why does this phone appear to have a fake, non-functional screen? Looks like one of those cardboard computers you see in furniture stores.

  • I doubt it myself but it is generating quite a bit of interweb buzz around the new phone.

    I think it is an appropriate time to misquote Oscar Wilde:
    "To lose one phone, Mr. Jobs, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness."

  • by mdm-adph ( 1030332 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:41AM (#32181602)

    The last one happened right in time for the release of the HTC Incredible -- I wonder if this "leak" has anything to do with yesterday's story about Android sales overtaking the iPhone [gizmodo.com]...

  • What's the deal with this phone. It sort of looked like it was powered up but it didn't act like it. I mean, if this were a real iPhone wouldn't we expect to see some GUI action or something more happening on the display? Looks more like a mockup to me...
  • by Hasai ( 131313 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @08:52AM (#32181732)

    “...are you saying that you've lost another nuclear submarine?”

    ];)

  • by ad454 ( 325846 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @09:14AM (#32182012) Journal

    The last time, despite having it in their hands, Gizmodo was not able to get the specific resolution of the iPhone 4G prototype display. As an iPhone developer, it would be nice to have a heads up about the new resolution, so we can modify our current and future apps to support it.

    My wish would be to have it match the iPad's XGA (1024x768) resolution, so that it can run iPad apps, but I doubt it in the iPhone's form factor. The 960x640 resolution suggested would also be unlikely, since there aren't really any off-the-shelf LCD's with that native resolution. My bet would be something like 800x480, like the HTC HD2 phone, since there are already existing LCD's that support it.

  • by Duradin ( 1261418 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2010 @09:35AM (#32182298)

    I wonder if Taco is still bitter about how "Less space than a Nomad. No wireless. Lame." turned out for him.

    My vote is that yes, yes he is.

    Apple doesn't get to call out SWAT. The Cops use SWAT for everything these days. Apple wouldn't need SWAT anyways as they have their Black Turtleneck Ninja Corps.

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