The recent hype over Gizmodo’s photos of what it purports to be the next-generation iPhone appears to hold some weight as apparently Apple’s legal department has requested that the device be returned immediately.
Unfortunately for Apple, Gizmodo has already posted images of the iPhone 4G from every possible angle, detailing the new form, front-facing camera and 80GB of memory – it has even gone as far as to disassemble the device that it says was found on a bar-room floor.
The murkier side of this tale is that Gizmodo is being accused by some of purchasing what it knew to be stolen goods. Tech blogger with Apple connections John Gruber alleges that this was known to many.
“It’s been an open secret to those of us in the racket that Gizmodo purchased this unit about a week ago, from those who claimed to find it,” he said.
“That this belongs to and was made by Apple is almost beyond question at this point. Just how much it looks like what Apple plans to ship this summer, I don’t know. Note that it’s thinner than a 3GS,” he added.
Gizmodo went on to say that it did not know the phone was stolen but not before publishing a letter sent to the site by Apple senior VP and general counsel Bruce Sewell requesting its return.
Well, it looks like the cat is out of the bag but who knows what Apple has in store now that the prototype has been seen? They could always pull a Wolverine and come out later this year with a crappy substitute.
By Marie Boran
Photo: The iPhone 3GS. The purported iPhone 4G is rumoured to be a thinner model
