Photo by CDXNetwork on Flickr. Some rights reserved
Is this the next generation iPhone? Mischievous gadget blog Gizmodo knew the frenzy that would follow the publication of these photos, but the fun is now officially over. Gizmodo says it has now received a letter from Apple's senior vice president and general counsel Bruce Sewell:
"It has come to our attention that Gizmodo is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple. This letter constitutes a formal request that you return the device to Apple. Please let us know where to pick up the unit."
Gizmodo says the iPhone 4G/iPhone HD - take your pick - was left in a German beer garden (we like those details) called Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood. Speculate what you will about this: how convenient this kind of intense interest is for Apple, whether this is a fake, the various ways in which infamously secretive Apple might retaliate against the hapless prototype phone-loser Gray Powell - or, as the well-connected John Gruber says, why Gizmodo paid $5,000 for the phone which was stolen from Apple.
"It is my understanding that Apple considers this unit stolen, not lost. And as for the 'someone(s)' who 'found' it, I believe it is disingenuous for Gizmodo to play coy, as though they don't know who the someones are."
As Charles asked, is Gizmodo guilty of handling stolen goods?
Whether this is the next iPhone due for release is not clear - it may be just one in a series of prototypes. It has a slightly smaller screen, fractionally thinner and 3G lighter, with a front-facing camera and larger battery. Gizmodo had also said it was in case that disguised it as one of the current iPhones, and that they had established it was running the latest OS before someone at Apple remotely triggered the kill switch, wiping all data from the device.
iPhone loser Gray Powell. Photo by Project Cambio on Flickr. Some rights reserved
