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The Apple 4G iPhone Prototype is Probably a Head Fake
Young Urban Professional
Image above via Gizmodo
Right now the web is abuzz with commentary about a seemingly real next generation iPhone that was found in a bar. Gizmodo has the details. I don't doubt its authenticity or Gizmodo's reporting work here, but I believe the entire episode could be either a deliberate or somewhat hopeful plant by Apple designed to throw us off the trail of the real thing. I don't have evidence. I am just connecting some dots.
First, some background. Apple is the last company that I am aware of that thrives under command and control PR. Practically every other institution has been forced in this age to open up and become more transparent and collaborative (much to their benefit) - even entire governments. Apple meanwhile has thrived by maintaining precise control over the news flow and holding everything back for the "big reveal" when Steve controls the show. That's the Steve Jobs way - manage the entire "end to end" ecosystem, including the App Store and PR. And it's worked.
This was very easy before. Now, however, as Apple grows and there's more attention focused on the company, this is getting harder in an era where transparency and openness are the new defaults. So Apple needs to get creative.
It's been reported that Apple allegedly has teams in the company working on prototypes that will never see the light of day. It does so, it's been said, to maintain secrecy and to occasionally throw people off the trail. That's what I think is happening here.
If that's not enough, consider this - Apple appears to strive to maintain the news flow after a product is announced yet before it's available. After the iPad was revealed, it's been reported that Apple kept the few that were in the wild chained down to special tables. So this isn't a company that lets important unreleased devices anywhere near the wild... unless, that is, they want someone to find it.
So, to sum up, here's my analysis. I believe Apple made this device. It seems very authentic and Gizmodo has done a great reporting job. However, more importantly I believe this is probably a false prototype that someone from Apple either left in the bar intentionally or with an individual who they thought might do so for reasons only they know.
We'll find out for sure probably this summer, but that's my educated guess as a continuous student of PR.
LATER:: Gizmodo now has more on the person who lost the phone. However, I wonder if he had the real next-gen iPhone or just one that Apple was comoftable seeing leave its campus for a reason.
Reader Comments (26)
Agreed. Apple isn't happy when not in the headlines. This cuts off HTC Incredible news, just where Steve wants them to be.
If that's true, Apple should mind about overexposure. To many Apple in the news. It could be dangerous.
Agreed, I also think it might be a clever way to gauge reaction. It's a pretty large departure from previous design (seams, front facing camera, multiple volume buttons, brick-like/Zune-like design).
Apple iPhone 4 "find" has to be a fake! This whole "found in a bar" line makes me laugh! C'mon, this is waaaay too sophmoric for Apple to do... Don't fall for it - this can't beat real production prototype from Apple (might be a pretty good fake and a juicy link-bait story though!)
I highly doubt Apple intentionally left a prototype next-gen iPhone in a bar as this will likely prevent consumers from buying iPhones for the next 2.5 months which will jeopardize both revenue and EPS estimates for the segment in the quarter. Even given that most users may defer purchase until the release, there is risk associated with the time value of money that sophisticated companies like Apple do not take lightly.
Well, now according to Gizmodo, this iPhone 4 is a REAL prototype - OMG that is EPIC #FAIL
I'd say your educated guess is wrong. I have no idea if this is the actual finished new iphone, but I don't believe this is apple controlling anything. I believe it somehow got out and they're not happy about it. Two reasons.1. occam's razor: never knew you were a conspiracy theorist.2. gruber thinks it's real. I think he knows a little more about apple than you do steve.I guess we'll see.
Rainbaby, Gruber is wiser than me for sure. I think it's real. However, I just don't think it's what Apple will ship in June. Maybe I am wrong.
if u believe on this, u r defenety an asshole
I hope this is the real thing, because I like this design.
The usual suspects Steve - Tuaw, Gruber, Gizmodo, Steve Jobs - hmmmm Like Apple doesnt have GPS and couldn't track it down + coincidence that this came out the pre-order Droid D-Day? Would Apple trust a 27 year old with the next biggest secret? Hmmm... I don't deny that there is a prototype, but the strategy is certainly debatable..
I couldn't agree more. I just don't see the possibility of an employee roaming around in the real world with a prototype device. I'm with Steve, though - I could be wrong.
I think this was a way Apple could get the design criticised publicly to see what was liked and what was disliked by the people. Maybe or maybe not, I don't know - Anyone else agree?
@Projectile - absolutely one of a few reasons Apple might do thisMisterCharisma seems to agree too. :)
I agree with the article. This device and its design is too "everything else" to come from Apple. However, the early feedback about the device will most likely tend to confirm that Apple's a leader in style and niche-products - which this device does not portray in my opinion. Apple have never played or competed with the top producers of electronic devices. They just do what they do and sometimes win - sometimes lose.Much like Bang & Olufsen is never talk of the town...Steve Jobs doesn't exhibit at the mobile world congress... he makes his own. Apple's "fair day" receives as much attention as the rest do together.I think everyone at Apple's sitting at a table reading these stories, with beer in hand and having a good laugh. They want people to discover this to be a scam. And the employee didn't get fired because he's sitting there with them - drinking beer again.There's nothing better than seeing the entire mobile phone media going crazy over this news - like throwing a piece of bread into a pond of 4 dozen carps. I'm convinced this is all setup; I'm actually wanting this to be a scam, it's simply too funny!
This is clearly a PR STUNT, after reading this story a couple Of times I noticed so many things that makes this Bar Story NOT CREDIBLE, 1) If the iPhone had mobile me, why they didn't track it instead of killing it. We all ready know what the next iPhone 4.0 is. So by killing the iPhone instead of, Tracking it makes no sense. We already know of a couple of people that lost their iPhone and they TRACK their iPhone in cooperation of the police at times and some had their phone back whithin minutes or hours.And whoever lost it would rather spend the rest of the night looking for that iPhone , knowing that if they did not find it , they could have a real bad day at Apple.2) The Guy that found the iPhone play with it for a couple of minutes...........???????????How many of us have a passcode on the iPhone?????????? And you are going to tell me that this Ultra TOP SECRET iPhone, that most likely had the iPhone Configutation Utility on it, DID NOT HAD A PASSCODE ON IT.????My iPhone has an alphanumeric passcode. 3) How many times have you seen a leaked photo of an iPhone? and doesn't apple sends letters of C&D whithin hours of that. But since we already know that. They try to play different game now. SO FOR ME THIS WAS A PR STUNT. They wanted us to have a peek, and get some feed back. Many of you may ask How can they get feed back??? Well just by looking at all those polls made by different websites.
I'm praying you're right, cuz this prototype is WAY too ugly for the likes of apple!
@travistolman haha nice comment!
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Gizmodo make a golden deal apple4g for 10000$ only but i thank this is not fake iphone
Steve, I'm with you ... i think this was all a little too convenient. Sure I'd like to believe that we are seeing a next generation iphone, but come on, for a company that keeps tight control of their PR this is to big of a faux pas.
Wow indeed it is a very plausible explaination. Wow Apple is really nuts having team working on dummy projet to keep the secret inside the compagny. Is it me or does that seem a little to much "Cold war" like.
Apple is the Willy Wonka of Technology
We shall see what comes of this.Either way, Gizmodo's conduct was totally unacceptable. I wish I could say that I had lost some respect for them, but the truth is that I have none - I completely hate Gizmodo. Their opinionated, poorly thought out trash that frequently doubles back on itself really irritates me. They are also one of the few tech "magazines", either online or in print, that fully indulges in nearly tabloid-level sensationalism.I think this story is 50% likely, and we shall all never know. Apple is a company that I would not be surprised to see change a design radically, just because a soon-to-be-released prototype got into the wild and was inspected.It is "comfortable", not "comoftable" as you wrote it.
I thought it was possible it was a ploy at first, but that really seems improbable. This phone is literally everything people thought it was going to be. If this is a head fake, the real iPhone 4.0 is going to make people faint.