Gizmodo can expect a threatening call from Apple's lawyers. I mean if your personal artifact was stolen and then publicly sold from hand to hand while being documented you would take action also. You can't just knowingly buy/take something that doesn't belong to you and use it make money buy attracting web traffic on a tech site. I would have handed it back and enjoyed the good graces of Apple for life...especially being a reporter of the apple industry.
If you were a half-way credible journalist, you would realize that your primary responsibility is to your readers, not to the people whose products you review.
Despite my intense interest in the iPhone this is not that interesting to me. The iPhone is more mature now, this is more like a iMac refresh than the iPad intro or the iPhone intro in 2007.
It will be interesting to see if this was a dummy case to hold real guts or if it's the real case.
I've never read Gizmodo. Their stunt at CES sabotaging people's presentations was a disgrace. I never got past that.
There will still be some anticipation in the lead up to the new iphone intro, but this tempers it a bit.
It's pretty suspicious to me. Just the fact that there are some breaks in the edge piece towards the bottom suggests to me that it's not a production design. Nothing Apple sells right now that I can think of has such obvious breaks in the perimeter.
I was figuring that Apple would be moving towards a unibody shell with a shape like the iPad.
But other than the breaks in the perimeter, this is exactly what they have done. It's a unibody iPhone.
I agree the breaks look pretty awful, but they are pretty much the only feature that is definitely "non-Appley" and maybe they just have a reason we aren't aware of right now.
Ok some thoughts. Here are the possibilities as I see it.
1. This is a complete fake made in china or elsewhere.
2. This is a fake made by Apple to throw people off or create viral buzz.
3. This is an old prototype (pre-iPhone 3GS) that was stolen months ago or longer from Apple.
4. This is just a shell used to carry the 2010 iPhone internals to test the performance of internals/reception. In this case the materials and general size are close to the real thing but not form factor.
5. This is a close prototype in size & SHAPE & FORM FACTOR & MATERIALS to the 2010 iPhone.
6. This is basically the shipping product.
Ok now what lets address each.
1. Reading the post from Gizmodo seems to discount this. 5% probability
2. This seems risky to me. Why not just send pictures of the thing rather than actually loose one. Plus its risky if people actually like it and its not what ships or is what ships and then the cat is out of the bag. 5% probability
3. If the story is correct this does not seem possible. If this was the case it wouldnt have been running iPhone 4.0 and Apple couldn't have killed it remotely. Though the back story may be a lie. 20% probability
4. This is a real possibility EXCEPT for how polished it does appear to be. Like why stamp iPhone on it if you are just testing the reception? 20% probability
5. This too is a real possibility- especially if the point is to test the feel of the device in the hand over time. 35% probability
6. This is unlikely given the seems in the aluminum rim. 5% probability
So lets assume its 4 or 5. Whats really interesting is who lost this thing. If all that was being tested was reception of the new materials it seems to me its unlikley to be lost. You place a call then have someone drive around the bay area and have a utility that reports cell reception. There would be no actual reason to even have it in the fake case. Plus it seems Apple wouldnt even take that risk and just test the reception in lab.
So that leaves 5. Its in the case for when in public but the person that lost it would also use at home and in private without case. Who would Apple trust to do that. Maybe 10 people at most including the big J. himself. So its possible (and awesome if true) that this was in the wild because a lead Apple person wanted to test the form factor for a while and thats who lost it. Further that could only be a top honcho.
My hope is that the true story is #5 and that the person lost it was Steve himself and that he will tell a funny story about it come June. The real shipping model won't have the seems, big buttons, or edges. The real thing will be another mm thinner. The glass and back case will be like the glass on the iMacs- just laid on the aluminum rim.
Having said that I think #3 is a real possibility if the back story of the thing is actually a lie. I wonder if Gizmodo can look at any of the chips to see if they are dated to see when this thing was royghly made.
At this point, Apple should simply smile, shrug it's shoulders, take the priceless free advertising (millions of hits on that Gizmodo story in a few hours!?), suck it up, and move on.
Anything else would be like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.
I really don't care about whether it was lost or stolen, and don't care about the different shape, I just don't see it authentic that someone gets a product and doesn't turn it on. Doesn't record a video when using this "prototype".
If it wasn't fake, the publishers would be in danger, and they know that, as much as they may know that it's fake, or just one of the many different prototype concept that just doesn't mean anything about the next gen. iPhone. It could even be a prototype for previous gen.
What better way to flush out leaks than to set the bait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by estolinski
I'm calling intentional leak on this one. It seems so orchestrated. And look at all the buzz already; it only benefits Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LouisTheXIV
... Then it was an intentional leak. If that's the process Apple uses, then this iPhone would not be accidentally left in a bar or taken to a BAR in the first place! A BAR! Come on...
Quote:
Originally Posted by g3pro
This is an intentional leak by Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rain
It's a plant.
Now everyone will be watching the next keynote to see. What better marketing tool then a little intrigue. Get the buzz going early... make people hold off on their HTC or any other smartphone purchase. ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasein
... Apple's got some smart, creative talent. After a few beers I assume they'd come up with a sting.. like this. ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Psych_guy
You know, I agree with you. ... info gained from a "lost" prototype? Yes, that's free advertising and it's not from Apple so you can't blame them.
This seems like a popular idea (that Apple intentionally leaked it), but for those arguing this I'd like to see you come up with an example of this happening before. I've been watching Apple since the beginning and I can't think of a time when they intentionally leaked a fake product in order to stir things up or gain free publicity. They just don't do that kind of stuff.
They intentionally leak fake information once in a while to throw people off the track, but not to "gain buzz" or "free publicity" or any of the motives listed above.
A perfect example is this very leak. The only part that came from Apple was the fake pictures from the anonymous guy in Spain claiming it was a Japanese clone. Once Gizmodo outed the thing, they had to try to put the cork back in the bottle, but it didn't work.
*That's* the only kind of disinformation I've ever seen from Apple. They don't need to release fake products at great expense to generate "buzz." They could announce a new type of wooden pencil and get a front page story on Time magazine at the moment, why would they go to all these lengths to generate (fake) buzz? What if people like the supposedly "fake" iPhone better than what they actually release?
Any idea on the Evo 4g release date? Or the Droid Incredible?
This is way too suspicious for it to be happenstance. Apple is obviously reacting to other releases.
I'm glad Apple is at least copying the dual-microphone idea from the nexus one for noise cancellation. It should improve the iPhone call quality significantly.
Man, I have to agree with you- I ink this is one big deliberate leak that has SJ, Ives and everyone laughing their asses off. I think ti is the real phone, and they put it out there because it is so close to the earnings call they cant announce anything, and this is a great way to piss all over the Sprint EVO.
i mean, even I have to admit- I was eyeing the EVO prior to this.
I really don't care about whether it was lost or stolen, and don't care about the different shape, I just don't see it authentic that someone gets a product and doesn't turn it on. Doesn't record a video when using this "prototype".
If it wasn't fake, the publishers would be in danger, and they know that, as much as they may know that it's fake, or just one of the many different prototype concept that just doesn't mean anything about the next gen. iPhone. It could even be a prototype for previous gen.
Because not everyone is a 'gadget geek', and to them it's little more than just another phone.
Ok some thoughts. Here are the possibilities as I see it.
1. This is a complete fake made in china or elsewhere.
2. This is a fake made by Apple to throw people off or create viral buzz.
3. This is an old prototype (pre-iPhone 3GS) that was stolen months ago or longer from Apple.
4. This is just a shell used to carry the 2010 iPhone internals to test the performance of internals/reception. In this case the materials and general size are close to the real thing but not form factor.
5. This is a close prototype in size & SHAPE & FORM FACTOR & MATERIALS to the 2010 iPhone.
6. This is basically the shipping product.
Ok now what lets address each.
1. Reading the post from Gizmodo seems to discount this. 5% probability
2. This seems risky to me. Why not just send pictures of the thing rather than actually loose one. Plus its risky if people actually like it and its not what ships or is what ships and then the cat is out of the bag. 5% probability
3. If the story is correct this does not seem possible. If this was the case it wouldnt have been running iPhone 4.0 and Apple couldn't have killed it remotely. Though the back story may be a lie. 20% probability
4. This is a real possibility EXCEPT for how polished it does appear to be. Like why stamp iPhone on it if you are just testing the reception? 20% probability
5. This too is a real possibility- especially if the point is to test the feel of the device in the hand over time. 35% probability
6. This is unlikely given the seems in the aluminum rim. 5% probability
So lets assume its 4 or 5. Whats really interesting is who lost this thing. If all that was being tested was reception of the new materials it seems to me its unlikley to be lost. You place a call then have someone drive around the bay area and have a utility that reports cell reception. There would be no actual reason to even have it in the fake case. Plus it seems Apple wouldnt even take that risk and just test the reception in lab.
So that leaves 5. Its in the case for when in public but the person that lost it would also use at home and in private without case. Who would Apple trust to do that. Maybe 10 people at most including the big J. himself. So its possible (and awesome if true) that this was in the wild because a lead Apple person wanted to test the form factor for a while and thats who lost it. Further that could only be a top honcho.
My hope is that the true story is #5 and that the person lost it was Steve himself and that he will tell a funny story about it come June. The real shipping model won't have the seems, big buttons, or edges. The real thing will be another mm thinner. The glass and back case will be like the glass on the iMacs- just laid on the aluminum rim.
Having said that I think #3 is a real possibility if the back story of the thing is actually a lie. I wonder if Gizmodo can look at any of the chips to see if they are dated to see when this thing was royghly made.
Well just read the story at Gizmodo. If true I guess my fantasy of Steve loosing the phone is out. Given this new information I will update my prediction and say its #4 with 60% probability (others reduced accordingly.)
Any idea on the Evo 4g release date? Or the Droid Incredible?
This is way too suspicious for it to be happenstance. Apple is obviously reacting to other releases.
I'm glad Apple is at least copying the dual-microphone idea from the nexus one for noise cancellation. It should improve the iPhone call quality significantly.
Copying for Nexus?? How about from Jabra, or any number of other headsets. Or how about from every audio or physics lab around the world that has every done noise reduction on any time-series every. Or how about from the US Navy where this is ancient tech from submarines. This is an implementation/cost issue not a technical one.
That story sounds absolutely phoney and ridiculous.
I can see everyone is getting their story straight for the police though, that absolutely preposterous description of how they obtained the phone is, well ... absolutely preposterous. But it conveniently leaves the person who stole it apparently in the clear (if you believe the absolutely preposterous story that is).
Ok, guys. If you really think it's a fake you really need to logically think about this. Before people would just photoshop a fake iPhone and say it was real. Here we have videos, hi-res photos, even an inside photos of an iPhone.
If you think Apple made this fake iPhone on purpose to get the hype going:
This is not some plastic piece of crap that looks like an iPhone. You can tell that huge amount of work was given to it. Just to fit all components together and build it takes HUGE amount of time, time that Apple would not waste on some "leak."
The only possible situation that can logically follow is that this might be one of the mock-ups of next iPhone. But you must admit it is an iPhone made and designed by Apple.
Christ, the poor guy, that really sucks but it sounds like he was pretty sloppy, as a shareholder I hope this dunce is never trusted with anything like that again, and hopefully Apple tightens up security a bit as a result. This is really embarrassing for Apple. But it's funny - all the buzz this is creating - none of Apples competitors could pay for that kind of buzz. It's a win-win for AAPL, lets just hope it's a one time thing...
I can't blame Denton for paying $10k for this, thats easy math for them, I'm sure it's paid for itself many times over already. That said, I hope Apple throws the book at them, civilly, criminally, with chinese thugs, whatever it takes
I think it was really tasteless and un-newsworthy to post about the guy who lost it is. I have lost respect for Gizmodo over that for sure (not that I had a ton for them - their insight has always been shallow and their stories sensationalist). Purely a trashy, cash chasing blog IMO...
As for the iPhone "HD" or whatever - now I'm really drooling - my cash is already set aside, and I'm counting down the days till July. Beautiful....
Comments
Gizmodo can expect a threatening call from Apple's lawyers. I mean if your personal artifact was stolen and then publicly sold from hand to hand while being documented you would take action also. You can't just knowingly buy/take something that doesn't belong to you and use it make money buy attracting web traffic on a tech site. I would have handed it back and enjoyed the good graces of Apple for life...especially being a reporter of the apple industry.
If you were a half-way credible journalist, you would realize that your primary responsibility is to your readers, not to the people whose products you review.
It will be interesting to see if this was a dummy case to hold real guts or if it's the real case.
I've never read Gizmodo. Their stunt at CES sabotaging people's presentations was a disgrace. I never got past that.
There will still be some anticipation in the lead up to the new iphone intro, but this tempers it a bit.
It's pretty suspicious to me. Just the fact that there are some breaks in the edge piece towards the bottom suggests to me that it's not a production design. Nothing Apple sells right now that I can think of has such obvious breaks in the perimeter.
I was figuring that Apple would be moving towards a unibody shell with a shape like the iPad.
But other than the breaks in the perimeter, this is exactly what they have done. It's a unibody iPhone.
I agree the breaks look pretty awful, but they are pretty much the only feature that is definitely "non-Appley" and maybe they just have a reason we aren't aware of right now.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/...c_apple_iphone
Nick Denton, founder of Gawker Media, said the company paid $5,000 for the phone.
Also, they have a new story up on how the whole saga unfolded:
How Apple Lost the Next iPhone
I've never read Gizmodo. Their stunt at CES sabotaging people's presentations was a disgrace. I never got past that.
There will still be some anticipation in the lead up to the new iphone intro, but this tempers it a bit.
Ya, I remember that! I was actually there and got it on video! Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
...and to think it all (allegedly) started here: http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple...yline=true&s=i
1. This is a complete fake made in china or elsewhere.
2. This is a fake made by Apple to throw people off or create viral buzz.
3. This is an old prototype (pre-iPhone 3GS) that was stolen months ago or longer from Apple.
4. This is just a shell used to carry the 2010 iPhone internals to test the performance of internals/reception. In this case the materials and general size are close to the real thing but not form factor.
5. This is a close prototype in size & SHAPE & FORM FACTOR & MATERIALS to the 2010 iPhone.
6. This is basically the shipping product.
Ok now what lets address each.
1. Reading the post from Gizmodo seems to discount this. 5% probability
2. This seems risky to me. Why not just send pictures of the thing rather than actually loose one. Plus its risky if people actually like it and its not what ships or is what ships and then the cat is out of the bag. 5% probability
3. If the story is correct this does not seem possible. If this was the case it wouldnt have been running iPhone 4.0 and Apple couldn't have killed it remotely. Though the back story may be a lie. 20% probability
4. This is a real possibility EXCEPT for how polished it does appear to be. Like why stamp iPhone on it if you are just testing the reception? 20% probability
5. This too is a real possibility- especially if the point is to test the feel of the device in the hand over time. 35% probability
6. This is unlikely given the seems in the aluminum rim. 5% probability
So lets assume its 4 or 5. Whats really interesting is who lost this thing. If all that was being tested was reception of the new materials it seems to me its unlikley to be lost. You place a call then have someone drive around the bay area and have a utility that reports cell reception. There would be no actual reason to even have it in the fake case. Plus it seems Apple wouldnt even take that risk and just test the reception in lab.
So that leaves 5. Its in the case for when in public but the person that lost it would also use at home and in private without case. Who would Apple trust to do that. Maybe 10 people at most including the big J. himself. So its possible (and awesome if true) that this was in the wild because a lead Apple person wanted to test the form factor for a while and thats who lost it. Further that could only be a top honcho.
My hope is that the true story is #5 and that the person lost it was Steve himself and that he will tell a funny story about it come June. The real shipping model won't have the seems, big buttons, or edges. The real thing will be another mm thinner. The glass and back case will be like the glass on the iMacs- just laid on the aluminum rim.
Having said that I think #3 is a real possibility if the back story of the thing is actually a lie. I wonder if Gizmodo can look at any of the chips to see if they are dated to see when this thing was royghly made.
Anything else would be like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.
If it wasn't fake, the publishers would be in danger, and they know that, as much as they may know that it's fake, or just one of the many different prototype concept that just doesn't mean anything about the next gen. iPhone. It could even be a prototype for previous gen.
What better way to flush out leaks than to set the bait.
I'm calling intentional leak on this one. It seems so orchestrated. And look at all the buzz already; it only benefits Apple.
... Then it was an intentional leak. If that's the process Apple uses, then this iPhone would not be accidentally left in a bar or taken to a BAR in the first place! A BAR! Come on...
This is an intentional leak by Apple.
It's a plant.
Now everyone will be watching the next keynote to see. What better marketing tool then a little intrigue. Get the buzz going early... make people hold off on their HTC or any other smartphone purchase. ...
... Apple's got some smart, creative talent. After a few beers I assume they'd come up with a sting.. like this. ...
You know, I agree with you. ... info gained from a "lost" prototype? Yes, that's free advertising and it's not from Apple so you can't blame them.
This seems like a popular idea (that Apple intentionally leaked it), but for those arguing this I'd like to see you come up with an example of this happening before. I've been watching Apple since the beginning and I can't think of a time when they intentionally leaked a fake product in order to stir things up or gain free publicity. They just don't do that kind of stuff.
They intentionally leak fake information once in a while to throw people off the track, but not to "gain buzz" or "free publicity" or any of the motives listed above.
A perfect example is this very leak. The only part that came from Apple was the fake pictures from the anonymous guy in Spain claiming it was a Japanese clone. Once Gizmodo outed the thing, they had to try to put the cork back in the bottle, but it didn't work.
*That's* the only kind of disinformation I've ever seen from Apple. They don't need to release fake products at great expense to generate "buzz." They could announce a new type of wooden pencil and get a front page story on Time magazine at the moment, why would they go to all these lengths to generate (fake) buzz? What if people like the supposedly "fake" iPhone better than what they actually release?
The whole idea is asinine.
Any idea on the Evo 4g release date? Or the Droid Incredible?
This is way too suspicious for it to be happenstance. Apple is obviously reacting to other releases.
I'm glad Apple is at least copying the dual-microphone idea from the nexus one for noise cancellation. It should improve the iPhone call quality significantly.
Man, I have to agree with you- I ink this is one big deliberate leak that has SJ, Ives and everyone laughing their asses off. I think ti is the real phone, and they put it out there because it is so close to the earnings call they cant announce anything, and this is a great way to piss all over the Sprint EVO.
i mean, even I have to admit- I was eyeing the EVO prior to this.
I really don't care about whether it was lost or stolen, and don't care about the different shape, I just don't see it authentic that someone gets a product and doesn't turn it on. Doesn't record a video when using this "prototype".
If it wasn't fake, the publishers would be in danger, and they know that, as much as they may know that it's fake, or just one of the many different prototype concept that just doesn't mean anything about the next gen. iPhone. It could even be a prototype for previous gen.
Because not everyone is a 'gadget geek', and to them it's little more than just another phone.
Ok some thoughts. Here are the possibilities as I see it.
1. This is a complete fake made in china or elsewhere.
2. This is a fake made by Apple to throw people off or create viral buzz.
3. This is an old prototype (pre-iPhone 3GS) that was stolen months ago or longer from Apple.
4. This is just a shell used to carry the 2010 iPhone internals to test the performance of internals/reception. In this case the materials and general size are close to the real thing but not form factor.
5. This is a close prototype in size & SHAPE & FORM FACTOR & MATERIALS to the 2010 iPhone.
6. This is basically the shipping product.
Ok now what lets address each.
1. Reading the post from Gizmodo seems to discount this. 5% probability
2. This seems risky to me. Why not just send pictures of the thing rather than actually loose one. Plus its risky if people actually like it and its not what ships or is what ships and then the cat is out of the bag. 5% probability
3. If the story is correct this does not seem possible. If this was the case it wouldnt have been running iPhone 4.0 and Apple couldn't have killed it remotely. Though the back story may be a lie. 20% probability
4. This is a real possibility EXCEPT for how polished it does appear to be. Like why stamp iPhone on it if you are just testing the reception? 20% probability
5. This too is a real possibility- especially if the point is to test the feel of the device in the hand over time. 35% probability
6. This is unlikely given the seems in the aluminum rim. 5% probability
So lets assume its 4 or 5. Whats really interesting is who lost this thing. If all that was being tested was reception of the new materials it seems to me its unlikley to be lost. You place a call then have someone drive around the bay area and have a utility that reports cell reception. There would be no actual reason to even have it in the fake case. Plus it seems Apple wouldnt even take that risk and just test the reception in lab.
So that leaves 5. Its in the case for when in public but the person that lost it would also use at home and in private without case. Who would Apple trust to do that. Maybe 10 people at most including the big J. himself. So its possible (and awesome if true) that this was in the wild because a lead Apple person wanted to test the form factor for a while and thats who lost it. Further that could only be a top honcho.
My hope is that the true story is #5 and that the person lost it was Steve himself and that he will tell a funny story about it come June. The real shipping model won't have the seems, big buttons, or edges. The real thing will be another mm thinner. The glass and back case will be like the glass on the iMacs- just laid on the aluminum rim.
Having said that I think #3 is a real possibility if the back story of the thing is actually a lie. I wonder if Gizmodo can look at any of the chips to see if they are dated to see when this thing was royghly made.
Well just read the story at Gizmodo. If true I guess my fantasy of Steve loosing the phone is out. Given this new information I will update my prediction and say its #4 with 60% probability (others reduced accordingly.)
Any idea on the Evo 4g release date? Or the Droid Incredible?
This is way too suspicious for it to be happenstance. Apple is obviously reacting to other releases.
I'm glad Apple is at least copying the dual-microphone idea from the nexus one for noise cancellation. It should improve the iPhone call quality significantly.
Copying for Nexus?? How about from Jabra, or any number of other headsets. Or how about from every audio or physics lab around the world that has every done noise reduction on any time-series every. Or how about from the US Navy where this is ancient tech from submarines. This is an implementation/cost issue not a technical one.
To Gizmodo, That was 10,000 dollars very well spent.
...and to think it all (allegedly) started here: http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple...yline=true&s=i
That story sounds absolutely phoney and ridiculous.
I can see everyone is getting their story straight for the police though, that absolutely preposterous description of how they obtained the phone is, well ... absolutely preposterous. But it conveniently leaves the person who stole it apparently in the clear (if you believe the absolutely preposterous story that is).
1) The device was put into airplane mode before a remote wipe was initiated
2) The SIM was replaced before a remote wipe was initiated
http://www.linkedin.com/in/graypowell
If you think Apple made this fake iPhone on purpose to get the hype going:
This is not some plastic piece of crap that looks like an iPhone. You can tell that huge amount of work was given to it. Just to fit all components together and build it takes HUGE amount of time, time that Apple would not waste on some "leak."
The only possible situation that can logically follow is that this might be one of the mock-ups of next iPhone. But you must admit it is an iPhone made and designed by Apple.
I can't blame Denton for paying $10k for this, thats easy math for them, I'm sure it's paid for itself many times over already. That said, I hope Apple throws the book at them, civilly, criminally, with chinese thugs, whatever it takes
I think it was really tasteless and un-newsworthy to post about the guy who lost it is. I have lost respect for Gizmodo over that for sure (not that I had a ton for them - their insight has always been shallow and their stories sensationalist). Purely a trashy, cash chasing blog IMO...
As for the iPhone "HD" or whatever - now I'm really drooling - my cash is already set aside, and I'm counting down the days till July. Beautiful....
Rob