Gizmodo paid $5K for exclusive iPhone 4G prototype [u]

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post




    PS - The real excitement for a forward facing camera should be for Johnny Lee style pseudo 3D head tracking based games. NOT video chat. Video chat is something people use for 5 minutes after they buy a new computer as an "ooh cool! look what I can do now" feature then promptly forget about.



    Not true. I use video chat all the time with my business partners on skype and ichat.





    Anyway, this looks good, however I'll wait for the 4g one, thanks.
  • Reply 22 of 79
    g3prog3pro Posts: 669member
    This is an intentional leak by Apple.
  • Reply 23 of 79
    rainrain Posts: 538member
    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.

    It's in the public's psyche now. Regardless of how Apple spins it.
  • Reply 24 of 79
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,953member
    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.
  • Reply 25 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chris_CA View Post


    If it really was lost then found, nothing was stolen.



    Good but how would one identify the owner in this case?



    The article is pretty much a confession that the Gizmodo folks knew that it was Apple's property when they allegedly paid for it and then dismantled.
  • Reply 26 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    ...Video chat is something people use for 5 minutes after they buy a new computer as an "ooh cool! look what I can do now" feature then promptly forget about.



    Add some cheese to your bologna sandwich. Video chat is an essential daily part of our family and business connections in Taiwan. The same is equally true for many of my Chinese friends/associates. I couldn't cite usage numbers for the broader market, but I suspect Skype could. In any case, enhancing communication is a far greater usage than your impression.
  • Reply 27 of 79
    soskoksoskok Posts: 107member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rain View Post


    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.

    It's in the public's psyche now. Regardless of how Apple spins it.





    I bet SJ will start the key note with "Sure i lost my new 4G iPhone. Shit happens." And take something different from his pocket.
  • Reply 28 of 79
    daseindasein Posts: 139member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rain View Post


    It's a plant.



    I agree:



    (1) It's a spectacularly unappetizing product

    (2) Apple's got some smart, creative talent. After a few beers I assume they'd come up with a sting.. like this.



    Don't know the motive though: cat & mouse or flush
  • Reply 29 of 79
    cowhidecowhide Posts: 49member
    I agree with the person who noticed the Philips head screws. No way would Apple would let people open the iPhone. It is a fake, there are plenty of fake Iphones sold around the world.
  • Reply 30 of 79
    2stepbay2stepbay Posts: 116member
    Hit whores know no bottom when looking for attention. If this is stolen property, Gizmodo and its sleeze owner ought to be held accountable.
  • Reply 31 of 79
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    perhaps stolen

    but the new HTC "droid incredible" was also released today i think

    if that 's the case as a consumer it makes sense to know ASAP which phones

    to choose from

    so it could have been a plant to neutralize the HTC new android phone



    one thing by making it less "rounded" allow a bigger battery yea



    i wonder if many thinking of an android will now wait for june



    knowing that iphone 4.0os can use a BT keyboard and has video chat capability i won't pack my macbook

    my phone becomes MUCH MORE VERSATILE



    still they also need to make mobileme more robust

    better calendar and sync notes from the iphone
  • Reply 32 of 79
    If this is true, then they are rewarding a thief. Not only that, someone is most likely going to lose a job. How hard would it be to hold onto the phone, and wait for the owner to call? Regardless of it's value, it's not yours, and this will eventually come full circle. I hope the money was worth it. Loser.
  • Reply 33 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by initiator View Post


    Seriously? You've got to be kidding.



    There is no way on god's green earth that Apple would leak like this. Apple does NOT leak. I mean, c'mon, they didn't even show ANYTHING about iPhone OS 4, until the big preview event. You really think they are just going to casually let a prototype iPhone fall into the wrong hands? If you truly believe that, you have no clue.



    Sorry but if you believe it was unintentional you need to find a store that sells clues quickly.



    Apple is well known for their security. This was well thought through. I'll stand by that.



    Iphone OS4 was/is not groundbreaking. Too, it was picked apart and written about weeks before its official preview.



    I'm afraid you are mistaken as your whole argument falls apart.
  • Reply 34 of 79
    tribalogicaltribalogical Posts: 1,182member
    What I find slightly suspicious is the lack of any "cease and desists" from Apple so far......



    It means either:



    - Apple leaked it and wants the buzz to build (and get in-the-wild feedback on the new design/changes), or...



    - Someone actually "lost" it and Apple doesn't want to reveal that it's genuine by issuing a cease and desist, or...



    - It's definitely a hoax, and Apple simply isn't vested in it, or...



    - It's a real prototype, but far different than the end-product will be, so they're not jumping on shutting down the rumor-mill...?



    We read that the person who found it "said it was functioning, but that Apple remotely shut it down". So, although it has lots of "real" components, no-one other than the original 'finder' knows if it functions as a real iPhone...? Who "found" it? How trustworthy are they? How do we really know it ever worked at all?



    I'm sure Apple has numerous advanced prototypes of the next-gen iPhone. I admit I'm surprised by the changes in styling.



    The return to the "brick" form, less hand-friendly than the rounded back of the 3GS.



    The new buttons on the side are more Microsoft/mainstream-aesthetics than Apple-aesthetics...





    I think this could be a real prototype, but I will be surprised if this is a final design. There are too many things about it that smack of a "third-party" design involved...



    just my 2-cents
  • Reply 35 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    Ops, I guess someone will not be invited to Apple event in Jun.



    Ha ha, this is probably the most true statement in this thread!
  • Reply 36 of 79
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by estolinski View Post


    I'm calling intentional leak on this one. It seems so orchestrated. And look at all the buzz already; it only benefits Apple.



    You know, I agree with you. I believe the buzz around the iPad could contribute to Apple burnout, if news about the new iPhone was released by Apple itself. But info gained from a "lost" prototype? Yes, that's free advertising and it's not from Apple so you can't blame them.
  • Reply 37 of 79
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    1. Only an executive at Apple would be permitted to carry around a pre-production model.

    2. If such a person had such a device it would work and contain personal data that clearly identified the owner.

    Therefore it can't have come from Cupertino.



    Apple doesn't engage in hardware leaks. They locate and plug internal leaks using nothing more damaging than words.



    China is home to knock-offs of practically every "western" product out there. Some even come from the same factories as the real ones.



    Chinese factories have Apple-like security, but smugglers can be ingenious and determined if western currency or freedom is offered.



    Given the number of Apple components inside it seems to me that Gizmodo got their hands on a prototype illegally smuggled out of China.



    Prototypes rarely match finished products. The case is far too square to be anything but an electronics test bed.
  • Reply 38 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cowhide View Post


    I agree with the person who noticed the Philips head screws. No way would Apple would let people open the iPhone. It is a fake, there are plenty of fake Iphones sold around the world.



    You mean the philips screws like on every 3G and 3Gs? Oh yeah, those philips head screws!!!



    EDIT:not the 1st gen.
  • Reply 39 of 79
    g3prog3pro Posts: 669member
    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.
  • Reply 40 of 79
    Here's the real ipone... I got it in China.. straight from the manufacturer... at least that's that the guy on the street said...



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNy79_3PXCE
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