Another Apple Prototype Goes Missing In A Bar

Earnest Cavalli

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Jun 19, 2008
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Another Apple Prototype Goes Missing In A Bar



In what's becoming an annual trend, an Apple employee has yet again left an unreleased Apple handheld in a California watering hole.

As you may recall, a hilariously similar event occurred last April. The then-unreleased iPhone 4 was found in a bar in Redwood City, California, sold to Gizmodo for the princely sum of $5,000, and the gadget site pulled down millions of page views with its exclusive coverage of the phone [http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone].

It also incurred the wrath of Apple's legal team, but the site was eventually cleared in court [http://gizmodo.com/5829554/gizmodo-officially-not-being-charged-in-iphone-4-case], leaving Apple kicking rocks and glumly cursing fate for spoiling its big reveal.

One would think this might dissuade Apple from ever allowing its new gadgets to roam outside of its Cupertino campus, but apparently that's not the case.

CNet reports:

In a bizarre repeat of a high-profile incident last year, an Apple employee once again appears to have lost an unreleased iPhone in a bar, CNET has learned.

The errant iPhone, which went missing in San Francisco's Mission district in late July, sparked a scramble by Apple security to recover the device over the next few days, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

According to CNet, the phone went missing in a Mission District tequila bar called Cava 22. Though the company traced the phone to a home in San Francisco, they were unable to find it at the residence, even after offering the homeowners cash and pleading for the device's return, no questions asked.

The current whereabouts of the gadget, presumed to be the iPhone 5, are still unknown, though Apple and local police continue their search.

I think it would be rather obvious at this point to slam Apple for lax security practices -- you all can likely handle that in the comments -- so instead I would like to again point out the massive traffic generated by Gizmodo's acquisition of the iPhone 4 last April. Admittedly, two California residents are now facing down misdemeanor criminal charges for selling the thing to the Gawker affiliate, but James Chen still scored the biggest story in recent memory.

All without a single disparaging word about Jon Finkel [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112671-An-Apology-to-Jon-Finkel]. Well played.

Source: CNet [http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20099899-37/apple-loses-another-unreleased-iphone-exclusive]

(Image [http://tastetequila.com/2009/round-two-at-cava-22/])

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Tzekelkan

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Dec 27, 2009
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An iDevice leaked so that it generates a lot of traffic and hype for its obviously certain and inexorable annoucement sometime down the line? Again?

How convenient.
 

Jnat

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Feb 1, 2010
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Waaghpowa said:
How did they know it was a prototype? Don't they all look the same?!
I've heard the 5th version is more slim than iphone 4.
 

theheroofaction

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Jan 20, 2011
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Okay people, prototypes and booze do not mix.

If you actually care about the surprise, don't let you employees take your new phone to a bar.
 

Waaghpowa

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Apr 13, 2010
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Jnat said:
Waaghpowa said:
How did they know it was a prototype? Don't they all look the same?!
I've heard the 5th version is more slim than iphone 4.
My facetious comment aside, you're telling me it's going to be the same damn thing as the 4 but a millimeter thinner? (Guessing about the width)
 

James Crook

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Jul 15, 2011
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Waaghpowa said:
Jnat said:
Waaghpowa said:
How did they know it was a prototype? Don't they all look the same?!
I've heard the 5th version is more slim than iphone 4.
My facetious comment aside, you're telling me it's going to be the same damn thing as the 4 but a millimeter thinner? (Guessing about the width)
The only big change is going to be 4G. Nothing else. And no, they're NOT going to finally allow you to transfer files via Bluetooth, and they're still NOT allowing you to video call other phones/computers/tablets that are not made by Apple.
 

theriddlen

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Apr 6, 2010
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*insert GlaDOS slow clap here*

Finding the prototype iPhone - the isn't an app for that.
 

flaviok79

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Feb 22, 2011
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I believe it is all marketing strategy. Free publibity. Come on, guys, if my boss was a control freak like Jobs (I know he is not CEO anymore, but he was untill last week, I would not forget anything, anywhere.
 

Waaghpowa

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Apr 13, 2010
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James Crook said:
Waaghpowa said:
Jnat said:
Waaghpowa said:
How did they know it was a prototype? Don't they all look the same?!
I've heard the 5th version is more slim than iphone 4.
My facetious comment aside, you're telling me it's going to be the same damn thing as the 4 but a millimeter thinner? (Guessing about the width)
The only big change is going to be 4G. Nothing else. And no, they're NOT going to finally allow you to transfer files via Bluetooth, and they're still NOT allowing you to video call other phones/computers/tablets that are not made by Apple.
Is this really a surprise?
 

aashell13

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Jan 31, 2011
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Having this happen once I could believe was an accident. Twice? and in the exact same manner? This has to have been done on purpose.
 

KiloFox

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Aug 16, 2011
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Tzekelkan said:
An iDevice leaked so that it generates a lot of traffic and hype for its obviously certain and inexorable annoucement sometime down the line? Again?

How convenient.
exactly what i'm thinking... a ploy by apple to get free publicity and not have to spend money planning a huge release... or something like that... you'd think after the first time they'd crack down on crap like that so it never happens again. but this, twice in a row, almost identical... seriously... it's like they said "HEY! you that screwed up and got us all that free publicity last time? yeah.... we want you to do it AGAIN"