Apple is yet again involved in another debacle, when an alleged employee lost a supposed iPhone 5 prototype in a San Francisco bar.
Way back in July, 9to5mac received a photo of an Apple employee on his commute to work, holding what is thought to be an iPhone 5.
Months later, CNET revealed that an iPhone prototype was lost at a Mexican restaurant and bar called Cava 22. The prototype is said to be of the iPhone 5. The days after saw desperation in part of Apple to get the phone, which was allegedly being sold on craigslist for 200 bucks at the time. CNET reported that the lost phone “sparked a scramble by Apple security to recover the device over the next few days”.
Apple then got the San Francisco PD involved, telling them that the phone was “priceless” and they were desperate on getting it back.
CNET updated with another twist in the plot:
Apple electronically traced the phone to a two-floor, single-family home in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, according to the source. When San Francisco police and Apple’s investigators visited the house, they spoke with a man in his twenties who acknowledged being at Cava 22 on the night the device went missing. But he denied knowing anything about the phone. The man gave police permission to search the house, and they found nothing, the source said.
Apple, showing their desperation, makes the story more interesting:
Before leaving the house, the Apple employees offered the man money for the phone no questions asked, the source said, adding that the man continued to deny he had knowledge of the phone.
A similar story was reported leading up to iPhone 4′s release when Apple worked with the police and FBI to raid a journalist’s home in search of a lost phone. It is shocking that Apple hasn’t learned from this incident and kept a closer look on their prototypes given to employees.
Coming back to the recent happenings, could the tipped photo back in July have anything to do with this recent lost iPhone story?
Another speculation indicates that whole story might be Apple’s doing, as the CNET source is still unknown. Apple might have fabricated this whole series of events to gain publicity for their up and coming iPhone 5 release, which is somewhat smart in their part if it were true.
All speculations aside, let us hope all this drama won’t hinder the fact that the reveal will be very soon and the release just around the corner.
“Apple might have fabricated this whole series of events to gain publicity for their up and coming iPhone 5 release, which is somewhat smart in their part if it were true.”
Free advertising, quite a hype if it is true, but hopefully the iphone 5 won’t have the problem like the iphone 4.
They probably got those 2 locations from apple’s whole location record database on every phone scandal…
If @ all what we saw is true: i would like to perchase one. Does anyone know were i can perchase a Iphone5 Concept?
Free advertising! This happened before and i can HARDLY imagine Apple would be stupid to have this happen again by ‘accident’
This could be a interesting movie script- similar to “social network” (facebook). Imagine a underground group of techies that are in the business of selling new technology (iphone 5) to a new group of investors/creators of the most desirable phone on the planet- and these guys have the stolen prototype. I think it has potential. If anyone pitches this remember it concept came from a lady in Arizona by the name of Ms.M Ferrara. It could have an amazing cast of young men and it could be laced with a on again off again love story filled with intrigue and disception. Geez, I should write it myself.