From the time we heard and saw few images of the next generation iPhone, I bet we all wanted to know, the story behind Apple’s lost next generation iPhone. We know that, this so called iPhone prototype was found at Gourment Haus Staudt, Redwood City, CA. But, how did this iPhone 4G got there in first place..

Well, the story goes some thing like this: A 27 year young Apple Software Engineer named Gray Powel. Who works on the iPhone Baseband Software, was at the Gaurment Haus Staudt with his Next Generation iPhone. After few drinks, he forgets his Next Gen iPhone which was wrapped in a 3G/3GS case to disguise it. A customer who was sitting next to Gray found the iPhone and asked around to see if that belongs to anyone. As nobody claimed it, the person who got the iPhone started playing with it thinking its a iPhone 3G/3GS and took it home. Next day morning he took the iPhone and learned that, the iPhone got remotely wiped off. Then he started to examine it and realized that, this is no ordinary iPhone. Seems like this Guy started contacting Apple but, no one at Apple took it seriously.

Here come few unanswered question…

How did Gizmodo got their hand on this iPhone? Did the guy contacted Gizmodo to sell it off? Did Gizmodo payed $5000 just to take few snaps and few videos or Did they bought the iPhone for good? Why didn’t this guy looked into Gray contact list (Favorites) and called someone to let them know that Gray iPhone is with him ? If no one claimed, Why wasn’t the iPhone handed out to the bar management ?

Well, its seems like people don’t use there brains or they don’t have a courtesy to try and return it (They are just mean).

After, Gizmodo got their hands on it, they contacted Gray Powel (Conversion went something like this..)

Gray Powell: Hello?
John Herrman: Is this Gray?
G: Yeah.
J: Hi, this is John Herrman from Gizmodo.com.
G: Hey!
J: You work at Apple, right?
G: Um, I mean I can’t really talk too much right now.
J: I understand. We have a device, and we think that maybe you misplaced it at a bar, and we would like to give it back.
G: Yeah, I forwarded your email [asking him if it was his iPhone], someone should be contacting you.
J: OK.
G: Can I send this phone number along?
J: [Contact information]

The whole story looks more like a marketing strategy to me. Remember few weeks ago we have spotted Apples CEO Steve Jobs and Google CEO Eric Schmidt at a cafe. The tipster over heard that Steve said “They’re going to see it all eventually so who cares how they get it.” Do you now feel that Steve talking about this ? Eventually we all going to see the Next Gen iPhone at the WWDC Event, but to create a hype about the Next Gen iPhone, Steve Jobs have chosen this way.

Why do I think, its Steve’s marketing strategy?

We all know, Apple don’t follow dogfooding – Giving out prototype or final version of iPhone to their employees to get feed back, testing only happens in the campus. We all know how paranoid Apple is about security. There is no way that a Software Engineer can walkout of the campus with a Next Gen iPhone. Why didn’t Apple used Mobile Me service to find out the location instead they have chosen to wipe out the device?

See, iPhone OS 4.0 was not hyped much. So, Steve wanted to get the Next Gen iPhone out there so, people start talking about it. Not, sure if this marketing strategy reached his expectation or not. But, it definitely made a topic of the week.

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Source[via Gizmodo]