iPhone 4G Fiasco

One week ago, technology blog Gizmodo released a post showcasing the next generation iPhone 4G. It was epic, not because this was the first time somebody had posted what they believed to be the next iPhone, but because this appeared to actually be legit. Gizmodo

The story goes like this. Next gen iPhone tester misplaces his phone on a night out drinking. Finder of the phone sells unit to well-known technology blog Gizmodo for $5000. Gizmodo posts its most successful blog post ever, going viral in every sense of the word, as the story is reproduced by every major media outlet the world over. iPhone tester is beheaded personally by Steve Jobs. Apple fanatics and casual fans drool over the next gen iPhone.

Apple had made it clear that they had lost the device and would like it back. In fact, the device was using the next gen OS and Apple remotely shut it down. But to me this was not enough to suggest that it was not planted. Apple is a marketing machine, they have one of the greatest brands in history. This kind of hype is akin to all of their product launches. Sure the weak-link in testing a new device is the testers, but if this shithead was out drinking, why not leave it at home. Something smelled fishy. Maybe Apple was undecided on the design of the next gen device, so they planted their favorite and waited for the reaction. Maybe it was simple hype. Maybe it was a decoy. Whatever it was, I just couldn't wrap my head around the official story.

A week later, things have changed. Today, police raided the home and vehicle of the author of the original post, Jason Chen. They took computers, hard drives, digital cameras, and other gadgets. They had a search warrant, and officially stated that the seized materials may have been used to commit a felony. I don't know about this, what felony are they referring to? Moreover, I believe this person's rights under California's shield law, which protects journalists - and who would argue that bloggers, especially from a successful source of technology news, are not journalists - were violated. 

This episode shows that Steve Jobs is pissed. Or perhaps he's committed to having people believe the phone was not planted. Regardless, Apple has created such mystique around its brand that these conversations take place on a regular basis. We will probably never know the true story, but who cares, the phone is beautiful and will undoubtedly be a huge success. Cheers to Apple, their hype machine, and products that back it up.