Apple PR’s Response To The iPhone 4 Leak

Well, they haven’t really responded yet, but we thought that headline would catch your attention.

For those who haven’t been following, a version of the next iPhone was left in a Silicon Valley bar recently, and the device ended up in the hands of tech blog Gizmodo. Nick Denton, chief executive of Gawker Media, which owns Gizmodo, told The New York Times that he paid $5,000 for the phone.

Apple has not responded, except for a note Gizmodo said they received from Bruce Sewell, Apple’s senior vice president and general counsel, which asked that the phone be returned.

With a company that keeps its new products top secret before launch, some are wondering if the found phone was an intentional leak. We’ve reached out to Apple PR but have not heard back as of the time of this post.

“Great PR stunt. How to build suspense in a post iPad world,” said John Bell, Managing Director at Ogilvy PR.

Said Edelman’s Steve Rubel, “I believe this is probably a false prototype that someone from Apple either left in the bar intentionally or with an individual who they thought might do so for reasons only they know.”

What’s your take? Is this all intentional on behalf of Apple? Or would they never be that risky, especially in advance of their earnings call today? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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