Real or not, Apple wants its iPhone back

Apple wants its iPhone back.

next generation iphone 4g videoAfter the tech blog Gizmodo posted photos and a description of what it said is the next version of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) popular iPhone, Apple formally requested the blog return the device.

Bruce Sewell, Apple's senior vice president and general counsel, sent a letter to Gizmodo (which the site subsequently published) requesting the device back. "It has come to our attention that Gizmodo is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple," Sewell wrote. "This letter constitutes a formal request that your return the device to Apple." Gizmodo said it will comply with the request.

An Apple spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

The hoopla began yesterday morning when Gizmodo published a post with detailed images and videos of the device, arguing there is "very little possibility that it's a fake." A number of outlets, including the New York Times, cited unnamed sources confirming the device is indeed authentic. The news set the tech world ablaze, and Gizmodo's initial post has so far received more than 5 million pageviews.

According to the blog, Apple's next-generation iPhone is thinner than the 3GS, owing to smaller internal components. The phone also sports a front-facing camera for video chatting, different volume and power buttons, flash for what looks like a larger camera, a secondary microphone for noise cancellation and what looks like a higher-resolution display. Further, the phone is squarer than the current iPhone and has a glass or ceramic backing, according to the blog.

The NTY reported Nick Denton, the CEO of Gizmodo owner Gawker Media, confirmed the blog had purchased the device for $5,000. "We're proud practitioners of checkbook journalism. Anything for the story!" Denton posted on Twitter.

Although Apple has not made any official announcement about the next iPhone, it is widely expected the company will unveil the latest version of the iPhone this June, as it has done in the past.

For more:
- see this Gizmodo post
- see this NYT article

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