Even if the world has already had a stolen glimpse of Apple’s iPhone 4G and its newest features, there are still enough unanswered questions to build drama around this summer’s launch.
Apple confirmed that the iPhone prototype found in a California bar is its property and obtained its return even as pictures from Gizmodo, which bought the device for $5,000, appeared all over the Internet and in broadcast and print media.
The prototype reportedly was left in a saloon by a 27-year-old Apple engineer named Gray Powell, who tried desperately to get it back. His current employment status is not known.
Apple, which reported record profits Tuesday, is as well-known for secrecy as it is for game-changing devices. The company would not even confirm that it had built a tablet computer before the Jan. 27 event that unveiled the iPad. CEO Steve Jobs likes to keep the public — and the media — guessing about what’s coming next until he can personally demonstrate it.
But IDC Research wireless analyst Ramon Llamas said that even with his thunder stolen, Jobs can still make the iPhone launch newsworthy. For one thing, there is still a lot of speculation about whether the new version will be locked to AT&T’s U.S. network, if a rumored Verizon Wireless-compatible version will emerge, or even if an unlocked edition will make the scene.
“Have we seen everything out of this story?” Llamas asked. “My answer is no.”
Another missing piece of the puzzle, he noted, is whether Apple will continue marketing and supporting the current iPhone 3G and 3GS with an iPhone 4G announcement. “The next question is what happens to the 3G, and will they still sell both the 16GB and 32GB, and at what price?”
Given Apple’s ability to work fast, Llamas said it’s not inconceivable that Jobs could…