Looks like someone at Apple got into some big trouble recently.  Why?  Because they somehow managed to misplace a near-release version of Apple's next generation iPhone at a bar in Redwood City, CA.  This appears to be the same device that has been floating around the blogosphere for the past few days with questions as to its authenticity.

The phone was well disguised in a custom-made case that gave it the appearance of an iPhone 3GS, however, when removed from the case it is very clear that this is an iPhone that has yet to be released to the general public.  By the time Gizmodo got their hands on the device, it had been remotely wiped (needless to say, Apple wants the device back), and according to the person who found it, it was running OS 4.0.  What's more, when Gizmodo disassembled it, the guts were clearly marked "Apple" in many places. 

Here are some of the specs on the new iPhone (thanks to Gizmodo):

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS) 
• Camera flash 
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad) 
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x460 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic
• For the full breakdown, follow the source link.

This is pretty crazy, folks - I can't believe an Apple employee actually managed to lose this prototype.  I wonder if they're still employed?  Now, who's excited about this beautiful new phone?!  Sound off in the comments!

Via Gizmodo