New iPhone leaked after Apple engineer leaves prototype at the pub

Online publisher Allure Media’s gadget website, Gizmodo,has created massive buzz around the yet-to-be released new iPhone4G bycontroversially leaking photos of Apple’s latest venture after aprototype was left behind in a bar. The story has drawn significantreadership to the technology website.

Gizmodo reported an unlucky Apple engineer had left the new model -disguised as a regular iPhone 3Gs – in a pub (pictured left) nearApple’s California headquarters. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/04/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

Gizmodo’sbreaking of the story online sent blogs and social-media forums such asTwitter into overdrive and as the news reached traditional media thestory had already gone viral.

Allure Media Managing DirectorChris Janz said: “The speed in which we’ve seen this news break and thepopularity of the story proves again that online publishing is the mostdirect way to get the word out.  If a story grabs the readers’attention they’ll actively help spread the news.”

Allure Mediareported significant increases in Gizmodo readership yesterday with thewebsite reaching 103,000 Australian unique browsers, a 264 per centincrease on a typical average of 28,000 browsers.  Worldwide, more than3.4 million unique browsers read Gizmodo on Tuesday.

The popularstory provided Gizmodo with the largest Australian technology audiencefor the day, outperforming other publications such as CNET and thetechnology sections of The Sydney Morning Herald, News.com.au and TheAge.