Ok, remember that mess of a story that broke late last week? You know, the one about the prototype next-gen iPhone being left in a bar. Well, it turns out that that design will likely be the same for the final shipping product. That said, there is a strong chance that minor tweaks to the […]
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iPhone Found in Bar Likely Resembles Final Next-Gen Design

Apr 23rd 2010 by

Ok, remember that mess of a story that broke late last week? You know, the one about the prototype next-gen iPhone being left in a bar. Well, it turns out that that design will likely be the same for the final shipping product. That said, there is a strong chance that minor tweaks to the design before the launch.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball even mentioned this fact in one of his most recent posts regarding the lost and found device:

According to Gizmodo, one of the barcodes attached to the unit read “N90_DVT_GE4X_0493”. According to several sources (of mine) familiar with the project, “N90” is Apple’s codename for the fourth-generation GSM iPhone, slated for release this June or July. “DVT” stands for “design verification test”, an Apple production milestone. The DVT milestone is very late in the game; based on this, I now believe that this unit very closely, if not exactly, resembles what Apple plans to release.

Another amusing fact regarding this increasingly bizarre story: Steve Jobs personally oversees the personnel who are issued pre-release iPhones. At least that’s what Bloomberg says:

Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs personally monitors the so-called carry list of staff members allowed to take pre-release devices off the company’s campus, according to the former employee. Approved staff members must sign an additional confidentiality agreement, the person said.

If I was a betting man, I would wager that this kid received a bitching from Steve Jobs himself. Insofar, it looks like the engineer will be keeping his job. Good, that’s the way it should be.

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