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 by controversially leaking photos of Apple’s latest venture after a prototype was left behind in a bar. The story has drawn significant readership 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) near Apple’s California headquarters. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/04/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

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

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

Allure Media reported significant increases in Gizmodo readership yesterday with the website reaching 103,000 Australian unique browsers, a 264 per cent increase on a typical average of 28,000 browsers.  Worldwide, more than 3.4 million unique browsers read Gizmodo on Tuesday.

The popular story provided Gizmodo with the largest Australian technology audience for the day, outperforming other publications such as CNET and the technology sections of The Sydney Morning Herald, News.com.au and The Age.