Fourth-gen iPhone prototype leaks, looks like an EVO 4G copy

Apple's aloofness is world famous. The company doesn't exactly buddy up to the media like Microsoft does, and it doesn't keep a running dialogue with the public like Google does. It communicates directly with only a handful of reputable media outlets, and uses a predictable routine of product launches where it can address the public in measured doses.

One of these doses is Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) expected to take place on June 28, 2010. In 2007, this was the event that Apple used to debut the original iPhone and its availability on AT&T. Then in 2008, Apple used WWDC to unveil the iPhone 3G. In 2009, it was used to unveil the 3G S. It is essentially Apple's annual "iPhone event."

So with WWDC just a few weeks away, an interesting "leak" of the next version of the iPhone has turned up on the popular gadget blogs Gizmodo and Engadget.

Apparently, this fourth generation iPhone prototype disguised as an iPhone 3G S was found in a San Jose, California bar, and according to blogger John Gruber, Apple wants it back.

Of course, the authenticity of the whole story is in question because these blogs are privileged enough to have advance knowledge of Apple's products and could have known about this update, but were legally bound to nondisclosure. Frequently, these sites use unauthorized leaks as a loophole to talk about a product they already know about, but cannot break themselves.

The model has a slightly smaller screen than the iPhone 3G S and weighs 3 grams more. The edges are all much more severe than previous iPhone models, making it flatter and thinner overall. Reportedly, it has a front-facing video camera in addition to an improved rear-mounted camera with a flash, a micro SIM port, a noise-canceling mic, redesigned power and mute buttons, a larger battery and smaller internal components.

The storage capacity has not yet leaked, and the phone has not yet been shown running. If this is what the fourth generation iPhone will look like, it is only a moderate change in design for the handset; but one which makes it look more like the HTC HD2 and EVO 4G.