The Apple iPhone 4G has apparently lost some of its enigma after tech blog Gizmodo posted a detailed preview of the prototype handset - which was ‘lost’ by an Apple employee in a San Francisco bar, and found by a ‘mysterious man’ who sold Gizmodo access to the device for $5000.

Though the prototype has been returned to Apple, the fact the company sent Gizmodo a written request for the return of the device evidently implies that the handset is, in fact, the real deal!

With the next-generation iPhone scheduled for a summer-this-year launch, the Gizmodo scoop has not only eroded much of the allures of the forthcoming device, but has also hampered the media hype that generally accompanies the launch of Apple devices.

While the die-hard Apple enthusiasts would disparage the Gizmodo act of leaking the specs and the photos of the new iPhone prototype, it seems that the ever-so-cagey Apple probably became so paranoid about the leaks that it actually blew a chance of keeps the situation under control – the company could have easily nullified the Gizmodo story; at least, till the launch of the device.

It is also quite likely that the information about the ‘missing’ iPhone prototype reached the Apple management well in time to nip it in the bud, but probably the company simply ignored the incident hoping that it would blow over.