Apple May Have Lost iPhone Prototype in a Bar (Again)

The words "happy hour" might soon be banned from the Apple lexicon. CNET is reporting that a prototype of the iPhone 5 got left behind in a tequila bar in San Francisco, then sold on Craigslist for $200. The story is based on a single, unnamed source, and no photos of the alleged prototype or super-secret details have leaked. But if true, it's a crazy replay of a similar incident last year with a prototype of the iPhone 4.

In that case, the Gizmodo tech blog paid $5,000 for the prototype after it, too, got left behind in a bar. The site's Jason Chen even faced criminal charges before being cleared this year. In the recent case, Apple employees reportedly tracked the device electronically to a local home, but police were unable to uncover it inside, and the occupant denied any knowledge—though he was at the aforementioned tequila bar the same night the phone supposedly went missing. For the record, if anyone out there does have the prototype, Gizmodo would just love to chat. (More Apple stories.)