Why Apple is Protective of its New iPhone

The industry is up in arms with the raid of REACT operatives on the home of Jason Chen –the now famous Gizmodo tech blogger who was in possession of the prototype Apple iPhone device. Many believe that there should have never been a raid in the first place. Beyond the raid, many are also questioning Apple’s motives; while there is sufficient reason to protect the technology behind their latest product, it does not make their urgent response to the situation easier to understand.

It has been recently revealed that the Apple, and in particular, Steve Jobs, has been in contact with Brian Lam, the editor for Gizmodo. It appears that the two professionals had a very civil exchange regarding Apple’s need for the prototype to be returned and for Gizmodo to be able to receive a confirmation from Apple that the device is indeed an authentic iPhone prototype.

Steve Jobs however, was concerned about another important factor –current iPhone sales.

Apple’s stand on the matter is that they would lose iPhone sales once details about the next generation device have been revealed. This is because the public would start seeing the iPhone 3G and 3Gs as part of an older generation of devices. With the competition between the iPhone and the Android being at a very crucial point, Apple does not want to lose the position of being on the high ground. The current iPhone has been on top of the market for over two years now, and at this point, it is barely holding its own against devices such as the Desire and the Nexus One.

Apple has yet to confirm that the prototype device is indeed a next generation iPhone, but they have confirmed that they are the rightful owners of the device –in many ways, this is already the confirmation that Gizmodo needs.