Apple Request iPhone Prototype Back; Share Price Dips Then Climbs Again

All that was needed to bring the iPhone HD escape to a close was an attempt by Apple to bring the beast back into their cage; with the arrival of a formal request from the Cupertino company's general counsel, that's finally happened.  Gizmodo have received a letter from Bruce Sewell, a senior vice president at Apple, saying "It has come to our attention that Gizmodo is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple. This letter constitutes a formal request that you return the device to Apple."

The letter goes on to request a pick-up address where the lost prototype can be found.  Apple don't confirm that the handset is, in fact, their next-gen iPhone HD of course, leaving open the possibility that the hardware that has caused so much furore over the past few days is not the same device as Steve Jobs is expected to reveal come late June.  Still, the fall-out is likely to be significant not only to the engineer who lost the device, but to Apple's share price.  Interestingly, having dipped yesterday, that price is now climbing once again.