eBay buzzed by camera-equipped iPod Touch prototypes

by Stevie Smith - Apr 26 2010, 06:14

Following on from the recent Internet furore surrounding Gizmodo’s discovery of a clumsily misplaced fourth-generation iPhone prototype, it would appear butter-fingered employees over at Apple have this time lost track of not one, but two prototype iPod Touch devices.

Specifically, online auction service eBay lit up this past weekend when a pair of as-yet unreleased iPod Touch units briefly appeared for sale – each of them seemingly equipped with on-board cameras and official Apple tags defining them as development models.

Upon closer inspection of their metallic rear plates, the two devices were also found to be marked with “DVT-1” and “DVT-2” (Design Verification Test) where Apple would usually denote specific gigabyte storage capacity.

Although the individual auction pages disappeared almost as abruptly as they had appeared, pictures saved by eagle-eyed eBay users reveal that both units were running SwitchBoard – the firmware platform used exclusively by Apple’s hardware development team during testing.

While last week’s 4G iPhone leak was deemed to be genuine – in the main because Apple contacted Gizmodo and asked for the device to be returned – it remains to be seen if this particular sneak peek is another security slip or an opportunistic PR stunt playing off current exposure.

Cupertino-based Apple has offered no comment on the story.

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