Apple iPhone 5 prototype left in tequila bar. Again

An Apple employee has left his prototype iPhone 5 in a tequila bar in San Francisco, proving once and for all that lightning does indeed strike twice, after an identical situation arose with the iPhone 4 last year.

Our buddies over at CNET.com explained the "phone went missing in July, sparking a scramble by Apple security to recover the device over the next few days". They go on to say that the phone may have been sold on Internet noticeboard Craiglist for $200.

Apple was able to trace the iPhone 5 to a nearby house which was later visited by San Francisco police and Apple henchmen representatives. A man in his twenties admitted to being at the bar in question but denied having seen the phone, even inviting the police to search his home.

The unnamed source told CNET that representatives from Apple contacted San Francisco police explaining they were "desperate" to recover the "priceless device". We bet they are -- the lovely surprise of the iPhone 4 was spoiled last year after an Apple employee left his prototype phone in a bar in California, prompting Steve Jobs to joke "stop me if you've seen this before" when officially unveiling the phone at the Apple keynote.

Apple takes strong steps to make sure its new products don't see the light of day until they're supposed to, including housing the phones in cases designed to disguise their identity. Evidently "don't get trollied in a tequila bar in case you lose the phone" isn't one of the official secrecy guidelines. Yet.

Sadly, no details or images of the phone were leaked, so we still don't quite know what to expect, but make sure you check out our full guide to see all of the most plausible rumours.