I’ve been getting calls all day from friends, reporters and others wondering what I thought about Gizmodo’s iPhone 4G story. First, let me say that this is not a leak by Apple. The big question — is this a real iPhone 4G? Yes, this is the real deal. Like John Gruber, I checked with a number of my contacts and they confirmed that this is indeed the next generation iPhone.

This is obviously a pre-production model and the final version could change before it hits store shelves this summer.

The second big question is whether this is a publicity stunt by Apple. If Apple were going to do a leak, it would not use Gizmodo. No offense to the guys at Gizmodo, but that’s just not the site Apple would use. If Apple were going to do it, they would most likely go to the Wall Street Journal.

That’s assuming that Apple would need to use such tactics. Typically, controlled leaks are used to generate buzz about an upcoming product. Clearly, Apple does not need to do that.

Rest assured that whoever lost this iPhone also lost their job at Apple.