Reminiscent of a year ago when an Apple employee lost the iPhone 4 prototype in a bar leading to Apple involving the cops and FBI to recover the device, it appears yet again an Apple employee has somehow managed to lose an iPhone prototype in a Mexican bar in San Francisco’s Mission district.

According to an article on The Guardian, the guys over at Cnet report that unbelievably the same thing that happened with the iPhone 4 prototype that set the net waves alight has happened again, but apparently this time round Apple has failed to retrieve the iPhone prototype, presumably the iPhone 5.

Apparently the word is the iPhone prototype may have already been flogged on Craigslist for as little as 200 bucks, a bargain.

So here’s how it went down apparently, some unnamed Apple employee was testing the new iOS smartphone off campus at the Cava22 bar and apparently lost it resulting in Apple contacting the police and saying the device was “priceless” and they wanted it back.

Apple then traced the iPhone prototype using its location tracking system to home in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights and subsequently Apple investigators along with the cops attended, where the occupier of the house denied all knowledge of the iPhone and even allowed them to search the place but they found nothing.

Furthermore, according to Cnet’s unnamed source, before leaving the residence, Apple employees even offered cash to the householder in return for handing over the iPhone prototype, and “no questions asked,” however the guy adamantly denied any knowledge of the handset.

On contacting Apple they declined to comment on the matter, while the San Francisco police department commented that Apple had not filed a report with them about losing an iPhone prototype, while Craigslist also declined to comment.

So there you go, it appears that the unthinkable has again happened, if true almost mirroring the same situation last year but this time round with differing results, well for now anyway. Perhaps it’s time Apple set a new rule with their employees, a rule that says you are not to take a prototype into a bar as they have a habit of disappearing.