Apple confirms death of iPhone worker

According to the media, a worker at Chinese manufacturer Foxconn reportedly committed suicide after losing a prototype of Apple's 4G iPhone.

DigitalBeat reports that 25 year-old Sun Danyong was tasked with shipping 16 of the prototype phones from the assembly line at the local factory to Apple:
"At some point in the next few days, he discovered that one of the phones was missing. He suspected that it had been left at the factory, but couldn’t find it. On Monday, July 13, he reported the missing phone to his boss. Then, that Wednesday, three Foxconn employees searched his apartment — illegally, according to Chinese law. Accusations are flying that Sun was detained and physically abused during the investigation, although this has not been substantiated."

According to video surveillance, a little after 3 a.m. he jumped out of a window in his apartment building to his death.

No mention if he hit the Foxconn van, or if the video shows anyone "helping" him out the window.

An Apple spokesperson told CNET:
"We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death. We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."

A tall order, considering China's track record in the "dignity and respect" of workers department. In any case, they may want to start their investigation by questioning eBay.