Why Apple's era of secrecy is over

London, England (CNN) -- Apple, long known for its culture of secrecy, is suddenly springing leaks. Big ones.
Photos and a video clip of the next generation iPhone, not expected to launch until next month, appeared this week on a Vietnamese Web site. It's the second time an iPhone 4G has fallen into the wrong hands following gadget blog Gizmodo's purchase of a lost prototype in April.
Is Apple's long era of secrecy finally coming to an end? Yes -- and we're to blame.
The $5000 iPhone
Two major leaks in two months is a situation virtually unheard of at the buttoned-up tech firm. We're not talking about grainy snapshots either: Both Gizmodo and Vietnamese tech forum Taoviet acquired complete handsets, photographing them, recording video clips and even dismantling them to expose every last inch. Our nerd voyeurism, it seems, knows no bounds.

Leaked iPhones command a high price, too: Gizmodo paid $5,000 for the prized device, while Taoviet reportedly put down $4,000 for the privilege. The former is currently involved in a criminal investigation to determine whether the parties involved broke the law.
Why are gadget blogs prepared to part with thousands of dollars -- and risk a visit from law enforcement -- to get their hands on the latest tech toy?

The simple answer is "page views". Lots of them. Gizmodo's exposé on the iPhone 4G has received more than 10 million views, not to mention name recognition from major media outlets -- including a piece on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show".

A few thousand dollars is a bargain for the biggest technology scoop of the year.
But blogs aren't to blame for the end of secrecy: We are.