iPhone 6 Release Date: Celebrities Nude Photo Leak could Affect Apple's Flagship Smartphone Sales

The nude photo leak of over 100 celebrities, including big stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton, couldn't come at a worse time for Apple Inc. as it is gearing up to unveil its much-hyped flagship smartphone dubbed iPhone 6.

Sadly, the negative publicity iPhone device has received after hundreds of photos were stolen from celebrities' cell phones by hackers could affect the sales of the next-generation smartphone, which will be unwrapped next week.

The hacker claimed that nude photos of the celebrities were stolen after breaking into their Apple's iCloud accounts before posting them on 4chan online forum. Experts are of the opinion that a possible flaw in 'Find My iPhone' service could have led to the compromise of users' data.

The matter has turned so serious that the FBI has begun an investigation. The investigating agency said in a statement that it is "aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter. Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time."

Apple Inc. is yet to confirm if hackers might have attacked its iCloud service, which is used by over 320 million people, but has released a fix for presence of any possible bug. The company is also investigating the claim that the controversial photos were stolen from iCloud.

"We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told MailOnline. 

The hacker posted dozens of alleged nude photos of celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Victoria Justice and Kate Upton on 4chan thread on Sunday, causing quite a stir not just in celebrity world but also among the public. It claimed that it has pictures of 101 celebrities in possession that will be posted at a later stage.

It is not sure if the hackers stole the photos from iCloud, but the news will surely rattle most iPhone users. Sadly, the allegation can even discourage prospective buyers of Apple's upcoming device, iPhone 6 from buying it if the investigating team doesn't prove the claim before the release of the smartphone.

Interestingly, Apple Inc. is mostly likely to unveil iPhone 6 at its media event scheduled on 9 September before releasing to the market a few days later. There has been so much hype around the device as the Cupertino giant is coming out with a big screen iPhone. It is reported that two models of the device - a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch screen – will be launched. Both the models are expected to be powered by a 20-nanometer A8 chip (64-bit), run on iOS 8 and come packed with 32/64/128 GB internal memory and 1GB RAM. It may also have an 8MP camera with flash and Optical Image Stabilization.