As per the strict letter of law, many of our day to day activities would be wrong too! Considering that there were no deaths or loss of money, and Gizmodo is willing to return it back to Apple, I would give Gizmodo a clear pass!
If many of your daily goings on would be wrong in the strickest sense, IMHO you're doing it wrong. Ethics matter. Rule of law matters.
No, I'm sure not perfect myself. But we all should try our best and correct/learn from our mistakes and try to achieve the high road.
Coming to the point, you did not mention what part of Gizmodo story you think is ethically wrong. Ethics matter, rule of law matters, try our best, learn from mistakes, etc. are kinda universal truths, everybody knows. Say something concrete to the point!
Actually, after reading that article and seeing it confirmed that it's a real iPhone prototype, I felt a strong sense of disappointment. There won't be any surprises on this front at Apple's announcement, because of Gizmodo.
As unbearable as it might be, anticipating new Apple gadgets is quite fun. Gizmodo robbed us of the fun. It's a bit like someone shouting "the butler did it!" halfway through a movie. Sure, you wanna know who did it, but not that way.
A slightly tweaked exterior and front facing camera are not remotely surprising. The quadrupled resolution is a much bigger deal; are you as annoyed with Gruber for ruining that?
Please explain where spirit and ethics that are broken in your opinion.
AFAIK, Gizmodo's business is that: gather sources, inform interested people what it can. If we forget letter of law, this is how i see it:
(1) No where i see the proof that it was stolen. (2) Gizmodo paid the guy some amount to get pictures, etc. and is actually willing to return it to Apple. I still don't see the problem if it gets returned to Apple. (3) Gizmodo revealed the Apple employee's name to public, which is kinda crossing the line -- but given that a guy recently committed suicide for such a fault, i give Gizmodo a pass.
Having your major screw-up exposed for the entire world to see is liable to make you less prone to suicide? I hope no one ever decides to be that kind to me...