Irish newspaper claims U2 won’t be involved in iPhone 6 launch, retracts itself minutes later

u2 bono

There’s been a flurry of speculation by fans and watchers alike that the popular Irish rock band U2 will be performing live at Apple’s media event next Tuesday and even preload its new album on the forthcoming iPhone 6. Thursday morning, an Irish newspaper added to the confusion.

The band’s spokesperson purportedly quashed the rumor in a statement released to Independent [Google Cache]. The story got pulled minutes later without an explanation, casting doubt on its veracity.

As Cody told you last night, The Sunday Times newspaper first started this rumor based on vague hearsay among fans and shady photographic evidence in the form of images depicting U2’s secret video shoot in Dublin last week, which music promotor Stephen Browne shared on Twitter.

“They are not releasing their album on the iPhone, and they are not performing at the iPhone launch,” a spokeswoman for the band apparently told The Independent newspaper.

To get you up to speed real quick, Browne suggested on Twitter that the focus of U2’s music video shoot was an unknown phone — enough to kick the rumor-mill into high gear with speculation that the next iPhone will ship preloaded with the band’s new album.

Here’s U2’s Bono with Apple’s design guru Jony Ive.

Jony Ive and Bono (NYT 001)

Although the Samuel Beckett bridge was in fact closed for several hours as the filming of the band’s video went ahead behind black sheets, the spokeswoman insisted that band members were not in the capital at the time.

CNET’s Shara Tibken even said that U2 frontman Bono may turn up at the iPhone event as a surprise musical guest.

It’s unclear why the Irish newspaper retracted the story.

Regardless, it’s no secret that Apple has had a love affair with U2.

The Irish band helped the iTunes Store hit the ground running by collaborating with Apple on a special U2-themed iPod model. Perhaps even more important than that, the iPhone maker is a mayor player in Bono’s high profile Product Red charity through its Product(RED)-branded accessories and products.

So, if U2 won’t be performing at the event, what exactly Apple’s two-story white box adjacent to the Flint Center is for?

[Independent.ie, Google Cache, via 9to5Mac]