Unidentified Apple 'Mobile Computing' Device in Best Buy Inventory?

[MacRumors]

This screenshot from Best Buy's inventory system was submitted to us. It shows an unreleased Apple product in the category of "Mobile Computing" within Best Buy's inventory system. The 'In Stock' date for the item is May 31st.

Best Buy inventory screens always seem to generate a lot of interest, but we've been told in the past that these entries are made without official knowledge from Apple. As a result, there is likely no particular significance to the findings.

Article Link: Unidentified Apple 'Mobile Computing' Device in Best Buy Inventory?

[JDee]

A lot of news for the iPhone in the past few minutes!!

Seems interesting - could it be the tablet we're talking about?

Does anyone mind checking out those dimensions and seeing what they're about?

At the top in the model (MC240LL/A) - does MC mean mobile computer?

I think you should remove the bottom bit of the image - time, date and others so the person who snapped this doesn't get caught out... just for his / her protection!

And it's a rev. a product!

The iPhone's serial starts with K26 - not MC

[MeWhOeLsE]

Couldn't it be the new iphone? Suppose that could be put under "mobile computing"

[svndmvn]

the dimensions don't make any sense to me, it's bigger and weighs more than a 17" MBP if I'm not mistaking..

[Saladinos]

Nope, those model numbers are IDs Apple gives to their products.

Also, check this out:
Original iPhone: MA...LL/A
iPhone 3G: MB...LL/A
This product: MC...LL/A

Maybe it's a coincidence.

iPhone 3G Model Numbers: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937?locale=en_GB
Note US products end in LL

[JDee]

Originally Posted by Saladinos

Nope, those model numbers are IDs Apple gives to their products.

Also, check this out:
Original iPhone: MA...LL/A
iPhone 3G: MB...LL/A
This product: MC...LL/A

Maybe it's a coincidence.

iPhone 3G Model Numbers: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937?locale=en_GB
Note US products end in LL

Yeah - nice catch.

I was going to say - the weight of the item is 89000 LB, right?
If there is power cabs and a sim card or whatever else, it would weight to be at least a little more?

I am guessing this is the new iPhone. Maybe if the user that posted this could sneak on to the system again and tell us what the dimensions for the iPhone showed up as?

[Santa Rosa]

Product Dimensions: The box and the item are the same dimensions so that means one of two things.

a) This is just a speculative product placeholder that contains no actual information - highly highly likely

b) Apple have innovated so much that they have created a product that is also its own packaging so it doesn't need a box - highly highly unlikely

[bruinsrme]

Originally Posted by svndmvn

the dimensions don't make any sense to me, it's bigger and weighs more than a 17" MBP if I'm not mistaking..

it is the size of the box not the item itself

[JDee]

Maybe it's like a vacuum cleaner where the actual power lead slides in and out of the actual product

[svndmvn]

Originally Posted by bruinsrme

it is the size of the box not the item itself

looks to me like the Box is on the left and the item's on the right..

[Garafraxa]

I, for one, welcome our 8.9lbs MacTablet overlords.

[bruinsrme]

Originally Posted by svndmvn

looks to me like the Box is on the left and the item's on the right..

same size and weight though?

[Tallest Skil]

Originally Posted by Garafraxa

I, for one, welcome our 8.9lbs MacTablet overlords.

That's too heavy for anything handheld. It's either a typo or not a laptop/iPhone/mobile device.

Could be an Apple TV with a 3.5" HDD.

[svndmvn]

Originally Posted by bruinsrme

same size and weight though?

weird, huh? I call BS, but we'll see

[Saladinos]

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil

That's too heavy for anything handheld. It's either a typo or not a laptop/iPhone/mobile device.

Could be an Apple TV with a 3.5" HDD.

Not really "mobile" though, is it?

[Tallest Skil]

Originally Posted by Saladinos

Not really "mobile" though, is it?

Neither is 8.9 pounds. SOMETHING is wrong.

[svndmvn]

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil

Neither is 8.9 pounds. SOMETHING is wrong.

Best Buy.

[Chundles]

Originally Posted by Saladinos

Nope, those model numbers are IDs Apple gives to their products.

Also, check this out:
Original iPhone: MA...LL/A
iPhone 3G: MB...LL/A
This product: MC...LL/A

Maybe it's a coincidence.

iPhone 3G Model Numbers: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937?locale=en_GB
Note US products end in LL

The new 2.66GHz MacBook Pro, black shuffle and 10.5.6 retail discs use the MC prefix so it's not a new development. Maybe they've run out of MB codes (there are soooooo many, I spend every Monday morning doing stock count on pages of MB coded items).

[jb1280]

Originally Posted by Chundles

The new 2.66GHz MacBook Pro, black shuffle and 10.5.6 retail discs use the MC prefix so it's not a new development. Maybe they've run out of MB codes (there are soooooo many, I spend every Monday morning doing stock count on pages of MB coded items).

Exactly

[elpasi]

What if apple tell the shops the size of the box so that they know how many they can fit on one shelf/how much shelf space they need, but they don't bother telling people what's inside? In this case, this database has a space for internal dimensions that they don't know, so making a guess at the highest value is probably the safest bet (e.g. so they can definitely have enough space on display for unboxed and working models for demo)

E.G. You don't know how big the thing in the box is, but you know you definitely want to fit 3 on display. All you know is it can't be larger than the box (Well, it could, Apple can do amazing things and might even be able to bend the laws of physics), so if you guess that the item is the same size as the box then the space you clear for them will definitely be large enough.

[doctor-don]

Model - MC240LL/A . . . . . . . . . . not found at Apple.com
Status - Not Carried by Loc
Length: 16.7000 IN
Width: 5.5000 IN ... much thicker (protective packaging?)
Height: 13 IN
Weight - 8.90000 LB

in Stock Date - 05-31-2009 <<<<<<<
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The MacBook Pros are perhaps too large to fit in this box with protective packaging all around. Perhaps it is more appropriate for the MacBook.
But what about the additional weight? Maybe it's just a disguise to throw off everyone who snoops.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
MacBook Pro, 17", Aluminum - Part number: MB604LL/A
Height: 0.98 inch (2.50 cm)
Width: 15.47 inches (39.3 cm)
Depth: 10.51 inches (26.7 cm)
Weight: 6.6 pounds (2.99 kg)
---------------------------------

15-inch Tech Specs

Size and Weight
Height: 0.95 inch (2.41 cm)
Width: 14.35 inches (36.4 cm)
Depth: 9.82 inches (24.9 cm)
Weight: 5.5 pounds (2.49 kg)5

[StudioGuy]

It is interesting that it might be something. The UPC is a good guess if made up. Looking at items with prefix 885909 (which all seem Apple) the highest current one I could find is 0885909320257. The candidate is ...933 vs. ...932, so at least that seems somewhat credible.

I agree the 8.9 pounds and dimensions are not something portable, unless this is a monster 19" macbook superpro, or maybe an Apple blade (too light for an Xserve) for the North Carolina server farm . But it did say MOBILE...

Then again my (the) first Macintosh Portable was 16 pounds!
http://lowendmac.com/pb/macintosh-portable.html

Maybe this is retro.

Hard to separate placeholders from reality. Guess we'll know next week.

Fun rumor.

[fokket]

The box sizing is interesting, pre-unibody 15.4" MBP box comes at 17" by 17" by 3.25" thick.

this comes at 16.7 by 13 by 5.5

considerably thicker.

As for the weight of the box, it's 8.9lbs. Considering the weight of power adaptor, packaging and all that it seems highly likely.

[t0mat0]

Guess it beats the ocean container rumor from last year
http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com...an-containers/ ?
(Wasn't there a hoax with a picture of brown boxes outside on a forecourt too?)

[fokket]

*deleted due to negligible information