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so this guy claims he has a prototype, he claims that Apple demanded it back. There's no possible way he could be lying about all of it for 15 minutes of fame.

Perhaps the reason the Genius Bar didn't recognize it is because even the report was fake. If you have ever been to the bar for an appointment or two, it's pretty easy to get enough material to make your own mockup.


Seeing as how Apple demanded Ebay pull/end his legitimate auction.

If in fact Apple did make a demand. And if the auction was legit. It is possible that in fact it wasn't a prototype at all and Ebay pulled it over false advertising claims. Which may or may not have been tipped off by an Apple rep but in the end Ebay made the decision to pull the auction it seems.

It's also possible that Ebay's rules about selling something that doesn't belong to you kicked in since the poster couldn't prove that a prototype from another company was given to him. It's very unlikely that they would which would make this potentially stolen property and Ebay an accessory for letting the auction stay up. No need to have a call from Apple to that judgment.


I don't think that either. This laptop is a few years old. They didn't know it was missing until it turned up on eBay?


Are there any patents that actually tie into this prototype. Seems if there were we would have heard of them and they would have been referenced in the articles.

It is possible that this prototype is a hoax. Someone with an old laptop, a few tools and a bit of know how could make a mod like this. Perhaps this Mr Frega did it himself perhaps he was fooled by someone else. Perhaps this whole thing is a very creative 'shop job.


It might not have even been an Apple employee that did that. My guess is that they dont hire Apple people to go out and collect the trash. It could also be that Apple contracted out with some company to discard their old machines, and this was included in with that.

it is unlikely that Apple wouldn't pulverize a prototype being discarded before it goes into the trash.


"Machine number (W8707003Y53) is also not recognized as a valid number."

I may be the only one lost here but wouldn't it flag something when they put the machines number in their system as stolen or something?

it would flag something but they have no idea what. It could have been sold by an authorized reseller, or perhaps someone tried to alter the number to make it seem like the computer was still under warranty when it wasn't. Who knows. it's unlikely that they have "Apple Prototype, do not give back to customer" in their system. So how was the bar to know that it was anything other than perhaps a clever knockoff (which explains all the 3rd party parts)
 
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Apple would have to pay that 70K I was offered on Ebay or they could kiss..
 
It's also possible that Ebay's rules about selling something that doesn't belong to you kicked in since the poster couldn't prove that a prototype from another company was given to him. It's very unlikely that they would which would make this potentially stolen property and Ebay an accessory for letting the auction stay up. No need to have a call from Apple to that judgment.
eBay alone cannot summarily make that kind of judgement.
Their own rules require a complaint be made.
Prototype's of all kinds, including Apple devices, have been sold on eBay before without issue, so I fail to see how this would have raised any ownership questions unless someone (Apple) reported it.

Apple had to contact eBay and make a claim regarding the ownership of the prototype.

They have to have proof an item is stolen or they risk being sued by the seller.
Trust me... eBay would love to collect the fees on a $70k deal.
 
So Apple calls and says 'we never made any such prototype' and Ebay pulls the auction for claiming to be something that it is not. All within their rules.
Different scenario, but yes, same result. Auction pulled.
It still requires someone to make a complaint.
eBay will not pull an auction on their own without cause.

I've seen many BS auctions with fake products run to completion without any intervention from eBay.

Hell, I've seen some that were never pulled and I'm the one who filed the complaint. (Seller was using my pics in his auction to sell a guitar)
 
I see you still don't get it.

It doesn't really matter if it's stolen or not. It was illegally acquired; whether or not it was improperly disposed of, stolen, or illegally sold/surrendered/donated/gifted is moot.

Apple is reclaiming its rightful property. They don't need to explain how the property left their control.

Ok, lets try and make this simple. How do YOU know the laptop was illegally acquired? Please provide one source that absolutely states this. Thanks.
 
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In the case of who gets stolen property back guilt and innocence is irrelevant.

The legal owner, in this case apple, gets it back. Apple can prove they own it. Unless the person who has it can prove that someone authorized by apple sold it or transfer it he has no rights to keep it.

This would be one thing if it was a iPAD 3 prototype left in a bar on tuesday. The thing is likely 5 years+ old. Apple would have to have it on the books as a loss or missing device or have filed an insurance claim or police report. Even the great god apple doesn't just own things in perpetuity after throwing them out or giving them away. You can't just assume it was acquired in a nefarious manner. It's entirely possible that someone at the time acting on behalf of apple relinquished possession of it. If it was marked "not for sale", "property of apple", "return to apple if found" etc. you might have a point. One thing is absolute, you don't speak for apple, and all the suggestions that this or that is how apple does things are just opinions.
 
Ok, lets try and make this simple. How do YOU know the laptop was illegally acquired? Please provide one source that absolutely states this. Thanks.
The fact that Apple is demanding it back. How is that hard to understand? If they did not feel it is legally still theirs, Apple would be unable to make such a claim. They still have to prove it, of course.

However, for all those people claiming ANY Apple prototype would automatically be stolen:
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/19/prototype-of-original-apple-tv-itv-hits-ebay/
 
Ha, knowing Apple they're going to try and ask for it back without paying him anything.

Seeing as the bids on eBay were going above $70,000, I wouldn't give it back for a dime under $50,000.
 
The fact that Apple is demanding it back. How is that hard to understand? If they did not feel it is legally still theirs, Apple would be unable to make such a claim. They still have to prove it, of course.

However, for all those people claiming ANY Apple prototype would automatically be stolen:
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/19/prototype-of-original-apple-tv-itv-hits-ebay/

Asking for it back is a bit different than demanding it. And as far as I have read, Apple has not stated that the laptop was stolen. Naturally they want it back. I don't find any of this hard to understand. What I don't understand is all of you claiming this and that and none of you have any idea what is actually going on or is any way involved with this. But your statements are the law and my stating that maybe it's not stolen is wrong. Of course what should I really expect considering that it's Mac Rumors.
 
You don't immediately sell a prototype that falls into your hands. Wait a good decade or longer before attempting to auction or pawn it. I paid off a few credit cards selling (non-Apple) prototypes in this stealthy, calculated manner.

Patience.

Interesting. I have three Intel prototype Web tablets from 2001. They used a proprietary wireless communication method, and 802.11 became the standard prior to their release, so they were immediately obsolete and were never released. A non-techy friend of mine who worked for Intel found them sitting by an Intel dumpster and thought I'd appreciate them. I've been hanging onto them, thinking they might be sellable someday, and that Intel would no longer care.
 
Asking for it back is a bit different than demanding it. And as far as I have read, Apple has not stated that the laptop was stolen. Naturally they want it back. I don't find any of this hard to understand. What I don't understand is all of you claiming this and that and none of you have any idea what is actually going on or is any way involved with this. But your statements are the law and my stating that maybe it's not stolen is wrong. Of course what should I really expect considering that it's Mac Rumors.

One thing is clear though. Apple want this prototype back because it absolutely discredits the company. This is one really ugly machine.
 
One thing is clear though. Apple want this prototype back because it absolutely discredits the company. This is one really ugly machine.

Prototypes are allowed to be ugly. Have a look at this Dyson vacuum cleaner prototype:


DysonPrototype.jpg
 
I can't stop laughing, Apple can't seem to hang onto anything. Now on their second iPhone loss, and this laptop with an antenna like something out of a bizarre low budget SciFi movie. Perhaps they need to stop obsessing on small and thin, and start making their products jumbo size so they can keep them where they belong.
 
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AppleScruff1 said:
I see you still don't get it.

It doesn't really matter if it's stolen or not. It was illegally acquired; whether or not it was improperly disposed of, stolen, or illegally sold/surrendered/donated/gifted is moot.

Apple is reclaiming its rightful property. They don't need to explain how the property left their control.

Ok, lets try and make this simple. How do YOU know the laptop was illegally acquired? Please provide one source that absolutely states this. Thanks.

Apple is asking for it back. That is all the proof needed. The person who has it will have to prove apple legally sold or transferred it to usurp their claim.

There is little chance that will happen.

Since this is unique product it is trivial for apple to prove it is theirs and also would have unique documentation if it was legally sold or transferred.

It doesn't matter how the person got it unless they can prove someone legally transferred it from apple then it is still their property.

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Fwink! said:
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In the case of who gets stolen property back guilt and innocence is irrelevant.

The legal owner, in this case apple, gets it back. Apple can prove they own it. Unless the person who has it can prove that someone authorized by apple sold it or transfer it he has no rights to keep it.

This would be one thing if it was a iPAD 3 prototype left in a bar on tuesday. The thing is likely 5 years+ old. Apple would have to have it on the books as a loss or missing device or have filed an insurance claim or police report. Even the great god apple doesn't just own things in perpetuity after throwing them out or giving them away. You can't just assume it was acquired in a nefarious manner. It's entirely possible that someone at the time acting on behalf of apple relinquished possession of it. If it was marked "not for sale", "property of apple", "return to apple if found" etc. you might have a point. One thing is absolute, you don't speak for apple, and all the suggestions that this or that is how apple does things are just opinions.

Wholly incorrect. You don't have to report something stolen for it to be stolen.

The age of the item is also irrelevant. It is apples property until such time as they legally give it to someone else.

If it was legally lost then the person who found it could claim it after a predetermined period of time.

It is weird people think the laws should be designed to protect the criminals and not the victims

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Obscurity said:
Ha, knowing Apple they're going to try and ask for it back without paying him anything.

Seeing as the bids on eBay were going above $70,000, I wouldn't give it back for a dime under $50,000.

You don't get it. You dont have a choice in the matter. The police will take it from him if he does not give it back. He is now on notice that it is stolen property so anything he might do now could make him criminally liable
 
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Wholly incorrect. You don't have to report something stolen for it to be stolen.

The age of the item is also irrelevant. It is apples property until such time as they legally give it to someone else.

If it was legally lost then the person who found it could claim it after a predetermined period of time.

It is weird people think the laws should be designed to protect the criminals and not the victims

Are you sure that there is a victim in this case? How did the laptop leave the Apple campus, or lab, or vault or Fort Knox, or wherever it was being kept? Maybe Apple gave it to the engineer? How does anyone know?


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You don't get it. You dont have a choice in the matter. The police will take it from him if he does not give it back. He is now on notice that it is stolen property so anything he might do now could make him criminally liable

I'd tell them I panicked and threw it in the river. Do you think they'd still give him the chair if he did that?
 
Dear Apple,

Here's my suggestion:

Set up a hotline for your stores (and helpline desks as in the case of the lost iPhone 4) to forward serial numbers and photos to when they see (or hear about) something odd like this.

That way you can catch lost prototypes without giving away any info ahead of time.

This is just like how that lost iPhone 4 didn't even have a "Return to Apple, call this number" sticker on it. Secrecy is nice, but common sense solutions are handy too.
 
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Wholly incorrect. You don't have to report something stolen for it to be stolen.

The age of the item is also irrelevant. It is apples property until such time as they legally give it to someone else.

If it was legally lost then the person who found it could claim it after a predetermined period of time.

It is weird people think the laws should be designed to protect the criminals and not the victims


If apple believed the item to be stolen they would simply have a police officer escort the courier to pick-up the item in question. Sure they would like it back, and I'd like a free pizza and a tricycle delivered to my door too. It's like making a drawing, throwing it in the trash or selling it at a garage sale, then when somebody picks it out of the landfill and puts it on Ebay - saying, oh yeah that 's mine and I want it back. Doesn't work that way, Apple or or otherwise. If they can show that the item is on there books as missing, noted as having been stolen, etc. They might have a case. At the least I think they are going to be trading a new lappy for their flubb, and rightfully so.
You don't know anymore about this than anyone else, but do keep on with your straw-man arguments, it's amusing.
 
If this story is fully true, I believe apply should compensate him for giving it back. Maybe give him a top of the line 15" macbook pro with full upgrades. I mean, he just lost his $70k auction so that's no comparison.

However, knowing Apple, I would not be surprised if they come up with a lawsuit.

You know their slogan, "If we can't find our lost items, sue whoever finds them for us"

HAH
 
Pink∆Floyd;13274024 said:
Why would you take a prototype to the Apple Store? Image

I would've handled things so much better (less public), wait a couple of years and use the money to invest in some Apple stock and pay off my student loans, this guy was just plain stupid :confused:

You don't happen to work for Goldman Sachs or AIG, do you? :)
 
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Fwink! said:
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Wholly incorrect. You don't have to report something stolen for it to be stolen.

The age of the item is also irrelevant. It is apples property until such time as they legally give it to someone else.

If it was legally lost then the person who found it could claim it after a predetermined period of time.

It is weird people think the laws should be designed to protect the criminals and not the victims


If apple believed the item to be stolen they would simply have a police officer escort the courier to pick-up the item in question. Sure they would like it back, and I'd like a free pizza and a tricycle delivered to my door too. It's like making a drawing, throwing it in the trash or selling it at a garage sale, then when somebody picks it out of the landfill and puts it on Ebay - saying, oh yeah that 's mine and I want it back. Doesn't work that way, Apple or or otherwise. If they can show that the item is on there books as missing, noted as having been stolen, etc. They might have a case. At the least I think they are going to be trading a new lappy for their flubb, and rightfully so.
You don't know anymore about this than anyone else, but do keep on with your straw-man arguments, it's amusing.

Yeah that is not how it works at all.
 
It's a Prototype. Of course Apple wants it back.

Some of you are saying, "Why does Apple want it? It's old etc" Think for a moment. This device could possibly have several patents in design on it that never made it to the final MacBook, such as the 3G. Keep in mind that Apple comes up with a lot of ideas for it's next generation computers.

A perfect example of why Apple would want this back is by looking at the history of the iPad. The iPad, according to Steve Jobs, was actually thought of first before the iPhone but was shelved. Now looking at all the companies trying to replicate the functionality and style of the iPad in their own Tablets, you can see where I am heading with this now in a prototype.

A device like this would have some pretty interesting design ideas that may not be useful now, but could be used in years to come in some form or another.

Think of it this way. Imagine being the owner of a 2011 PC in 1984 but you just didn't understand the technology. You would reverse engineer or modify various pieces to suit what you could manufcature in 1984.

Same rules would apply for a prototype of a MacBook. Imagine if Apple had shelved the prototype of the iPhone and Samsung somehow managed to get their hands on it several years later. We could of been looking at a Samsung Galaxy S inspired from technology that Apple had passed up on.

Another example is how Xerox had made the mouse but had no idead what to do with the prototype. Apple did, and manufactured it with their Macs using their OS.

So, even though it's a prototype, don't rule out that it's completely obsolete. Someone obviously thought it was good enough to bid $70K for the technology.
 
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