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Apple Genius Bar Didn't Recognize MacBook Pro 3G Prototype, Apple Now Wants it Back

ECUpirate44 said:
I don't think I would be interested in a 3G MacBook anyway. Who wants/ needs another monthly billed data plan? We get ripped off for our smartphones as is.
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It's much cheaper to get one of those wireless wi-fi hot spot things and you can connect all of your wi-fi devices to it for a low monthly fee.
 
I doubt Apple lets engineers keep prototypes for themselves to own. This is probably Apple's legal property.
 
I am not a lawyer, but I do have a graduate diploma in Law. There is already law on ownership for things that are disposed of.

You can't just take things from people's waste bins.

I'm not equipped to give definite answers on questions of transfers of ownership, but it's absolutely trivial for the lawyers, these are not philosophical questions, these are points of law that were worked out ages ago.

If apple didn't dispose of their ownership by gifting the device to someone (and why would they?) it's hard to see how it wouldn't belong to them or a waste disposal company charged with destroying it...
 
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Id like to imagine apple taking it back in much the same manner of a Hollywood film; with tear gas being thrown threw the windows of fregas house and apple hired armed blackwater mercs piling in to secure it. Probably won't happen, but would make a more interesting MacRumour :D
 
If Apple put this in the bin then I suspect the guy could keep the laptop legally, if it was not and Apple can prove it was let out of the prototype storage by mistake or taken, then they have every right to get it back for free as it is their property.
And Apple being Apple especially after the iPhone 4 leak takes a pretty dim view on these leaks of it's prototypes and pre launch product items. Anyone remember the 3rd gen iPod Nano photo?

But I wouldn't be surprised if it's goodwill all round and Apple give the guy something for his troubles. But at least the prototype pretty much confirms Apple have no interest in 3G in laptops. This to me makes sense because plugging in a USB adapter or connecting to your phone is pretty easy and it's upgradable to 4G LTE etc.
 
Oops... someone has some serious issues with secrets and it is not Apple.

Off course they need to get it back. It has been a public spectacle and they need to make the point that prototypes are not for the publics entertainment.

And all this rubbish about inhuman secrecy, you are talking about a company that has been gang raped after it was stupid enough to share its visions and plans with others. They are finally back to where they should have been 15 years ago.

Do you also live with the childish notion traffic rules are just there to hinder you in your freedom of vehicle expression or do you understand that they came to be out of practical necessity? Just as Apple had to start closing every window (huh huh) because the competition copies pretty much everything they come up with.

Only very few announce the next revolution years ahead and get away with it successfully.



swingerofbirch said:
Apple doesn't need this machine back. It's almost five years old. I doubt they are going to look over the logic board and make some technological discovery of how to make a better MacBook Pro they haven't already documented. The reason they want it back has only to do with control. A product they didn't intend to leave their possession has left it. I imagine once they get it back, it will simply go into storage, an activity sometimes called hoarding. Hoarders feel they can't control their lives—they fear their life—so they control life by keeping everything and eliminating nothing. By keeping everything, they can assume life must be in there somewhere.

So the question is: what does Apple fear?

They hoard money, they keep secrets, they conflate austere design with austere behavior toward their own employees, many of whom live in anxious states.

I think Apple is afraid of being like everyone else and being like anyone at all. Yes, they are different. But being different isn't just part of Apple's identity, it's instead of Apple's identity. Apple is creative and innovative, yes, but if you look for more, you'll find sterility, discipline, austerity, fear, and ruthlessness.

That emptiness and unwillingness to be entirely human, I believe that is what informs these control issues. When I speak of Apple as a person, I mean the human forces within Apple that create the human culture of Apple. Steve Jobs has chosen to create a public persona devoid of much human-like qualities. He doesn't talk about his family. He doesn't talk about being sick. He did give an inspired Stanford graduation speech when he thought he was on the mend. But I think he likes being as mysterious as the next Apple product. He creates the impression that he has no private life. He is a sterile, android like machine that is right about most things because he isn't publicly involved in matters where it's easy to be wrong--like the matters of life. You don't see him giving interviews like Eric Schmidt. Not that Eric Schmidt talks about his life much, but there is something there, you have to admit. I mean it was newsworthy when Apple executives started Twitter feeds because that would have been thought to be verboten in Apple.

Hide everything. Be nothing except the next product. Perfection through non-engagement. Cleanliness through non-communication. It serves Apple well, I suppose. And it's apparently important enough to Apple to get an almost 5 year old MBP back.

But I've only thought about it for 5 minutes, so I could be wrong.
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All I want from OSX is a "copy newer" option, not just replace or cancel!
 
If you look closely at the logicboard you see it has a flux capacitor, maybe someone dropped it out of a window and it fell at 88mph into the future on craigslist?

I mean, that is as plausible as people thinking somehow we should know that 5 years ago something was stolen or lost at Apple. How could we know, why would they tell anyone? It is between them and the current 'owner'

Peace said:
So. Using logic and sound reasoning how do you think it got from a closed lab a few years ago to ebay ?
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Apple Care iYoke night at the Genius Bar... Most requested song by the board of directors and dedicated to SJ: "Can't live if living is without you"

tjcampbell said:
Open-mic night at the Genius Bar.
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appleguru1 said:
INAL, but that's complete BS. Just because something wasn't sold does not mean it was stolen.

In this specific case, it appears that it was an Apple employee that sold the laptop. Its a fairly safe assumption that that employee did not steal the prototype, but instead was implicitly authorized to use/test it, (or perhaps even one of the people that helped create it).

As part of their terms of employment with Apple, they likely agreed to an Intellectual Property agreement which, amongst other things, says that they agree not to disclose any confidential or proprietary information to 3rd parties (which this prototype certainly under).

The only legal misstep here was by the Apple employee that sold the machine. And the only legally appropriate consequence would be termination of the employee (Though a stern talking to/don't do it again talk is very much so sufficient imho).

Assuming all the facts are as they seem, the prototype was never stolen.
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You're kidding, right? High on drugs? Dropped on your head as a baby? Assuming your screenplay above is based on facts, the employee in your story stole the laptop. Basic, simple, established law. Long before Apple became your object of obsession.
 
Cloudsurfer said:
America never ceases to amaze me. Can Apple really legally claim it back? I don't think that would even be remotely possible over here in Europe. If you haven't officially reported the laptop as stolen or lost, you'll have to go to great lengths to proof it's yours.

At 70.000$, screw Apple. I would've sold it.
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Stolen or lost property is still property of the owner. Since Apple does not give or sell prototypes it was either stolen or lost and rightfully theirs. I'd be very surprised that under European law it's any different.

My guess is that Apple will take care of the owner in some way. This is a non-issue.

However I love how this feeds some peoples weird concept that Apple is some sort of evil machine. It's actually just a company with a bunch of great people.
 
rdlink said:
You're kidding, right? High on drugs? Dropped on your head as a baby? Assuming your screenplay above is based on facts, the employee in your story stole the laptop. Basic, simple, established law. Long before Apple became your object of obsession.
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LOL! Good response... yeah, his example does not hold up. Like I said in my other post... lost or stolen, it's still Apple property and they have the right to recover it.

To add, an employee that sells prototypes they are not suppose to is grounds for immediate termination... not a stern talking to. Especially in a company like Apple where all the competition is watching your every move. Sure, this is old technology, but how could you trust them ever again? Stealing is stealing.
 
marksman said:
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Since apple does not sell it's prototypes it has to be stolen. Even if he did not get convicted for possession he has no rights to the property nor compensation from the legal owner.
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Once they throw it out, its not thiers. If apple did not file it stolen years ago, it is not stolen and was properly thrown out at apple.
 
attapl said:
Apple actively discourages employees from discussing rumors on the job. Being caught using a break room computer to visit this website, for example, would earn you a closed door talk with a manager. Their main concern is employees accidentally mentioning a rumor to a customer.
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Seriously? :confused:
 
Ries said:
Once they throw it out, its not thiers. If apple did not file it stolen years ago, it is not stolen and was properly thrown out at apple.
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_If_ Apple threw it out. There is company property that is in my possession right now; it stays company property forever, even if they forget that I have it, and if no record exists that I have it, and if it is written off in a few years. If I sold own of those items to you then you _wouldn't_ own it (and obviously I would be in trouble for it when someone notices). Property is only discarded by an active decision. You wouldn't be in trouble for buying it if there was no reason for you to suspect that it wasn't mine to sell, but you would have to return it.
 
gnasher729 said:
_If_ Apple threw it out. There is company property that is in my possession right now; it stays company property forever, even if they forget that I have it, and if no record exists that I have it, and if it is written off in a few years. If I sold own of those items to you then you _wouldn't_ own it (and obviously I would be in trouble for it when someone notices). Property is only discarded by an active decision. You wouldn't be in trouble for buying it if there was no reason for you to suspect that it wasn't mine to sell, but you would have to return it.
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I wonder if a lawyer can argue that the Genius bar taking the laptop, thoroughly inspecting it, and then returning the laptop would constitute as Apple discarding the property in question.
 
appleguru1 said:
INAL, but that's complete BS. Just because something wasn't sold does not mean it was stolen.

In this specific case, it appears that it was an Apple employee that sold the laptop. Its a fairly safe assumption that that employee did not steal the prototype, but instead was implicitly authorized to use/test it, (or perhaps even one of the people that helped create it).

As part of their terms of employment with Apple, they likely agreed to an Intellectual Property agreement which, amongst other things, says that they agree not to disclose any confidential or proprietary information to 3rd parties (which this prototype certainly under).

The only legal misstep here was by the Apple employee that sold the machine. And the only legally appropriate consequence would be termination of the employee (Though a stern talking to/don't do it again talk is very much so sufficient imho).

Assuming all the facts are as they seem, the prototype was never stolen.
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The laptop belonged to Apple. The Apple employee was unauthorized to sell it. It is considered theft for that employee to take and sell something that belongs to their employer. You can be damn sure if I take a piece of equipment from my employer and sell it they will attempt to recover it in addition to terminating my employment.
 
terraphantm said:
I wonder if a lawyer can argue that the Genius bar taking the laptop, thoroughly inspecting it, and then returning the laptop would constitute as Apple discarding the property in question.
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I'm sure Apple's lawyers will be able to argue that it is highly unreasonable to expect all 50,000 employees of Apple to recognise a never released prototype product - one that even their Genius repair team would not need to know about since it is unreleased.
 
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