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Authorities Begin Evidence Examination in Gizmodo iPhone Case
- Thread starter Mark Booth
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If someone stole your iPhone, would a gossip-gadget website be willing to pay $8500 for it?
Yeah...didn't think so. See the distinction here?
<<So, do you think if I called the police right now and told them I think I lost my iPhone and it was most likely stolen they would open an investigation and go breaking down doors?! ROFL. They would basically laugh at me.
Heck, if I called them and told them my car was stolen out of my driveway last night I'm guessing it would be hours before they even showed up to take a report. After that I would probably not hear anything again except through my insurance company.
This has everything to do with Apple being a multi-billion dollar company with lots of pull.>>
If your phone was a prototype from Apple, RIM, etc., I think the police would open an investigation. If it's just your RAZR or Kin, then no. If you don't see the difference, not much we can do for you.
Heck, if I called them and told them my car was stolen out of my driveway last night I'm guessing it would be hours before they even showed up to take a report. After that I would probably not hear anything again except through my insurance company.
This has everything to do with Apple being a multi-billion dollar company with lots of pull.>>
If your phone was a prototype from Apple, RIM, etc., I think the police would open an investigation. If it's just your RAZR or Kin, then no. If you don't see the difference, not much we can do for you.
And you seem to have zero comprehension of the fact that this task force is doing the sort of work that it was designed to do.
I'll take the comic, when you're sure you are done with it, skippy.
"...noting that some people advised him to "let it slide" but that devotion to what he believes are the core values of Apple demands that the company pursue action."
And what core values would that be Steve? Your quest to turn Apple into the Fourth Reich?
And what core values would that be Steve? Your quest to turn Apple into the Fourth Reich?
Here is the problem: There is evidence , enough to get the case investigated, that the phone was NOT lost/left at a bar but rather the iphone stolen from a backpack/gym bag.
No, we don't see the distinction. Justice is supposed to be blind (you know, the blindfolded lady holding the "scales of justice"?) and it should not matter that the victim is a multinational corporation. According to our justice system, Apple's prototype should be no more important than one of our phones. And since its clear that the cops would not bust down doors if one of our phones was stolen, that means Apple is getting special treament in the eyes of the law.
I'd really feel for Apple if the device was indeed stolen, as in someone actually intended to steal the prototype for corporate gain or profit.
Fact is an apple employee took the most highly secret prototype of 2010 to a bar and got smashed, and lost it. Stupidity should be a crime! (though we would run out of real estate for prisons). Through the interpretation of the law in the given state this gets classed as theft.
Why on earth would you take a prototype to a bar?? heck it was me it would be to pull the ladies but since you cannot show it to anybody.... worthless! and only asking for trouble!
Fact is an apple employee took the most highly secret prototype of 2010 to a bar and got smashed, and lost it. Stupidity should be a crime! (though we would run out of real estate for prisons). Through the interpretation of the law in the given state this gets classed as theft.
Why on earth would you take a prototype to a bar?? heck it was me it would be to pull the ladies
but since you cannot show it to anybody.... worthless! and only asking for trouble!Stupid...
I think that it's really ridiculous for him to even try to play the "journalism card"! How would he like it if I took something precious of his... say his girlfriend... took her clothes off, took pictures of her in random positions and posted them on my blog for "journalistic purposes"?!? The people deserve to know!
They paid for property they knew was stolen! That's against the law. Period!
I'm glad Apple is seeing this through.
I think that it's really ridiculous for him to even try to play the "journalism card"! How would he like it if I took something precious of his... say his girlfriend... took her clothes off, took pictures of her in random positions and posted them on my blog for "journalistic purposes"?!? The people deserve to know!
They paid for property they knew was stolen! That's against the law. Period!
I'm glad Apple is seeing this through.
Ah, yes... My mistake
Now, will Gizmodo take this to civil? Especially if they lose?
ML
I think you might enjoy learning about the fundamental principles and processes of the U.S. legal system. You obviously have a healthy curiosity, but without the basics, it is, if you'll forgive me, like trying to discuss the finer points of last night's NBA game without knowing the rules of basketball. I think you'll find the law interesting and sensible, and it will make your reading of news accounts of trials and other legal matters that much more interesting once you can place it in context.
This isn't a bad place to start, but you'll find a wide selection of introductory texts aimed at the non-lawyer in any good bookstore, and I haven't met a lawyer yet who wouldn't be delighted to answer any questions your readings might raise.
A link wikipedia? To the law of the united states... wow broad
Though, maybe jumping the gun here, lets lay down some fundamental knowledge and origins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta
What about the guy who lost the phone?
Shouldn't he be under investigation too? Or atleast lose his job. I believe he still works there. I mean since Apple isn't letting anything slide...
Shouldn't he be under investigation too? Or atleast lose his job. I believe he still works there. I mean since Apple isn't letting anything slide...
Steve Jobs addressed this the other day at the AllThingsD conference (you can see video excerpts at video.allthingsd.com).I'd really feel for Apple if the device was indeed stolen, as in someone actually intended to steal the prototype for corporate gain or profit.
Fact is an apple employee took the most highly secret prototype of 2010 to a bar and got smashed, and lost it. Stupidity should be a crime! (though we would run out of real estate for prisons). Through the interpretation of the law in the given state this gets classed as theft.
Why on earth would you take a prototype to a bar?? heck it was me it would be to pull the ladies
Steve explicitly stated that Apple wants these wireless devices to be thoroughly field tested. That doesn't mean the engineer taking it to his one-bedroom condo in Sunnyvale, turning down the lights, and turning up the stereo to mimic The Fillmore. It means taking the prototype to The Fillmore and using it like Joe Consumer would use it, in a noisy, dark rock concert hall. That is field testing.
Gray Powell was on a list of employees authorized to field test prototype units, a list that is allegedly screened by Steve himself. Apple realizes that there's always a risk of loss/theft when a device leaves a locked lab. Without a doubt, Gray Powell signed some sort of form (electronic or paper) that identified who he was, which unit he was checking out, time/date, et cetera, and some lab manager approved it. That's why he is still an Apple employee: he was performing duties in the scope of his job.
He's probably off the list of approved field testers, partly due to the fact that his name and photo have been plastered all over the place and now he would be a target for deliberate theft.
Whether or not this event was a deliberate attempt at corporate espionage is irrelevant in terms of California property crime law. Theft is theft. If I steal the petunias from your flowerbed, I've committed theft. If I plant them in mine rather than selling them to my next door neighbor, that doesn't make me less culpable.
What do damages have to do with anything? The value of the phone is well over the threshold for a felony. Even at the minimal price of $5000-$8500 as set by Gizmodo.
I'd really feel for Apple if the device was indeed stolen, as in someone actually intended to steal the prototype for corporate gain or profit.
Fact is an apple employee took the most highly secret prototype of 2010 to a bar and got smashed, and lost it. Stupidity should be a crime! (though we would run out of real estate for prisons). Through the interpretation of the law in the given state this gets classed as theft.
Why on earth would you take a prototype to a bar?? heck it was me it would be to pull the ladies
1) This isn't a "bar" in the sense of "yo lets get us some drunk on!". The employee took it with him to diner with his uncle at a restaurant that specializes in accompanying meals with premium belgian beers. The employee and his uncle ate diner and had a beer with diner at a table. I have actually been to the restaurant in question and it is definitely not a "bar". Think more along the lines of a restaurant brewery.
2) The employee is part of a field test program to make sure the phone works outside of the apple campus so that when it gets to you it works in the real world. The original iPhone was also in the hands of a few hundred testers for 3-6 months prior to "one more thing..." at the keynote. field testing must be done to ensure it works.
3) The iphone prototype was encased in a sophisticated case to disguise it as an iphone 3G(s). If you had seen the employee with the phone you would not have any idea it was a prototype and figured it was a regular iPhone with a case.
Nice try, thanks for playing...
Yup, only the rich get justice.
When i lost my ipod the police did not give a crap
That is because ipod is only worth $300 and an iPhone prototype leak probably cost Apple $millions, because all of their android competitors know exactly what the next iPhone will look like and can adjust their plans accordingly.
Please educate yourself by reading the 10-page affidavit:
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2010/05/iphone_affidavit.pdf
Powell didn't misplace the iPhone. It was either taken from his bag or accidentally fell out of his bag. In either case it is HARDLY the "left on a barstool" story that so many keep repeating.
All indications are that there was no negligence on Powell's part. And that is exactly why he wasn't fired and won't be fired.
Mark