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QFT

Why no pics of the connect to iTunes, prob the one thing that could slightly prove it's an iPhone...

And how about a tear down? So maybe they're afraid of getting sued... how about just an xray?

This thing may be real, but it's definitely planted.
 
...not to mention the address information in the bottom right, and the apple logo in the top right have some sketchy lookin' "photoshopped" halos around them...

The address text in the lower right appears aliased because on Apple stationery it's printed in grey.
 
Didn't the article say he called Apple and never received a return call? If that is true, then why not sell it?

Because he does not have that right under California law?

Well, it may not be theft, but it sure was unethical.

Selling something that is not your property is theft under most state laws. He had no rights to that phone under California’s laws regarding misplaced property - it’s theft
 
If it was "terrible", yeah. Agreed. But they can defend against "terrible" in the lab. They can't defend against "not that bad, but bad enough to annoy a lot of people once ten million have bought it" in the lab.

There are lots of valid test environments outside of One Infinite Loop but still inside Apple's realm of security.
 
I don't know about California specifically, but in most common law countries that sounds like the offence of 'theft by finding'. It's not commonly prosecuted but in a case like this...

And Gizmodo could possibly be up for receiving stolen goods.

I wouldn't have done it that way.

EDIT - just saw the Gizmodo post about Apple asking for it back. I had 'no idea it was stolen when I bought it' - how many people have said that. The only worse excuse would be 'I got it off a bloke down the pub'... Oh dear.
 
Couldn't they use the Find My iPhone service to locate it?

If the phone is off you can't use the Find My iPhone feature, and you have a choice. You can tell the system to wipe the phone the next time it is turned on, or you tell the phone to display a message the next time it is turned on. If you remote wipe the phone you can't use the Find My iPhone feature.

I'm sure that apple decided the data on the phone (new OS) was worth too much to risk.
 
You're right about that timeline. But you're extrapolating incorrectly. What matters is that the phone was tested in the wild for at least ten weeks before sales launch, and we are currently less than 8 weeks (most likely) from the sales launch of the 4G. The very early announcement of the original iPhone isn't the relevant detail.

Given that iterations are secret but nothing approaching the secret that was the original iPhone or the iPad, it also wouldn't be surprising for them to have been in the wild even longer than 10 weeks (why not, if you have the luxury of it).

I believe the most relevant factor is that the design was previously released at MWSF, unlike the present next-gen iPhone design. That's not to say that the sales launch information is irrelevant, just that I believe it is more relevant that the original iPhone was already released at the time of testing.

I'm not saying that the 4th Generation iPhone has not been undergoing testing in the wild. Just that the complete design (containing final hardware and software prototypes) are not. Like I said before, I think this thing was a software dev mule, in which the hardware is not final.

Although Apple is now asking for it back (reportedly). But probably just due to the firestorm of today.

--mAc
 
I don't know about California specifically, but in most common law countries that sounds like the offence of 'theft by finding'. It's not commonly prosecuted but in a case like this...

And Gizmodo could possibly be up for receiving stolen goods.

I wouldn't have done it that way.

California law explicitly says that what this guy did amounts to theft - and since we are talking about a $5000 dollar gain, it sounds like grand theft too!
 
Didn't the article say he called Apple and never received a return call? If that is true, then why not sell it?

Because the state of California has very specific requirements about how you can take possession of something you found. I and someone else have both posted them in this thread, look around.
 
Selling something that is not your property is theft under most state laws. He had no rights to that phone under California’s laws regarding misplaced property - it’s theft

I'm not sure about the law, but I know the guy is thief. He knows the difference between right and wrong, but couldn't resist the temptation of this super cool prototype gadget.

Regardless of the law the guy knew he was doing something wrong by taking the phone. His mom would not be proud of him. The whole line about waiting for the guy to come back (yet not leaving the phone, or even a note, with the restaurant) sounds like weak justification from a guilty conscience.

All you have to do is consider what you would do if it was a normal cell phone. Some people would take it, use it and sell it. Others would try to get it back to the rightful owner.
 
Down among 'em

Maybe I'm nostalgic for the valley but if you're that close, how about the option of driving the 20 miles to HQ and returning the phone in person? I guess it depends on what your true motivations are. I think I would go to the mountain and, due to the highly sensitive nature of the item, ask to see Muhammed (or one of his trusted friends).
 
Still think it's a prototype. Can't possibly be the finished product this far from the supposed intro date.
 
Maritime salvage. Besides the lack of water how is it not?

Because it was inside the borders of the United States of America and the State of California and is subject to the laws of those jurisdictions? Just thinking out loud. ;) You did pick up on the most obvious clue, I give you credit for that.
 
feeling sad for the guy:(
maybe it was all planned by apple...who knows...
gizmodo is stupid...atleast they should have kept his name a secret
 
Still think it's a prototype. Can't possibly be the finished product this far from the supposed intro date.

This far? I guess I don't understand how quickly a phone can go from proto to mass release, 6-8weeks seems like an insanely quick timeline to be hashing out details, let alone not even have the main idea set.
 
Maybe this means there will be a new Software Engineer position open that I can apply to...
 
Bruce, thanks.
Here's Jason Chen, who has the iPhone. And here's his address. You two should coordinate a time.

[Blah Blah Blah Address]

Happy to have you pick this thing up. Was burning a hole in our pockets. Just so you know, we didn't know this was stolen when we bought it. Now that we definitely know it's not some knockoff, and it really is Apple's, I'm happy to see it returned to its rightful owner.

P.S. I hope you take it easy on the kid who lost it. I don't think he loves anything more than Apple.

http://gizmodo.com/5520479/a-letter-apple-wants-its-secret-iphone-back

I like how Giz claims they did not know it was "stolen" property, ahhahahahaha this is ridic.
 
I wonder if steve will have any funny comments about this at the keynote? "As you all know, this is the new iPhone..."
 
This far? I guess I don't understand how quickly a phone can go from proto to mass release, 6-8weeks seems like an insanely quick timeline to be hashing out details, let alone not even have the main idea set.

At this point, the device is essentially finished. That isn't to say the shell this thing was in is the production shell, that's a different question (though I'd say it's damn likely). A lot of laypeople (and even some in the industry) do not understand what the word "prototype" means, just as they don't understand what a "beta" is. Thanks, Google.
 
I also don't get why everyone thinks its a big deal that his name was released. Why do we care, none of us are mad at him. This guy is our hero for revealing this.
 
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