The phone was disabled when Gizmodo bought it. They couldn't restore it, the original finder said he went through his Facebook friend list.
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Criminal Investigation of Lost Next-Generation iPhone Spurred by Apple Requests
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The act of stealing is not incumbent upon the phone still being in the possession of the owner.
If it was in the possession of the owner, it's robbery. If it was in the owner's property, e.g. a car or home, it's burglary. If it was taken out in the open it's larceny.
Furthermore... In California, it's spelled out explicitly in state law that not making a reasonable effort to return the phone constitutes theft. It's larceny under the California Penal Code Section 485. Grand larceny given the value of the prototype (the selling price is even irrelevant).... which could be in the four, five or six figures... or more if you include all development costs.
Buying stolen property is a felony. Chen (or Gizmodo) bought stolen property. They admitted it. Is this hard to understand?
Wow..... finally a smart person!! I like you.
It's amazing how the most basic, common sense element of this situation, continues to elude people.Thanks for posting this. This guy is either a complete TOOL (to the extreme) or lying his ass off.
It's simple to understand, and it's been explained to him repeatedly. He's a troll or more likely a paid Google astroturfer.
Everyone is acting as if Chen was the man at the bar.
How'd you know?
Because that would not satisfy the bloodlust of the Gizmodo haters nor would it repair the Apple's dented ego.
Don't you understand man??? Someone MUST PAY!!!!!!!
ETA: LOL at the "Hey you are so smart and your post is so intelligent" replies when someone agrees with you.
Just thank god this didn't happen in China, the suicides would have been well into double figures by now!
It's amazing, the sympathy around here for people who walk off with someone's possessions if the owner turns around for a minute.
I sincerely hope your house (hut? hovel? squat? dugout?) is burglarized at least twice a year for the rest of your teenaged years. Maybe you'll get it through your thick skull why those of us who aren't juvenile douchebags hate thieves and fences, and it has nothing to do with Apple.
Because nobody can possibly be this willfully ignorant. Those are the only two options left. Troll or astroturfer.
Turns around for a minute? He left the bar and went home. It wasn't snatched from his grasp. Thanks for wishing suffering on me for disagreeing with you on an internet forum...you sound like a lovely human being. I think you have also violated forum rules by calling me a "douchebag" so you might want to edit that out. And you DID call me that...indirect wording aside. And if 78 is your birth year I am a fair amount older than you kiddo...but don't let that stop you from trying every trick in the book to demean me.
Yep, so Jason bought the phone and the phone users contact info.
At this point he should have been onto Apple. But nope, he takes a few weeks to thoroughly check his legal position (at a guess) with Giz and then they post.
Why do some here insist Gray was drunk? That's never been a known fact. It's an assumption to justify their view. And a poor one.
Can you imagine the moment he knew he had to call work and tell them he'd lost the prototype. He must have been sick to the core I'm guessing. And like that for some time afterwards. The fact that Jason and co had the phone for a few weeks and said nothing to Apple would have just pro-longed that worry. Fro Apple the fear would be what happened to it. The worst fear would it being sold for more to some other phone company. I'm guessing the seller could have got more in Asia for that phone.
Exactly, people need to be held accountable for their actions, and need to be shown that they will be held accountable for their actions. If Jason's life is completely destroyed by this incident, it will serve a greater cause. I personally hope he never sees the light of day after convicted.
The only defense I can think of is if the gizmodo lawyers claim that Apple purposefully "lost " the phone which would mean everything was legal. They only have to convince a jury enough to create a reasonable doubt. Apple's history of planting false rumors could help. I can't imagine that actually working, but stranger things have happened in a courtroom.
" the phone which would mean everything was legal. They only have to convince a jury enough to create a reasonable doubt. Apple's history of planting false rumors could help. I can't imagine that actually working, but stranger things have happened in a courtroom.Maybe, but wishing other people harm is also bad karma. I generally make a habit of doing neither.
Interesting that you believe every last word of Gizmodo's portrayal and nothing else. Quite interesting.
It isn't about disagreeing. You have said explicitly that stealing is okay as long as it isn't "snatched from his grasp". That isn't disagreeing, that's you are a dishonorable excuse for a human being. Sorry. You chose your morals, not me.
It is Jason or someone closely allied with him, so that may explain it
He vehemently defends every word of the Gizmodo articles as gospel.STOLEN STOLEN STOLEN STOLEN. If this is too much for you, just think of it this way: if it's not yours, you have to give it back. If you sell it to someone else, that's not the same as giving it back. If someone buys something from you that they know doesn't belong to you, it's called receiving stolen property. Is it clear yet?
As far as "grow the f up, etc." What?