iPhone Prototype Seller Revealed, Has Regrets

[applegetsmelaid]

Its a g*d d*amn phone people. Get a life Apple and stop creating meaningless problems to promote you company.

 

[vant]

[citation][nom]Jinx13[/nom]I still think this whole thing was orchestrated by Apple, the new iPhone each year is a given now, the unveiling at WWDC is a given. This is a marketing/advertising scheme from Apple(and a very good one at that) to generate as much buzz as possible about the phone.The only question that remains in my mind is whether or not Gizmodo is in on it or are they the scapegoat here? Funny how no one else is in any possible legal trouble yet. If it is all true, the guy that lost the phone should be fired before Apple goes after anyone else involved. Not saying I think he should be fired, quite the contrary, but if Apple wants to take action that is where they should start./rambling[/citation]
The employee lost the phone. He did not reveal it to anyone. Why would he get fired for losing something on accident?

Why would Apple need to 'leak' the next iPhone? Their sales have been increasing exponentially. They don't need a 'leak' to boost it up further.

If anything, Apple has lost in this situation (but consumers won). Apple's next phone is revealed. Competitors know exactly what they are up against. Increased battery life. Slimmer phone. Front facing camera.

Comparing this new '4G' (for lack of a better name) to any other iPhone, this is definitely the biggest change to date.

 

[mattclary]

Had I been this guy and found or been handed an iPhone, I would have been like, "Wow, I found an iPhone".

How did this guy know it was some super-secret piece of tech that would command a high price tag?

Something doesn't add up.

 

[cyprod]

The lawyer is playing the "I didn't know any better" defense. I think it's a smart move. It's a great defense, especially in cases like this where it may not be obvious what the law actually states. I mean, seriously, ho many people here actually knew if you found something on the street, if you keep it, it's stolen?

It will be easy to get reasonable doubt on this by claiming he didn't know finding something in public and keeping it after making a reasonable attempt to find the owner at the bar, was considered theft. If he can get that, he gets a slap on the wrist, nothing more.

 

[aletoil]

A couple things that come to mind:
Apple guys refused the returning of it(I beleive it might have been in one of Toms reports, though Im probably mistaken.) The man asked if anyone owned it...no one seemed to concerned. Taking it certainly isnt the most honest thing to do(I have had my share of turning in stuff that I REALLY wanted to keep for whatever reason), but it certainly wasnt stealing. I couldnt fathom his ass legally being on the line for anything. He found something, and he did what he wanted with it. It wasnt like it was a wallet with information on who owned it, but with a bit more diligence, this could have been avoided on both sides.

 

[chuenl]

By not leaking the phone out, Apple will enjoy the cash from buyers who don't wait for the new iPhone. After a few months, Apple then releases the new iPhone and they can make the current buyers paid more to upgrade, or renew their contracts with AT&T just to get the new gadget. Win-Win for Apple and AT&T...

 

[sliem]

He should have returned it to the bar manager or just leave it somewhere. Worse thing to do is selling what isn't yours.

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]vant[/nom]The employee lost the phone. He did not reveal it to anyone. Why would he get fired for losing something on accident?Why would Apple need to 'leak' the next iPhone? [/citation]
Because he lost a prototype, that is huge in any company, a lost prototype could mean lost revenue, it doesn't always but it could, and would definitely be grounds for dismissal. If you take a secret prototype product you are supposed to make damn sure it does not leave your sight or get lost.

 

[in0va3]

I'm guessing that Brian's home/dorm would get searched too by the police just like Jason's!

 

[Guest]

This reconfirms my already staunch thoughts that Steve jobs is a virgin. I'm starting to think he fits the profile if a eunuch.

 

[reklatsa]

[citation][nom]aletoil[/nom]...It wasnt like it was a wallet with information on who owned it...[/citation]

Brian J. Hogan had the iPhone prototype switched on when it fell into his hands. He even navigated to the owners FaceBook page...He could see it belonged to Gray Powell, an Apple employee, before it was bricked remotely by Apple.

Computerworld has additionally reported that:

"Brian Lam, Gizmodo’s editorial director, has acknowledged that the prototype had been stolen, not simply lost. “Just so you know, we didn’t know this was stolen when we bought it,” Lam said in a blog post that described Apple’s request for the iPhone’s return. Gizmodo later said it had returned the iPhone to Apple."

Though found in dismal abundance here on THW, in law ignorance is not a defence.

 

[jecastej]

If it is all true, the guy that lost the phone should be fired before Apple goes after anyone else involved. Not saying I think he should be fired, quite the contrary, but if Apple wants to take action that is where they should start.

My speculation:
Apple may need this guy to have full legal rights in court over the stolen/lost prototype. After all is an Apple employe who lost the Apple property. Also I am sure this circumstances on any big company, and Apple is very sensitive about this situations, must have a legal agreements signed with very clear rules, responsibilities and procedures on both sides covering what is going to happen if a prototype is lost.

Why Apple allows those prototypes out of their installations? To fully test them on real circumstances. Using a prototype on the real world should be discrete but necessary and a common practice.

Also those agreements will protect you in certain circumstances because not every person involved in the development process may be to happy to sign something extremely compromising. A bar is a regular place and it doesn't necessarily probe negligence on your side.

Somewhere I read that Apple representatives and the engineer who lost the device went back to the bar and asked for the iPhone. If this is true it is clear that Apple is acting to protect their engineers too.

 

[Marco925]

i would've just kept it, popped in my SIM card and used it.

It'd make me feel special.

 

[micky_lund]

[citation][nom]in0va3[/nom]I'm guessing that Brian's home/dorm would get searched too by the police just like Jason's![/citation]
aren't we all waiting for it?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

the soap opera continues.

 

[brando56894]

The whole "He should have given it to the bar's owner" situation kind of irks me a little because who's to say that the bartender or the owner wouldn't have done the same thing?

As for him selling it to Gizmodo: if he tried to return it to Apple and they didn't want it back he has every right to sell it.

 

[aj6065]

"Sorry officer, I...I didn't know I couldn't do that"

 

[seab4ss]

What happened to the precedents of "finders - keepers" and "boys will be boys"?

 

[gemmakaru]

If I find anything like that, maybe safest to throw it in the sea.

 

[tayb]

[citation][nom]brando56894[/nom]The whole "He should have given it to the bar's owner" situation kind of irks me a little because who's to say that the bartender or the owner wouldn't have done the same thing?As for him selling it to Gizmodo: if he tried to return it to Apple and they didn't want it back he has every right to sell it.[/citation]

He didn't try to return it to Apple. Didn't make any attempt at all. The story about the kid phoning customer support was a complete fabrication.