Apple strikes back - the police searches Gizmodo editor's house

27 April, 2010
We are sure all of you are already familiar with the tale of the lost and found iPhone 4G prototype. It seems Apple won't give up until "justice" is served to all, whose hands touched the device, despite the...

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • FJT
  • 27 Apr 2010

Anonymous, 27 Apr 2010You said with such enthusiasm that it can't be proven that ... moreAgain, a lost item, if not surrendered becomes a stolen item. Is that too hard to understand? That is why the police are investigating on the case, although I think they should just drop it. But my argument here is about how twisted people's morals have become that they cannot even tell what stealing is.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 9xA
    • 27 Apr 2010

    Anonymous, 27 Apr 2010If police see a crime `being committed, they investigate. ... moreYou said with such enthusiasm that it can't be proven that the phone was lost and found. And how on earth are you so sure that it was stolen. How much are you paid by Apple?

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 9xA
      • 27 Apr 2010

      The founder tried to return the phone to Apple and call them up. But the Apple people (hey it rhymes) took it as a joke and laugh at him.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • P%n
        • 27 Apr 2010

        If police see a crime `being committed, they investigate.

        They saw a crime being blatantly committed by Gizmodo, i.e. buying stolen property, they acted.

        Apple had nothing to do with it.

        End of story.

        GSM Arena's misleading headline leads to page hits.

        People are saying the phone was "lost", how do you know that?

        Because Gizmodo said it was?

        Gizmodo changed their story several times when they realised the seriousness of what they'd done i.e. breaking the law.

        People are saying the unknown person who sold the phone "tried to contact Apple", how do you know that?

        Gizmodo said so but they changed their story several times when they realised they had committed a criminal act.

        Say police are driving along and see someone breaking into a car and a house.

        They stop to investigate, it has nothing to do with the owner reporting it or not.

        That is what is happening here, the police saw a crime they are investigating it.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • vbR
          • 27 Apr 2010

          apple is scared to loose out to other manufs...hence tryin such stuff..
          play a fair game apple ...and ull win almost instantaneously..
          do hell with ur selfish and restricted technology

            • H
            • Harsh Anjaria
            • tUp
            • 27 Apr 2010

            i think now apple is crossing limits everywhere.. trying to impose their right to do what ever they think and want to do ... that is not the way one giant corporate should work....

              • b
              • braindead
              • nH%
              • 27 Apr 2010

              If you find apple phone dont give it back, wait till its locked and then just break it and put video in internet but not from your house, but from lockal internet caffe :) :P :). Thats just so lame

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • Ydg
                • 27 Apr 2010

                It's funny how:
                - an engineer loses a prototype that's being tested
                - the person finding the phone offered to return it and got laughed at
                - some people think the person who found the phone immediately sold it when to the contrary, he offered to return it but was mocked
                - a company laughed at the offer of someone returning a lost prototype that is INVALUABLE to them (one would think they would take it seriously, even if anonymous)
                - the same company turns it around and files a report to have a squad of police officers raid the place of the person who ACTUALLY returned the prototype
                - apple does a press release claiming the iphone was lost, and calls the police and claims the iphone was stolen
                - that the police took apple seriously despite the fact it was contradicting its press release statement
                - that a judge files a search warrant on "reasonable" grounds of the iphone being used to commit a felony (like what? robbing a bank? committing a murder? or will they try and play the child porn card? where do you get reasonable grounds for that?)
                - the raiding police team actually does a night search contrary to what's written on their search warrant (I'm beginning to understand how OJ got away)
                - that a company would do this to a media source that is biased towards their product
                - how a company will try to squirm its way out of this little brouhaha

                but more importantly, it's funny how any prosecutor will try to make this stick despite the case being full of holes.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • jty
                  • 27 Apr 2010

                  Oh.. Please stop it apple. you're full of it

                    • W
                    • Wireless
                    • f4c
                    • 27 Apr 2010

                    Come to HTC people. Their phones work great and they won't break your door down to find a demo phone. This is ridiculous!!!

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • kMh
                      • 27 Apr 2010

                      Anonymous, 27 Apr 2010And btw, I'm shocked to know that a lot of people's morals ... moreYou got some jokes. Claiming something as lost is different than being stolen. Period!

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • FJT
                        • 27 Apr 2010

                        Here's a moral lesson to everyone (people here need it). If you found a lost cell phone in a bar, you give it to the bar manager, that way the person who lost it can go back to the bar and claim it. You do not take it with you, and worse, sell it.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • FJT
                          • 27 Apr 2010

                          And btw, I'm shocked to know that a lot of people's morals have really gone down the drain.

                          I am not in favor of what Apple is doing on this case. But yes, the prototype was stolen. When an item is lost and you found it, you return it to the owner or to an authorized agency or office. The moment you keep that lost item, that's obviously not yours, it becomes stealing. People here need to get their morals checked.

                          When someone loses a cell phone and you found it, you either return it to the owner, or surrender it to the authorities. You do not sell it. What is happening to the human race? It's sad.

                            • B
                            • Brandon
                            • Yg@
                            • 27 Apr 2010

                            This is beyond absurd. EVERY SINLGE high profile phone today is leaked before its a officially announce, why do apple think theyre special or above everyone else. Anyway, they should be happy because it drums up more interest in the phone, keeping iphone-heads looking anxiously towards the announcement. pure stupidity i hope it backfires on apple (Even though we all know it wont)

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • FJT
                              • 27 Apr 2010

                              I'm a mac book pro, iphone, and ipad user. I obviously like Apple products. But seriously, Apple should just get over it. Their employee left their prototype in a bar and then it got sold to Gizmodo and then it was returned to them. End of story. I don't see any reason why they should go this far. And whatever iinformation they're looking for can be easily found on Gizmodo.com. Poor Chen, he's probably all freaked out and traumatized right now.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • psj
                                • 27 Apr 2010

                                Such a fuss about keeping secret specs that are outdated already. Again, Apple is way behind other manufacturers. They should keep them secret indeed, but out of shame.

                                  • g
                                  • griffton
                                  • tE{
                                  • 27 Apr 2010

                                  now this is a joke... after be honest and calling up apple to return the phone back to them .. he is being searched for.... XD

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • Mx@
                                    • 27 Apr 2010

                                    Anonymous, 27 Apr 2010The person that has said that this is "police matter&q... moreso after the said item was returned, thought it was a good idea to break into the person's house who had returned it? For what? More hidden iPhones?

                                    Disappointed and saddened that indeed the world is ruled by money as money = power

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • kMh
                                      • 27 Apr 2010

                                      The person that has said that this is "police matter" only is full of sh*t.

                                      I quote from 4/27/10 WSJ in B1 section titled "Gizmodo Blogger's PCs, Disks Seized":

                                      "Stephen Wagstfaffe, the chief deputy district attorney for San Mateo Country, said Apple contacted authorities and "advised us there had been a theft," which led to the search warrant and an investigation."

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • ibX
                                        • 27 Apr 2010

                                        Well, I guess Jason Chen won't buy any Apple product anymore, that for sure. I'm sure after this incident, I think lots of us won't buy any Apple product. Besides, who want their kid's gadget?