$10,000 iPad Prototype Was ‘Most Likely’ Stolen Property, Says eBay Seller

Auctioning off Apple prototypes is tricky business . If you ’re the seller , there ’s always the opportunity that Apple will taste to shut you down , and ask for the gimmick back . The piece who was selling an iPad image withtwo dock connectorssuspected this when he post his eBay auction sale .

“ I was n’t expecting the vendue to land up . I was expecting Apple to take it down , ” he secern Wired .

But Apple did n’t connect with the vendor , who speak with us on the condition of anonymity . In fact , the seller told us he expressly conducted his auction over the Memorial Day weekend because he figure Apple employee would be enjoying the holiday , not patrolling eBay : “ I knew that Apple would n’t be as participating over the weekend , and I had a expert chance of Apple not take it down , ” he aver .

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Apple has a storeyed history of reigning in people who deal in , or posse comitatus , its epitome . An eBay auction for aMacBook Pro with a 3 G antennawas stop by Apple , and the vendor later returned the hardware to Apple . And of course , theiPhone 4 prototypethat Gizmodo purchased in April 2010led to criminal charges ( later dropped)against Gizmodo editor program Jason Chen . Most recently , in the summer of 2011 , an iPhone image was lost in a San Francisco bar by an Apple employee . The leave investigation entailedApple securitysearching a citizen ’s home under the date of the SFPD .

https://gizmodo.com/this-is-apples-next-iphone-5520164

But the storey of the dual - dock prototype , like its seller , is still cover in mystery . We reached out to him via eBay ’s messaging platform , and he contacted us directly by headphone from a blocked phone number . We still do n’t know his real name , but we were able to harvest some details about his sale .

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The seller read he purchase the iPad epitome from a co - worker . He enunciate he does n’t bonk how the co - doer came to have the prototype , and to protect himself and the Centennial State - worker , the seller would n’t partake in information about where he shape , and what he does for a living .

“ I do n’t know if it was steal from Apple , or if the soul who was working with it keep it , ” the seller order us . “ evaluate by how Apple works , it ’s most likely steal , but I ’m not indisputable about that . ”

However , the seller did tell Wired that the prototype came from an Apple science laboratory in California . “ It has identifying bell ringer that describe which paradigm it is , and those are the figure that I ’ve befog on the auction bridge , ” he said . “ With that you may trail down who was using the iPad . ”

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The seller aver that when he bought the iPad prototype from his co - actor , it was bricked : “ I kind of took a chance and buy it broken and had to renovate a few things , ” he told us . The vendor was unable to fix the touching blind , which he noted in his gross sales language . Nonetheless , the inauspicious status of the prototype did n’t stop the auction price from pushing past $ 10,000 and attracting the attention of the engineering press .

“ I really was n’t expecting that much , ” the trafficker said .

When questioned about the emptor of the iPad , the vendor told us : “ For the privacy of the vendee , I ’d really rather not apportion much more than he is based in the United States , and I just transport it to him . ”

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The seller told us he ’s sell another Apple prototype before , but would n’t provide details other than that the other auction bridge did n’t garner promotion . “ I ca n’t give much information about the Apple equipment without revealing who specifically I am . ”

As for the eBay account that sold the dual - bob iPad , it ’s registered to apps69 , but the seller say it belongs to a friend . “ They obviously know I ’m using the explanation . This is not my account , ” he told us .

While the vender says he does n’t use his own account , the account apps69 has sold a miscellanea of Apple hardware and other technology gear admit various iPhones and MacBooks . None of the items that come along on theseller ’s feedback ratingssuggest anything more strange than run - of - the - mill technology computer hardware .

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The trafficker tell he has n’t been contact by Apple , and does n’t think the company will be well-chosen to talk to him . “ I ’m pretty sure any contact I have with them wo n’t be very positive , ” he said .

Wired emailed Apple about the auction , and has n’t received comment .

So now that the trafficker is $ 10,200 fat , what does he design to do with his money ? “ I design to deliver it and buy a raw iPhone 5 or new MacBook Pro when it comes out . It will emphatically get back to Apple . ”

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