Apple Loses Another 4th-Gen iPhone

An anonymous reader noted that Apple appears to have lost another of its 4th generation iPhones. This doesn't seem like the most efficient distribution mechanism, Steve. Wonder if the SWAT team will get called in.

Comments

Part deux

[Dan East]

Looks exactly like the phone Gizmodo got their hands on, except this one has a SIM slot on the right. I tend to believe these are the real deal.

Re:Part deux

[lymond01]

Summary of differences between Burglary, Robbery, Theft, Larceny...

To summarize:

Robbery: Stealing something from a person with the threat or application of force
Burglary: breaking into a structure with the intent of committing a crime
Larceny: like burglary, only you didn't break in, you walked in. "Along with motor vehicle theft, larcenies can include purse snatching, shoplifting, theft of any bicycle, fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, forgery, con games, etc"

So...in the attempt of burglarizing someone's house while they sleep, you might wake them up and force them to tell you where the safe is. You're now a burglar and a robber. I suppose "robbing" a bank with a gun while it's open, while certainly robbery, may also be considered larceny since banks are public buildings.

Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS

[bytethese]

Actually, not true.

IANAL either, but have you ever heard of abandonment doctrine? For example, police cannot go through your trash (in the US) if it's on your property, but when you put it out to be collected, it's on public property (sidewalk) and is considered abandoned. So you can't just store any old property anywhere you wish. Cars? That's another story, I'm referring more to small personal possessions.

Similarly this could apply to things you leave about, however, ethics dictate that a person reasonably try to contact the original owner of such property (I would and have) to return said item. If owner not found nor seeking their property to be returned, enjoy the item.

Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS

[nomadic]

No, but park it in my parking space, don't remove it after I have you served with a notice to either do so or that I will go to court and get title of it, and guess what - I *can* go to court and get title transferred.

Uhhhh...what?? What law is this? IAAL and I've never heard of this legal maneuver.

Re:Fake screen?

[Panaflex]

It's working.. look at the battery bar graph on the bottom - it flips between 2% and other values @ 0:55.

Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS

[tomhudson]

if it's been abandoned/unclaimed for 30 days or more, it usually takes a couple of weeks. Not "... a long time". Look up "abandoned vehicle lien sale"

I wonder if Taco is still bitter...

[Duradin]

I wonder if Taco is still bitter about how "Less space than a Nomad. No wireless. Lame." turned out for him.

My vote is that yes, yes he is.

Apple doesn't get to call out SWAT. The Cops use SWAT for everything these days. Apple wouldn't need SWAT anyways as they have their Black Turtleneck Ninja Corps.

Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS

[nate_in_ME]

In some cases, yes, it would... (Courtesy of http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_123rd/chappdfs/PUBLIC150.pdf)

State that if the owner of the vehicle or lienholder has not properly retrieved it and paid all reasonable charges for its towing, storage and repair within 7 days from the publication, ownership of the vehicle passes to the owner of the premises where the vehicle is located

Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS

[SydShamino]

Legal at least in California, thanks to 30 seconds on Google:

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060720210018AAWfCCp

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/liensale.htm

Re:Lost? You keep using that word.

[geekoid]

Let see.
Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around.
Trie to contact the owner. No luck
Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
Sells it to Gizmnodo.
Gizmodo contacts Apple, Apple says it isn't theirs.
Gizmodo takes it apart.
Apple now says it is theirs.
Gizmodo gives it to them
Gizmodo gets raided by the police.

Yeah, it's like finding a wallet, trying to find it's owner then when people say ti isn't there you decided to keep the money. Then you get thrown in jail.

The only people at fault for anything is Apple.

Re:Just a thought

[Anonymous Coward]

This isn't just a joke. The official police report regarding the death of of a young man in the Ukraine (not a personal acquaintance of mine; removed by one degree) was that he bashed his head against a pole repeatedly until he first lost consciousness and then died of brain trauma.

A year or two later, the report of a journalist's (as I recall; maybe it was a minor politician) death concluded that he committed suicide by shooting himself in the forehead twice.

Re:Lost? You keep using that word.

[Rakishi]

Except the ipad cpu which was manufactured by apple and is claimed to also be in the new iphone.

Why is this modded funny?

[bledri]

...and if you want to invade there's an app for that.

There really is an app for that.

I hate defending Apple but...

[mjwx]

Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around.
Trie to contact the owner. No luck
Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
Sells it to Gizmnodo.

Step 2 is where it started to go wrong, step 4 is where it actually gets illegal. I think the whole thing was an organised leak but lets assume I accept your assertion at face value...

Step two should have been:
"Dropped it off at police station."

In Australia, our laws require this. If no one claims it within a reasonable amount of time the object is yours to keep if you want it. Realistically this should be your first reaction, if not your second as you could easily get in trouble for attempting to find the owner (you get accused of stealing it, maybe even stalking). Whatever you do, you do not sell the object as it's not yours to sell as it trading in stolen goods regardless of whether you found it or stole it.