Quote :

"I know it's real easy to play Monday morning QB, but I really do wonder how far Apple would have gone to get it back."

Both criminal and civil charges were mentioned to my lawyer. It was made quite clear that no expense would be spared and their only concern was the return of their property, at the soonest possible time, at any cost. Compensation wasn't even on the table and would not be discussed. When my lawyer asked what was the hurry, is there going to be a lawsuit filed in the AM or something Apple's man said no . . . . we'd just have RPD do it.


This is the man who Apple charged with getting the machine back and I talked to on the phone: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jim-doyle/26/692/5b0


Yeah, not the type of man anybody with sanity wants to pick a fight with. Although I might be doing so right now by talking about it. Once it hit his desk (probably due to the Cnet article) there was no negotiation and it was nothing but strongarm tactics all the way. But really if they wanted me to not talk they could have thrown me a bone and had me sign an NDA rather than stomping on me like a bug.

9/3/2011 11:01:56 PM

Quote :

"we'd just have RPD do it."

must be nice, because i'm about 98% certain RPD wouldn't give a flying fuck if any of us lost a laptop

9/3/2011 11:21:37 PM

Seriously. Especially not if you told them so FOUR YEARS after the fact.

9/4/2011 12:03:18 AM

Look, I own a shitpile of AAPL...but (or maybe because of that) I wish you would run those motherfuckers ragged with negative publicity.

I can't say I would have fought it to the bitter end and gone down with the ship, only to have them still win anyway...but knowing me, I probably would have dug in my heels and been a real bastard about it for quite a while longer, just on principle.

I don't have any problem with them laying claim to it if it was stolen, but (a) the burden would be on them to prove that it was stolen property, I would think, and (b) the fact that they defaulting to acting like total cocksuckers about it instead of trying to do things the "nice" way is poor business.

9/4/2011 12:26:36 AM

Take said laptop, close business ties in America, buy a second identity, move to Africa, take picture of said laptop with you flipping the bird and emailing the media and everyone that works at apple...

9/4/2011 1:53:13 AM

^ Totally an awesome plan. I should have thought of that.

9/4/2011 3:47:59 AM

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

9/4/2011 6:53:55 AM

Share your story on Reddit, Digg, etc. Stir up as much bad publicity as you can. You're the biggest Mac fanboy I know. They had no cause to do this to you. Especially since you had to fix their crappy product to even make it work.

I especially like the part where they use Raleigh Police as their personal army in a private matter.

[Edited on September 4, 2011 at 10:38 AM. Reason : Heck, send it to WRAL and News and Observer too, might stir up some business for you.]

9/4/2011 10:36:36 AM

^ They just have to go to RPD and claim it was stolen and they know who has it. There is no time limit on theft or receiving of stolen property.

9/4/2011 11:47:47 AM

This is correct for felony theft or receiving stolen property in NC. In other states though the statute of limitations is as little as 4 years.

9/4/2011 12:05:00 PM

Quote :

"^ Totally an awesome plan. I should have thought of that."

I KNOWZ RITE?!?! l've only done it twice and fun both times.

The only downside is the risk of malaria and civil war... But who could put a price on sticking it to apple and living the lavish life of internet fame for being the dude who skipped town to save his macbook pro from the evil clutches of its father? Plus after a few years, you write a book about your adventures and sell it as a blockbuster movie... make millions.

9/4/2011 6:41:00 PM

And once again JBaz crosses the line into trying too hard.

9/4/2011 7:11:48 PM

There's honestly no effort involved in what comes out of my mind... I just have the poor judgement capacity to know when to shut up; thus I repeatedly cross the line. Most people tend to give up and

9/4/2011 7:19:42 PM

"Whoops, I accidentally knocked it off the 20th story balcony."

9/4/2011 7:44:00 PM

Yeah, i'm fairly certain it would have accidentally got dropped in a turkey fryer before i sent that thing back.

9/4/2011 8:32:26 PM

office space accident...

9/4/2011 8:35:46 PM

^ Heh, why. I wouldn't have gained anything. I really should have taken apart the display assembly and seen what was in there, though.

9/4/2011 9:42:45 PM

I donno, when I feel pissed I have a 25lb sledge hammer and a katana sword waiting next to my desk... I'm sure with your business you have an endless supply of old tech to pound on from time to time.

9/4/2011 11:12:48 PM

Quote :

" Chief, Foreign Investment Unit, Counterintelligence Division at Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent, Milwaukee Division at Federal Bureau of Investigation General Counsel, Milwaukee Division at Federal Bureau of Investigation Judge Advocate at United States Marine Corps "

wow

9/5/2011 12:08:17 AM

that was all terribly interesting to read.

Did you pull the components out that you put into the machine?

9/5/2011 2:31:59 AM

Usually when you have something that people want, you demand ransom and keep it in a hidden place.

9/5/2011 2:43:08 AM

^^ No, I didn't. I'm asking for them back but not hopeful, I wanted it to be running so they could verify everything when they picked it up, both in software and externally.

^ It was locked in a safe with a friend. My lawyer tried to get them to at least give me something given what I went through, but they wouldn't even discuss it. Wasn't even on the table.


My mom made a great Firefly reference about the guy from Apple. "That means an Operative. And that is trouble you've not known."

9/5/2011 3:09:28 AM

Quote :

"It was locked in a safe with a friend. My lawyer tried to get them to at least give me something given what I went through, but they wouldn't even discuss it. Wasn't even on the table. "

I'm sure their prototype wouldn't be on the table either. "You threw it away"

9/5/2011 4:58:15 AM

any woman that quotes firefly is pretty cool in my book.

9/5/2011 5:02:06 AM

^ Yeah, my mother is a pretty classy lady, heh.

9/5/2011 5:17:40 AM

I forget who the engadget/gizmodo guy is on tww, but maybe they'll read this

9/5/2011 8:47:35 AM

that's some fucking bullshit.

9/5/2011 9:11:45 AM

I really don't think they would care if it came back to them in pieces... all they care about it is it being in someone elses hands- sure the satisfaction of breaking it would have felt good, but if the goal was to get a rise out of them, I don't think it would have worked

9/5/2011 9:47:19 AM

Yeah, they could have just built another one. Their interest here was getting it out of the wild.

9/5/2011 9:57:28 AM

lets play hot potato with it-

pass it between every willing tdubber.

9/5/2011 10:09:30 AM

Man that SUCKS that Apple's not compensating you for anything.

Could you take the guy that sold it to you to small claims court to get some money back at least?

I mean dang, $70,000 on ebay.

9/5/2011 11:42:37 AM

Quote :

"^^ No, I didn't. I'm asking for them back but not hopeful, I wanted it to be running so they could verify everything when they picked it up, both in software and externally."

Its one thing to lose the labor involved... but if they were to sue you, those components would never have been turned over.

Clearly, the only option is to take apple and sue them for the components on judge Mathis.

9/5/2011 12:17:26 PM

It's the ONLY way!

9/5/2011 1:33:26 PM

http://img.ibtimes.com/www/articles/20110903/208156_rapid-apple-and-police-ransack-home-to-find-iphone-5.htm

Luckily the police didn't escort some apple employees to ransack your house. Apparently having a few billion in the bank allows you to use the police as your own personal security force.

9/5/2011 4:44:57 PM

^ Had I not handed it over as requested that very likely would have been what happened next. Hence why I did.

9/6/2011 4:24:55 AM

Apple obviously had every right to get their equipment back, as it was stolen property (you know they didnt sign a release for an employee to just sell this thing). However, they did handle it in a dick way.

9/7/2011 1:23:24 PM

seriously

i think they should have the right to get their stolen property back, but at the very least they should have come to the negotiating table with a graceful attitude and a top-spec Macbook Pro.

Shit, I've seen geniuses at the apple store give new iphones to people who drop theirs in the swimming pool for no fee.

9/7/2011 1:35:06 PM

^ Happened to me

I think the problem here is the word 'negotiation'. If I were the lawyer, I would have said "Of course he is going to turn the property back over to you. Would you be willing to give him any finders fee, since he unknowingly purchased stolen equipment, is a big apple fan, and is out a bit of money." Maybe he did it that way, I dunno.

I imagine if I found my stolen stuff being sold, I wouldnt be too thrilled with 'negotiating' with the unlawful owner to get it back.

9/7/2011 1:46:37 PM

Quote :

" Its one thing to lose the labor involved... but if they were to sue you, those components would never have been turned over. Clearly, the only option is to take apple and sue them for the components on judge Mathis."

100% sure apple would decline a judge mathis trial

9/7/2011 3:00:40 PM

Quote :

"Do they really call their repair monkeys the "Genius Bar"?!"

to the stupid fuckers that buy an Apple product, if you can turn the damn thing on you are a "genius".

9/7/2011 7:11:36 PM

Quote :

"http://img.ibtimes.com/www/articles/20110903/208156_rapid-apple-and-police-ransack-home-to-find-iphone-5.htm Luckily the police didn't escort some apple employees to ransack your house. Apparently having a few billion in the bank allows you to use the police as your own personal security force. "

Apparently there was enough outrage over this search happening that the police are now being investigated.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/09/07/iphone.5.probe/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

9/8/2011 7:57:20 AM

good... now I hope all the litigations apple has towards google reverses and bites them on the ass. any apple nazi logos plz?

9/8/2011 6:26:10 PM

Didn't read the entire thread, but what is their proof that the thing was actually stolen? Did they file a police report?

9/8/2011 6:53:19 PM

silly Chance. big corporations don't need "proof". they got lawyers, son

9/8/2011 7:34:51 PM

And more money than the US treasury...

9/9/2011 5:00:05 AM

^^^^I personally prefer Soviet Apple: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NODhXAeFqjs/TG9LqrrPIkI/AAAAAAAAAbI/ikKp2MFBmkw/s1600/Communist_Apple.jpg

9/9/2011 5:57:05 AM

yeah, but I wouldn't classify soviets during their era as a cult, unlike the nazi's. Nazi's were blinded with ridiculous propaganda growing up and their whole society was based off of something above national pride, similar to Apple followers now. Soviets were more like nationalists, although they were blinded from the truth with similar propaganda at the time, but not whole heartily believe in mass ignorance.

Don't forget the egocentric model of the Nazi's.

9/9/2011 6:25:57 AM

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/09/sfpd-investigating-involvement-in-bizarre-case-of-lost-iphone-prototype.ars

9/9/2011 7:41:25 AM

Apple is pretty brutal in their methods for protecting their interest. You can get beaten in other countries for crossing a fence.

9/9/2011 4:35:33 PM

should've sold it anonymously and wished them good look tracking it down

9/12/2011 5:54:23 PM