Police interviewed Steve Jobs in iPhone prototype case

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
California authorities are close to wrapping up their investigation of the case involving the iPhone 4 prototype obtained by Gizmodo in April. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs was interviewed during the investigation.



Stephen Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney for San Mateo County, Calif., told CNET Monday that police are nearly finished with their investigation, Greg Sandoval reports. A final report could be sent to Wagstaffe "within the next few weeks."



"Wagstaffe will then review the information and determine whether to file criminal charges," the report noted. According to the district attorney, a "number of Apple employees," including Jobs, and "people connected to the case" were interviewed during the investigation.



The saga began in March when Brian Hogan reportedly "found" an iPhone left by an Apple engineer in a Redwood City, Calif., bar. After removing a false case meant to simulate the appearance of the iPhone 3GS, Hogan realized the phone was a nearly-finished prototype of the then unannounced iPhone 4. Hogan then reportedly sold Gizmodo the "exclusive rights" to review the prototype for $5,000.



Although Engadget posted the first photos of the prototype, it was Gizmodo's Jason Chen that eventually broke the story with a hands-on video of the device.



An unsealed court affidavit later revealed that Gizmodo had been quickly contacted by Jobs to request the return of the device. According to accounts documenting the phone call and emails between Jobs and Gizmodo editor Brian Lam, Lam agreed to return the prototype "on the condition that Apple provided him with a letter stating the iPhone belonged to Apple."



Gizmodo was then contacted by Apple's legal counsel formally requesting the return of the device. A subsequent police investigation resulted in a raid on Chen's home by a computer task force that confiscated several of Chen's computers and phones.



After the seizure, a lawyer for Gizmodo hinted that the website might sue authorities for the search, which was a "contravention of process." The police initially held off on analyzing data on Chen's devices until June, CNET reported.



Responding to attempts by the media to obtain court records, prosecutors argued that the search warrant affidavit should remain sealed to protect the "informant's" identity. It was later revealed that Hogan's roommate had contacted Apple Security and police "in order to absolve herself of criminal responsibility." The roommate notified police when Hogan and an associate attempted to dispose of evidence related to the case.



When questioned about the incident at the D8 conference in June, Jobs became heated, questioning whether Chen could be considered a journalist and described the "story" as having "theft," "stolen property" and "extortion."



In July, Wagstaffe again told CNET that Chen and authorities had reached an agreement to "drop attempts to search Chen's property" as Chen cooperated by providing requested information.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 39
    Oh boy here we go again....

    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.
  • Reply 2 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    Oh boy here we go again....

    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.



    I know, right?



    I mean, do people really believe this is news? Of course the police interviewed the CEO of a victim company in a borderline corporate espionage case.
  • Reply 3 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    Oh boy here we go again....

    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.



    "no way!" "We landed on the moon!!"
  • Reply 4 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.



    *allegedly*
  • Reply 5 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    Oh boy here we go again....

    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.



    Fake!



    It was filmed in a hangar at NTTR. I know I was there. I was the cameraman.
  • Reply 6 of 39
    The headline for this story shoud have been:



    Police interviewed Steve Jobs in Gizmodo theft case



    It would have gotten many more hits.
  • Reply 7 of 39
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Like he'd know anything about the situation... it happened way too low down on the food chain for him to have even have been involved until well after the fact.
  • Reply 8 of 39
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Newtron View Post


    The headline for this story shoud have been:



    Police interviewed Steve Jobs in Gizmodo theft case



    It would have gotten many more hits.



    ... and been a Huge Lie.
  • Reply 9 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    ... and been a Huge Lie.



    Since when do blogs have to tell the truth? Just look at Gizmodo!!
  • Reply 10 of 39
    I think the whole thing was blown WAY out of proportion, and police were over-reaching their bounds and what people deem as appropriate.
  • Reply 11 of 39
    Once the identity of the true owner was confirmed the item needed to be returned to the owner. That is cut and dry.



    The way the prototype went missing and what happened to it in between then and when it was returned might be really interesting regarding corporate espionage.



    If Lam and Gizmodo didn't have money they would be toast just like anybody else. Anyone dealing with police who doesn't have plenty of money or powerful friends inevitably gets burned.
  • Reply 12 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by libertyforall View Post


    I think the whole thing was blown WAY out of proportion, and police were over-reaching their bounds and what people deem as appropriate.



    If you had your phone stolen and you knew where it was, would you want the cops to bust down somebody's door? I would. And this prototype was worth a hell of a lot more than the 200 bucks I spent on my last phone.
  • Reply 13 of 39
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Gosh what a shock!
  • Reply 14 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    Oh boy here we go again....

    In other news Neil Armstrong has walked on the moon.



    You need to rehash everything leading up to that sentence to be worthy of posting on AI. Say something like "The saga began when the Soviets launched Sputnik..."
  • Reply 15 of 39
    I'm not sure how Jason Chen was treated by the police, and whether it was appropriate, but he did not only ask for confirmation that the prototype was Apple's, he did attempt extortion by saying in the unsealed email to Steve that he would give it back if he was "more in the loop" or having "advanced information" on Apple stuff (I'm paraphrasing here, you can Google the actual words of the email he sent).
  • Reply 16 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder;


    ... and been a Huge Lie.



    What's a lie? Which part exactly are you referring to?
  • Reply 17 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton;


    "The saga began when the Soviets launched Sputnik..."



    *allegedly*
  • Reply 18 of 39
    The totality of Gizmodo should go to jail for bad writing.
  • Reply 19 of 39
    The police raid was probably ordered by Steve Jobs. He no doubt owns the police.
  • Reply 20 of 39
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    When questioned about the incident at the D8 conference in June, Jobs became heated, questioning whether Chen could be considered a journalist and described the "story" as having "theft," "stolen property" and "extortion."



    In July, Wagstaffe again told CNET that Chen and authorities had reached an agreement to "drop attempts to search Chen's property" as Chen cooperated by providing requested information.



    These last comments just make Steve Jobs and Apple look like douche bags.



    Steve, Droid has your Market Share. Lose the Turtle neck and get a ski seater, it will make you look healthier.
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