If you find an iPhone, return it; or else
As if the state of California did not have more pressing concerns they are now “investigating” the guy who found the iPhone prototype in a bar to determine if he indeed did something wrong. Seriously? The state is broke and they are spending money on launching an investigation about this?
The news cites a California law (found here) that basically says that if you find something, know who owns it, and use it for yourself, you are doing something wrong. California, seriously? First, and foremost, let’s talk about the distinct possibility that Apple did this intentionally. Note: I don’t mean this part badly either. Seriously, this is a great PR incident. I actually think that if they did do this on purpose it would have been great. Second, if not done intentionally, who really cares? It is a phone, left at a bar, found, and the guy turned it into $5k. Good for him.
I just think in a world where we have far greater issues at hand that the California legal system would have more pressing issues to contend with than to spend a single tax payer dollar on this issue. If anything, let Apple deal with the fool that left the phone at a bar. That’s the person that should have charges brought upon him. Seriously, a super-high-tech-super-secret-can’t-tell-anyone-about-it phone is actually allowed to leave the confines of the Apple campus for any reason at all is dumbfounding to me.
Apple has a lot of positive things going for it right now. People seem to like them. To drag yourself, voluntarily nonetheless, into a dark hole of pressing charges on a guy seems a bit counter productive to me. If in fact this was unintentional on Apple’s part then the cat is out of the bag and the damage is done. Unless the guy who found it is worth a few hundred million dollars and you can somehow convince a jury that he lost you sales, then the best that can come of this is Apple looking like a jerk. Plus, if Apple sues him, he won’t have anything left of his newly acquired $5k to buy that new iPhone when it comes out.
