iPad Prototype Stolen from a Man in Apple's Home Town

iPad prototype stolen from an Apple employee looking for love

ipad test model stolen archieipad — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you have prototype iPads in your possession, don’t let strangers into your home. This week, a 20-year-old man who responded to an online advert met up with a man and a woman and eventually made his way back to his residence, new guests in tow.

This unsuspecting citizen arrived home with the man and woman from the ad, who were 20 and 24 years old, and quickly found himself at knife point. He was pepper sprayed, held at knife point, robbed, and kidnapped, though he is now released and safe. The two individuals, Katherine Stump (20) and Alexander Nejat (24), made off with about $7,500 in cash, prescription pills, and a number of electronic devices, one of which was described to police as a “test model iPad.” While there have not been any true confirmations whether this was an upcoming model or an older one, the iPad is still at large.

There have been reports that Apple is testing a large screen iPad, which could possibly explain what this “test model iPad” is. The iPad is still missing and so far no major tech publication has claimed ownership, though perhaps that is influenced by the legal fiasco that surrounded the iPhone 4 prototype years back. An Apple employee left his iPhone 4 prototype in a bar, which was subsequently sold to Gizmodo for a hefty sum.

The notoriously secretive company does not take kindly to any information leaks, and is even less gentle when it comes to prototypes of its newest products.

Apple has seen worse, however. This latest Apple related robbery doesn’t hold a candle to the genius that broke in the late Steve Jobs’ house and stole $60,000 worth of electronics. He later claimed he did not know that the house belonged to Steve Jobs.

So, we give a moment of silence for the young man who was feeling a little lonely this week and lost a prototype iPad. Details on this are still coming in as the investigation moves along, and we have no confirmation on whether the man was an official Apple employee or simply contracted with the company in some way. The couple, who was known to authorities from previous gadget related robberies, is currently under arrest.

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