X
Business

Apple pressured police for Gizmodo-iPhone search

Apple told local police that its missing iPhone prototype was so valuable a price could not be placed on it, according to court documents made public Friday.
Written by Declan McCullagh, Contributor

Update: 12:34 pm PDT: Apple pressed local police to investigate the loss of a next-generation iPhone a day after Gizmodo published photographs, telling investigators that prototype was so valuable a price could not be placed on it, according to court documents made public Friday.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs personally contacted Gizmodo editor Brian Lam to request the prototype's return the day the story was published on April 19, but Lam refused to do so unless the company provided "confirmation that it is real, from Apple, officially," according to an e-mail message that was also made public.

In a surprise decision, a judge in San Mateo County, Calif., on Friday ordered the unsealing of records involving the criminal investigation into what may have been a prototype iPhone purchased by a gadget blog.

For more on this article, read Apple pressed police to investigate iPhone loss on CNET News.

Editorial standards