The world first learnt of a 3G MacBook Pro prototype in August earlier this year where it was spotted on eBay, subsequently pulled off and finding its way back to the Apple headquarters in Cupertino. I guess that is only fitting, and the person wasn’t as tough as Brian Lam of Gizmodo when he was personally contacted by Steve Jobs to return the lost iPhone 4 prototype that was lost at a bar. Ever since Apple took back of what they thought was rightfully theirs, previous owner Carl Frega did petition Apple to return the repair parts of the prototype to him.
It seems that Apple did not turn a deaf ear to that request, as Frega at long last saw an unmarked FedEx package that upon opening, revealed a notebook battery, a hard drive, and a couple of sticks of RAM – all which were removed from the 3G MacBook Pro prototype. According to Frega, Apple did not send him proof that the machine legally belonged to Apple, although he did mention that all the hardware in the package and serial number were authentic.
Here’s a hat tip to all geeks out there – the next time you find some Apple prototype in a bar (or somewhere else), just don’t trumpet that discovery to the world. Chances are you’ll be asked to return it (in a nice way at first). Just lay low and go on with your life no matter how much it burns inside to share with others of your ‘discovery’.
Filed in . Read more about Apple Inc, Macbook Pro and Prototype.