Remember the alleged MacBook Pro prototype sporting a slide-out antenna and SIM card slot? Well, apparently after Apple canceled the bidding on the eBay auction, an auction which topped $70,000, the man in possession of the laptop, Carl Frega, decided to keep it rather than resell it. Today, Frega claims Apple contacted him to send someone to his house to pick it up.
Even more peculiar than the device itself is its story. After purchasing the 3G MacBook Pro on Craigslist around the time the original iPhone was released, Frega went to the Anandtech forums in hopes of restoring its 3G functionality. His posts fell on deaf ears so he installed OS X Snow Leopard and resold the laptop on Craigslist. The new buyer proceeded to take the laptop to an Apple Store in North Carolina. Here’s a copy of the repair sheet from the Genius bar:
“Opened machine to observe that nearly every internal part was third party; main logic board, optical drive, display, hard drive, top case and others. Machine serial number (W8707003Y53) is also not recognised as a valid number.”
After hearing the news, the buyer insisted he was sold a fake and took Frega to small claims court. Producers from the syndicated television reality show “Judge Mathis” picked up on the scent and propositioned the pair to have the case presented on the air. Frega declined.
In the end a judge ruled that Frega pay the buyer $740. So now we come full-circle, Apple is at the doorsteps requesting its prototype be returned and Frega is out a sizable chunk of change. Lesson of the day: don’t buy Mac laptops off craigslist without checking the serial — or better yet, only sell offline.
via Cnet
