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Fake / Prototype Macbook Air

I

iomatic

macrumors regular
Mar 25, 2004
148
3
The WebTablet did work. I was a lead for getting it marketed, but it fell through when Intel laid off the entire home market divisions (non-core businesses).

The first version we got required those proprietary wireless access points, but we got ahold of one that used 802.11; that's when the sh*t hit the fan. I remember it sitting in a box for the longest time, when someone mentioned sending it back (they never actually asked anyone), and so they did. Of course by then, that contact probably disappeared :(. This can explain how prototypes get in people's hands and easily forgotten. It's not that cloak and dagger, folks.

Anyway, it's fun to see prototypes. I don't think Apple gives too much of a crap anymore now that it's been developed, but maybe Apple's testing methods can be revealed this way. That would be a case for returning this.


Ubele said:
I've often wondered whether there are any sort of issues, legal or otherwise, regarding selling prototypes. I have several Intel prototype wireless web tablets from 2002. A relative of mine works for the company, and they were sitting outside by an Intel dumpster one day, so he took them home. They boot up into MS-DOS, and then there's an initialization routine you're supposed to run, but it doesn't work. I did some research and learned that fully functioning versions of this particular prototype were never created. The project was terminated because of budget cuts, although the product was supposed to go on sale a few months later, and was demonstrated in a Street of Dreams "Intel smart home" show house. The wireless technology used was supplanted by 802.11b, so they soon would have been obsolete, anyway. I don't know whether the tablets have collector value, but it would be easy enough to check. I've wondered whether Intel has people who look for prototypes like this on sale, and I didn't want to get my relative in trouble.
Click to expand...
 
ReanimationLP

ReanimationLP

macrumors 68030
Jan 8, 2005
2,782
33
On the moon.
brett33 said:
Exploding battery pic
Click to expand...

Well, I can guarantee you one thing : Simplo didnt get the battery contract! :D

Three suggestions on the battery pack.

1) Take it to a battery refurbishment shop, and also take a regular MBA battery if you get one, and see what they can do.

2) Go to an Authorized Apple Repair Center, and see if they can order that part number marked on the battery at all.

3) Order a MBA battery, if the sizes and all match, but the connectors dont, do some tinkering inside of the blown up battery to figure out what line goes to what, and then snip the connectors. I'm sure the 3rd party battery company would be able to give you the pinouts for their replacement battery.

Other than that, nice find. :]

And its been nice knowing you if Mr. Jobs sends his team of lawyers and ninja assassins after you. It'd be truly ironic if they used the MBA as the murder weapon.
 
E

ellsworth

macrumors 6502a
Jun 13, 2007
925
237
Email Steve and ask him what it is. He may buy it back for you, fly you out to California to shake your hand and send you back home with 10% of the company ;)
 
C

ccuk

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2008
112
0
Every man and his dog has an opinion on what they think you should do.


Truth be told, Apple probably may want it back. I would email Steve Jobs' email address, saying you obtained it, and ask if you can you swap it for a new Macbook Air. If they aren't interested, there are plenty of collectors who are interested. I have an inkling Apple may bite on your request though.
 
D

dooyou

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2007
374
277
Munich
You should send a email to apple, with some photos of your bought mba. Maybe you get a definitive answer if it is a prototype or not.
 
S

sebgreen

macrumors regular
Mar 25, 2008
111
0
UK
Mr Steve Jobs said:
Brett33,

You are in possession of a prototype model Macbook Air #22. It is property of Apple Inc. and must be returned immediately. You may contact myself at stevejobs@apple.com or send the prototype unit to 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 ATTN: Steve Jobs.

The unit was stolen from my napsack during a heated Segway Polo match against Steve Wozniak August 12 right outside of Cupertino. If it is not returned immediately I will be docked from ten months vacation time to nine months by the board. (Those ungrateful computer nerds....everything that I have done for them.....)

Sincerely,

Mr Steve Jobs
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geek
 
PowerFullMac

PowerFullMac

macrumors 601
Oct 16, 2006
4,000
2
That is cool! A pre-production MBA!

I wish I had a pre-production unit of a Apple product, would be so cool! Just the rarity and special-ness of it! You can think this machiene was probably used by Steve Jobs himself!
 
PowerFullMac

PowerFullMac

macrumors 601
Oct 16, 2006
4,000
2
And MR, too!

EDIT: The Gizmodo (or was it the TUAW?) article had a good point! I wonder what the reaction would be if Apple hadent released the Air yet!?
 
K

khalukhin

macrumors newbie
Nov 19, 2008
1
0
quote from gizmodo:
"it runs an interim build of OS X 10.5"
As I've understood it runs a prebuild of 10.4.11 ?
Hehe pre-pro (pre-)runs a prebuild of (pre-)os :)
 
blakespot

blakespot

Administrator
Jun 4, 2000
1,367
164
Alexandria, VA
BRLawyer said:
Nope, this is different. Apple II clones were sold all over the world and were all legal, since the architecture was open for cloning, as was the case for the IBM PC...my first Apple compatible was actually and Apple //e clone from Brazil, called TK3000 //e...this was just one among at least 20 different brands in that market...there was even an Apple // clone called Elppa //e..! ;)

What the poster above bought was a prototype...lucky guy!
Click to expand...

The Apple II architecture was nowhere near open for cloning.

Apple sued a good # of companies attempting clones. One of the more successful was Video Technologies with the Laser clones. The reverse engineered the Apple BIOS and the lawsuit did not stick.

The situation was very different from the IBM PC.




blakespot
 
funkyc

funkyc

macrumors regular
Sep 20, 2008
188
0
nice find
to be honest it probably isn't worth as much as ppl r making it out to be
at most i would just try to get a new one of it but don't expect to be making thousands out of it
 
sterlingindigo

sterlingindigo

macrumors 6502
Dec 7, 2007
430
156
East Lansing
This is really amazing! A very lucky and quick thinking bidder!

I remember back just before MacBook Air was released when there was a rumor of a MacBook Air "sighting" outside one of the Apple campus'. I remember thinking, "what employee in their right mind would get caught with a proto out in plain sight"? But it's fun to think that this might have been this particular proto's last day on campus.
 
J

john7jr

macrumors regular
Aug 14, 2003
188
0
sterlingindigo said:
This is really amazing! A very lucky and quick thinking bidder!

I remember back just before MacBook Air was released when there was a rumor of a MacBook Air "sighting" outside one of the Apple campus'. I remember thinking, "what employee in their right mind would get caught with a proto out in plain sight"? But it's fun to think that this might have been this particular proto's last day on campus.
Click to expand...

More likely than not there were a few of these. Apple was taking a risk releasing the Cube all over again. Could a real-world person use a stripped-down notebook for real work? No CD drive, no Firewire, etc? Sure people were testing them in the wild. One of them simply didn't return - or no one cared much about it at the time, probably because of the battery failure. It probably sat there for months after the release until someone decided to hock it for some cash.
 
A

aar7688

macrumors newbie
Nov 19, 2008
4
0
The way I see it is that Apple probably doesn't care about the proto anymore seeing as how the actual product is out now. What they most likely care about is tracking the serial # from that unit to the employee who let it slip away.

No matter what you've earned your 15min of fame...enjoy
 
J

john7jr

macrumors regular
Aug 14, 2003
188
0
aar7688 said:
The way I see it is that Apple probably doesn't care about the proto anymore seeing as how the actual product is out now. What they most likely care about is tracking the serial # from that unit to the employee who let it slip away.

No matter what you've earned your 15min of fame...enjoy
Click to expand...

Who says it's an Apple employee? NVidia had a proto of the new 15" Unibody. Intel might have had this one. Who knows.
 
Samarium

Samarium

macrumors 6502a
Jan 6, 2008
533
0
@ home.
Have you ever thought doing the right thing? Just email The Steve, tell him you have the prototype and then ask him politely if you could get what you paid for it. At least that is what I would have done. Cheers, and excellent find.

One more thing..
Do anyone apart from me thinks that the Ebay seller is regreting right now? :D
 
Ironic

Ironic

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2008
652
0
In my MBA!
Samarium said:
Have you ever thought doing the right thing? Just email The Steve, tell him you have the prototype and then ask him politely if you could get what you paid for it. At least that is what I would have done. Cheers, and excellent find.

One more thing..
Do anyone apart from me thinks that the Ebay seller is regreting right now? :D
Click to expand...
i
LOL I was going to mail him alink to the front page news and ask him if he has more?

I also think he should give it or trade it to Apple it part of history :) he just wants a macbook air that works :)
 
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