Apple still hunting for missing iPhone prototype

Apple Inc. has entered discussions with a San Francisco man whose home its employees searched for a missing iPhone prototype earlier this year. Tech site CNET quoted lawyer David Monroe as saying Apple has held "conversations" with his client Sergio Calderon, 22. But Monroe has so far declined to elaborate on the conversations with Apple, the CNET report said. In late July, two Apple employees claimed they traced the errant device to Calderon's house, which they visited with four plainclothes officers from the San Francisco Police Department. Calderon said he was led to believe everyone who entered the house was a police officer. However, the searchers failed to find the missing iPhone. Monroe said police facilitated the search by telling Calderon they would obtain a search warrant if he did not submit to a search. He added he believes police acted improperly by not identifying the Apple employees. He also said his client is innocent of any wrongdoing. Also, Monroe said police have launched an investigation into the matter, and have asked to speak with Calderon. He said he has offered to provide them with a written statement from his client. The police have not replied, Monroe said. "We want to help them find out if their rules were broken. The real problem here is that police failed to disclose to my client that Apple employees would be searching his home. We don't know how often this may happen. I think it was [SFPD Chief Greg Suhr] who indicated that police often do searches like this for private investigators," Monroe said. The iPhone in this case was the second unreleased model lost in bars by employees in a span of 18 months. In March 2010, Apple engineer Gray Powell lost a prototype iPhone 4 in a Redwood City, California German beer pub. — TJD, GMA News