Apple

There’s plenty of cheap iPad scams out there, but two con artists in South Carolina really added some flair to their fraud.

So a lady got swindled into buying a wooden iPad for $180 after being randomly approached in the parking lot of a McDonalds. Why she didn’t even bother to open the package before making her way home is beyond me. I don’t know what about this scenario didn’t tip her off but here’s the full story via Huffington Post.
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Ashley McDowell, a 22-year-old South Carolina woman, found herself holding a creatively decorated piece of wood (seen above) after scammers took her for $180, claiming they were selling her a bargain-rate iPad, according to The Smoking Gun. Police are currently looking for the suspects, who were initially trying to get $300 from McDowell. (The actual minimum retail price of an iPad is $499.)

According to the police report, two men approached McDowell in the parking lot of a McDonald’s with the deal, claiming they bought the iPads in bulk. The supposed iPad sold to McDowell was packaged in a FedEx box, not the standard Apple packaging, according to CBS.

McDowell learned she was ripped off when she opened the package on her way home in her car.

The suspects behind the rip-off were driving a Chevy Impala with no rims, reads the officer’s report. One of the suspects was described as having a gold tooth.

While this scam seems pretty avoidable, it’s not the first time the “brick-in-a-box” con has claimed a victim. In 2009, the Consumerist reported that a Texas man claimed that Best Buy sold him a real brick instead of a MacBook Pro and refused to exchange it.

Earlier this year, CNN reported on a separate Best Buy incident, in which a customer bought a fake iPad that looked real at first glance and came packaged in a seemingly genuine iPad box. Check out the video (below) for details from that report.
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The mastermind behind Apple’s ascension to being the trendsetters in the world of computer technology, Steve Jobs, has given his resignation as CEO of the company today. In a letter to the company he issued the following statement:

“I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s C.E.O., I would be the first to let you know,” Mr. Jobs said in a letter released by the company. “Unfortunately, that day has come.”

Jobs will take on the position of Chairman of the Board which would be less demanding and hand over the CEO reigns to Tim Cook, the company’s current COO. Steve Jobs, a co-founder and two-time CEO of Apple has been dealing with some serious health issues due to his rare form of pancreatic cancer for some time, thus, the resignation is not especially surprising.

Following the news Apple’s stock dropped 7% (falling to $357 a share) but managed to rally 5 1/2% back upwards just a few hours ago after a succession plan for the company became apparent.Business analysts are saying that this was in fact the best time for Jobs to step down in order for an optimal transition that would lead the company to a bright future.

Jobs is certainly a titan of industry and we wish him the best of health in these tough times.
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Guess who has another Apple scoop? Tinhte, the upstarts from Vietnam have first pics of the mythical iPod touch with a camera. The “DVT-1″ stamp on the back makes it clear that this is an early design verification test unit in the evolution of product testing. In other words, this might not be the final design whenever Apple chooses to announce it, say, on June 7th. A check of the device’s serial number identifies a late 2009 third generation iPod touch — could be that this device was one of those eBay prototypes that never made it to production for whatever reason.

The Foxconn manufactured device is also running the same base diagnostic utility that we’ve seen before (who could forget that “serial number” icon). The Foxconn label appears to indicate a 64GB model (“64G” using a pair of Samsung 32GB Flash modules presumably) in addition to a 2 megapixel, backside illuminated sensor manufactured by Omnivision (part OV2665-6s). Video after the break.

Dealer: Engadget

MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
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