back to article Burglar steals $60,000 of computers from Steve Jobs' home

Police have arrested a man accused of breaking into the former home of Apple icon Steve Jobs and stealing over $60,000 worth of "computer equipment and personal items." On July 17, Job's former home on Waverley Street in Palo Alto was broken into and turned over, AP reports. Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tom …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No iBurglarAlarm?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      'twas a Fandroid looking for new ideas.

    2. Jim in Hayward
      IT Angle

      I wish they were more expliciate. Like journalism and such...

      alas...it's just bait click stuff.

      Please let him lie in rest.....he has done enough, Quit trying to deride his name beotches.

  2. Comments are attributed to your handle
    Coat

    The burglar got away with, what, two or three Macs then?

    1. yakitoo

      Just a couple machines running Windows 7 and a Samsung Galaxy tab.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      One of these - http://www.reghardware.com/2012/04/12/macintosh_128k_prototype_with_twiggy_drive_hits_ebay/

      Or a quarter of this - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/15/apple_1_auction_sothebys/

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Exactly

        The auction value of Steve Jobs' own computers would definitely be five figures per model.

  3. ShadowedOne
    WTF?

    Trumped up...

    "Excessive taking of property"?! Is that even a real/legal charge under the law because it sounds like bullshit to me. Speaking as someone who has been a victim of a B&E Theft, having even one item stolen is excessive.

    1. Aaron Em

      "Trumped up?" Nah

      Never heard of petit theft vs. grand theft?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Nope

        I have heard of petty theft though

        1. Rameses Niblick the Third (KKWWMT)
          Headmaster

          Re: Nope

          Is that because you are... uneducated?

          http://www.richardhornsby.com/crimes/theft/petit-theft.html

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Nope

            No, It's because I am not American and a with a quick search it looks like America is the only place in the world to use petit to describe it and even there only a couple of states use it. Maybe it was a mis-spelling when they were writing the law?

            http://www.criminal-law-lawyer-source.com/terms/petty-theft.html

            1. Tim99 Silver badge
              Headmaster

              Re: Nope

              Petit from the French for small/little (petite: feminine).

              Grande is large...

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Nope

              Not sure, they seem to have a lot of French influence in their bastardized version of English. Just listen to the way they pronounce "herb". Maybe there is some historic connexion to the Louisiana purchase, and of course Canada is to their North. Is it to do with petit being the French adjective for small?

          2. Psyx
            Paris Hilton

            Re: Nope

            No, it's because he's not American. Also not being American, I've never heard the term, either.

            That's not a sign of ill-education.

            Paris; because she's American and thinks that it's the centre of the universe, too.

        2. Aaron Em

          Depends on where you happen to be

          Some jurisdictions spell it one way, some the other. Either means about the same.

          1. TeeCee Gold badge

            Re: Depends on where you happen to be

            Certainly does. The word "petty" for small or trivial derives from "petit" anyway.

            It's all the fault of the Normans you know. The Old English Dictionary offers "nearu" (restricted) as what it would have been prior to the late 11th Century.

      2. ShadowedOne
        Pint

        Re: "Trumped up?" Nah

        Yes, I have heard of petty/grand theft. However the "excessive taking of property" charge was used to escalate the sentence, which I would presume was a charge of grand theft. So yes, it sounds trumped up to me. Somewhat along the line of charging someone for public drunkenness then upping the penalty with an added charge of 'excessive intoxication'.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "Trumped up?" Nah

          Or my personal favorite: (American) football player Adrian Peterson was arrested a couple of months ago for "resisting arrest".

          There's a chicken and egg problem for you...

          1. Dave 126 Silver badge

            Re: "Trumped up?" Nah

            >Never heard of petit theft vs. grand theft?

            >Is that because you are uneducated?

            I might have heard the terms in passing because American film and television does reach our shores from time to time. My education was not to bad, but my teachers never thought I would need to know some distinctions in the criminal law of another country (well, some might have had suspicions...)

            But still, "Excessive taking of property" does suggest that there is "reasonable taking of property"... but as anyone who has ever awoken to find a member of their household has pilfered the last teabag will agree, it can be a subjective, context-sensitive distinction.

            Its TheRegister.CO.UK.

            1. John H Woods Silver badge
              Headmaster

              Re: "Trumped up?" Nah

              Dave 126 "My education was not to bad.."

              too bad?

              But I share your bafflement about 'excessive taking of property' Especially as a quick Google of it just turns up this same story, on the Reg and in other organs.

      3. Joe S

        Re: "Trumped up?" Nah

        Petit? Is that the french version?

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Trumped up...

      "Excessive taking of property" = robbing a rich person

      Obviously you have to take that more seriously.

  4. Tim 39

    Pocket change

    You can bet that amount of money is just pocket change to what his family inherited. You can also bet most of those computers were free, from his own company. They just jacked up the number to use a retail price that they never even paid.

    1. Dave the Cat
      FAIL

      Re: Pocket change

      Oh so that makes it ok to rob his house then?

      1. chr0m4t1c
        Joke

        Re: Pocket change

        Why, yes, if you're hard of thinking like us, you know that El Steve was a one dimensional bad-guy who did something that we can't quite put our finger on but made use hate him and his successful company.

        We're pretty sure he had a white cat and a base inside a hollowed out volcano too.

        As a result anything bad that happens to people who were close to him is just karma getting back into balance.

        As you didn't know this we will now have to assume you are an evil hench-genius (with blue t-shirt and everything) and then down vote whatever you say.

        Have a nice day!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Depends what value you apple-I mean apply

    What would His Steveness's personal computer on which the iPhone WAS DESIGNED (oh and the Samsung Galaxy S as well, and Android, and a large proportion of Windows Aero) fetch on eBay?

    $60,000 feels about right for what His own personal collection could fetch at auction.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Depends what value you apple-I mean apply

      Troll softer.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Close...

      Steve Jobs didn't design the iphone. At least get your facts straight when trolling.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        That was a joke

        not trolling.

        (For humourless people, yes, if he'd wanted the computers the Samsung Galaxy S was designed at he would obviously have stolen Jonathan Ive's and Scott Forstall's....)

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: what His own personal collection could fetch at auction

      the provenance documentation would be wonderful to see -

      I nicked it meself from da gaffer's aahs, din ay?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    $60,000 isn't much.

    "You might think $60,000 is a fair amount of kit to leave around the house"

    Could have been as little as an iPhone and a Patek Philippe watch that someone forgot to put in the safe.

    Not that hard for a well-to-do couple to have $60K (insured value) of jewelry lying about. Probably much easier for billionaires.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    $60k sounds about right

    This kid's kidney should cost about that much by the time in reaches Job's http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/08/kidney_ipad_iphone_china/

  8. Nya
    Thumb Down

    Hang on!

    "high-technology crimes unit"

    So basically Apple's personal police force get's used once more.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hang on!

      Looks like Stevie Boy opted for the gorgeous level of police protection.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLfghLQE3F4

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Excessive taking of property"

    Any idea what the acceptable amount is?

  10. kain preacher

    @Nya

    If you lived in Santa Clara county you would know that high-technology crimes unit deals with online harassment, organized tech theft rings when a high dollar amount of tech is stolen.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @Nya

      Sadly it wouldn't stop him trolling.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @Nya

      But the vast majority of the world's population don't live in Santa Clara, why should we know?

      1. kain preacher

        Re: @Nya

        Then don't make a comment with out knowing the facts. At least use google to find out what they do. If I made an asinine comment about London, would the fact that most of the world does not live there make a difference ?

  11. Alien Doctor 1.1
    Joke

    Just a chuckle...

    Flattery won't get him anywhere other than gaol.

  12. koswix

    [Insert joke about jail breaking here]

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Burglar steals $60,000 of computers from Steve Jobs' home

    good

  14. toadwarrior
    Facepalm

    So hard up for an Apple story, we're resorting to stuff that is at best big news for a local paper?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The 60 thousand dollar question.

    Is this sixty thousand quids worth, the new iMONLYBOUGHTBYCHUMPS?

  16. Silverburn
    Holmes

    I'm surprised nobody has come out with the "Hows disrespectful of the dead" angle yet.

    So to head that one off, here's my response: The thief was probably just a druggie muppet, who figured he's case a transparently wealthy family's house. I doubt very much that this was a targeted effort.

    The fact he has already been caught is a big giveaway. If the US police are anywhere near as incompetent and apathetic as our when it comes to burglary, they probably only caught him because he tried to flog them a 20 grand jewelry piece. Not the mistake a serious memorbilia thief would make.

  17. Chris 171
    Holmes

    iphone 5 I recon..

    One needs to be left around somewhere soon. Or a magic magic mouse of course, should put the numbers about right...

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So much for...

    ..walled-garden security.

  19. David 138
    Trollface

    tables are turned

    Nice to see someone stealing from Steve rather than him stealing innovation from the rest of the world.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    HIS NAME WAS NOT "Steve Job"

    Therefore, if one wishes to describe the home that belonged to him, one would correctly write "Steve Jobs's former home".

    Isn't this primary (elementary) school stuff, Mr. Journalist?

    1. Jediben
      Headmaster

      Re: HIS NAME WAS NOT "Steve Job"

      Not sure if troll but...

      Both Jobs' and Jobs's are acceptable when singular personal possessive, as with this case.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: HIS NAME WAS NOT "Steve Job"

        No sir, you are incorrect I'm afraid. Jobs' would be plural possessive, that is, something that belongs to many people that are called Job.

        However, in the article it is written as "Job's" which is most definitely wrong by both our definitions. So I'm not sure why you bothered to argue.

        1. Jediben
          Angel

          Re: HIS NAME WAS NOT "Steve Job"

          Ah I see the single instance of "Job's" you refer to in the article. I presumed you were referring to all the other instances of "Jobs' " which are used correctly. It's clearly a typo, as the predominate usage is correct.

  21. hexx
    Trollface

    Samsung's R&D team?

  22. CheesyTheClown
    WTF?

    $60,000 a lot?

    Really? I make a comfortable 6 figure income and live in the suburbs and $60,000 of kit is just one room. Hell, I have a coin jar with a few thousand dollars in it sitting in my kitchen.

    If I were worth 10 figures, I would imagine that instead of a $1,000 projector in the game room, I'd have a $5,000 projector. If the guy only took $60,000, they should send him to a home for incompetent people who really shouldn't be responsible for themselves.

  23. Phil Holden 1
    Megaphone

    High value items

    It doesn't sound like that much to me, if you spec up a top of the line powermac, that can come to about $13k, so a couple of them and you're half way there.

  24. MahFL22

    Misleading headline.

    As computers and property were taken, not all puters.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    nice, since that costs 60,000, for once a thief could resell something more then its worth.. being apple and all.

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