Last year, someone who worked at Apple, the company that makes computers and cell phones, made a big mistake. They lost a top-secret prototype. A prototype is a one-of-a-kind model they build of a new phone they’re thinking of manufacturing. It’s kept secret so no other company will find out what they’re doing and try to copy them.
The person who had the prototype accidentally left it in a bar. A journalist found it and put pictures of it on the Internet. It was a big scandal.
Well, it may have happened again.
Apple developed a prototype for the iPhone 5 they will be releasing soon. And once again, an employee has accidentally left it in a bar, according to technology website CNET.
So far, no one has leaked information about the new phone. CNET reports that the Apple employee left the phone in a Mexican restaurant called Cava 22, in San Francisco. The company has tried to track the phone to get it back, CNET says.
No one knows exactly what happened, but there is a rumour that Apple tracked the phone to someone’s home. That person said he didn’t have the phone, but it may have been sold for $200. (It is worth much more than that, so probably the person who found it didn’t realize what it was.)
The San Francisco police has not said whether or not these events actually happened. One reporter quoted a spokesperson from the police department saying they didn’t have a record of any such events. However, no one there has outright denied that the events happened.
Related Link
Here is a link to the story on CNET.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Why do you think the San Francisco police aren’t explaining whether or not these events happened? Why would they keep this information secret?
Reading Prompt
When we read, we need to constantly “check in” with ourselves to make sure we comprehend what we are reading. As you are reading the article, pay attention to what questions you ask yourself to check and see whether you understand. What do you do if you don’t understand what you’re reading?
Primary
Identify, initially with support and direction, a few strategies that they found helpful before, during, and after reading (OME, Reading: 4.1).
Junior
Identify the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading and explain, in conversation with the teacher and/or peers or in a reader’s notebook, how they can use these and other strategies to improve as readers (OME, Reading: 4.1).
Intermediate
Identify a range of strategies they found helpful before, during, and after reading and explain, in conversation with the teacher and/or peers or in a reader’s notebook, how they can use these and other strategies to improve as readers (OME, Reading: 4.1).
Grammar Feature: Comma
Commas are used in different ways. One way that a comma is used is after an introductory word/words at the beginning of a sentence. An example from the article is: “Well, it has happened again.”
Find the other sentences in the article where a comma is used in this way.
