iPad Prototype Stolen During Cupertino Robbery

Robbers who hit a house in Apple's hometown of Cupertino earlier this month made off with one item more valuable than it looks.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, the robbers took electronics, prescription drugs, and cash valued at $7,500. But they also grabbed one item potentially worth a lot more, to Apple at least: an iPad "test model" not meant for the general public.

At this point, it's unclear whether this is a current prototype or an old version, the paper said. If it's a new model, the device could potentially hold some clues as to what Apple has in store for its next-generation iPad.

"We are still investigating everything about this case," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. James Jensen told the newspaper. The victim told authorities that "a test model iPad from Apple" was among the stolen items.

The robbery reportedly took place during an April 5 incident in which an unidentified male in his 20s was kidnapped and robbed after meeting a woman through an online ad. Police have charged two individuals in connection with the case, but have not recovered the iPad prototype.

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If the stolen iPad really is a current prototype, this wouldn't be the first time an Apple gadget has gone missing prior to release. Back in 2010, an iPhone 4 prototype was lost in a bar in Redwood City, Calif. and subsequently wound up in the hands of tech blog Gizmodo, which paid $5,000 for the device. Then in 2011, an iPhone 5 prototype went missing at a bar in San Francisco's Mission District, though some speculated that incident was just a publicity stunt given its similarity to the case the year before.

In 2012, meanwhile, thieves broke into the Palo Alto home of the late Steve Jobs and stole more than $60,000 worth of computers and personal items, ABC reported. The burglar later got seven years in prison.