Published 14:45 IST, August 20th 2020
Apple helped US government build 'secret' iPod with recording device: Former employee
In a shocking revelation, an ex-Apple employee has said that the tech company helped the US government in building a ‘top secret’ iPod with hidden sensors.
In a shocking revelation, an ex-Apple employee has said that the tech company helped the US government in building a ‘top secret’ iPod with hidden sensors inside. David Shayer, who worked as a software engineer for the company revealed that only four of the employees knew about the product that was developed for the US Department of Energy.
Revealing further details in Apple newsletter Tidbits, Shayer said that in 2005, two men from the American Department of energy approached the company. He further said that they wanted the firm to build an iPod which secretly recorded data using hidden extra hardware. However, the challenge for them was to make it look and function like a normal iPod, despite having the secret recording device inside.
The Department of Energy is responsible for nuclear power among other functions. According to Shayer, the two engineers wanted to make a device that secretly recorded radiation without detection. Though Shayer never found what were they exactly building but he expected it to be something like like “stealth Geiger counter” to measure radiation without being noticed, Shayer reckoned.
He said that the two engineers from defence contractor Bechtel worked at Apple’s headquarters for months adding some hardware into the device that couldn’t be detected easily. Elaborating further, he said that it wasn’t a normal contract, instead of a favour that apple was doing under the table for the US Department of Energy.
'Crazy story'
The story has been backed by many other employees including Tony Fadell, the former vice-president of the iPod division, who took to social media to wrote that the story was "absolutely spot on" and "real without a doubt". While another former employee Matt Rogers wrote, "I remember those 2 guys and always wondered what they were up to! Super unusual to have folks we didn't know in the office at the time. Crazy story!"
Updated 14:45 IST, August 20th 2020