14 DAY TRIAL // An Aussie whose iPhone leaks have been the subject of numerous stories in the Apple blogosphere may be in serious trouble after making a truckload of cash by posting images of unreleased Apple hardware.
The guy in question is Sonny Dickson, an industrious fellow from Melbourne, Australia who maintains a blog that’s chock-full of pictures showing leaked iPhone parts.
Philip Elmer-Dewitt over at Fortune says the finance magazine contacted Sonny Dickson via Skype to ask him about his iPhone leaks, but also about himself.
A “cagy” Dickson tells Fortune he’s “old enough to drink,” with Dewitt pointing out that the legal drinking age in Melbourne is 18.
He’s not exactly open about his sources either, telling the publication that he has some contacts who simply “work for Apple in China.”
Asked about the money he’s made with his iPhone leaks, Dickson said, “I could go over to Louis Vuitton today and buy one of their bags with the money I made this month.”
He admits the money he's earned got him “a lot of hate,” but he also makes his cash from fixing iPhones and iPods.
However, this summer he's also made a handsome profit from selling iPhone 5C cases, which fetch $250 / €190 apiece, he says.
Dickson says IPs from Apple’s headquarters hit his web site more than 900 times last month, adding that U.S. Homeland Security visited 67 times.
“Some people think I may be breaking the law, but they don't really know what I do,” he tells the magazine. “I'm not breaking any laws that other people don't do.”
Fortune’s Dewitt suggests that “Apple [could] choose to prosecute [Dickson]” for selling iPhone parts without a license.
Well, one thing’s for sure. Apple’s keeping such a close watch on this Aussie pretty much confirms the existence of the iPhone 5C.