Boy, 11, urinates on $36K worth of Apple MacBooks - Technolog on msnbc.com (http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/boy-11-urinates-36k-worth-apple-macbooks-744098)

He had the means and the opportunity, but we may never know the motive of an 11-year-old student who urinated on a couple dozen laptops left unattended at Upper Allen Township Elementary in Pennsylvania.

In a report now bemusing Mac fan forums across the Internet, the Upper Allen Township Police Department states that "the cart and computers were damaged beyond repair, resulting in the loss of over $36,000."

The cart in question contained approximately 30 school-owned MacBooks, according to a police department spokesperson I spoke to, who couldn't tell me why the kid did it — let alone how. Because, c'mon — 30 MacBooks, even stacked, make for a formidable amount of square footage to cover, especially for a kid.

Nevertheless, all MacBooks went down as a total loss, and John Brownlee at Cult of Mac educates us on the likely reason why.

We can all surmise that urinating upon your Mac will not be covered by your AppleCare, but here’s an interesting question: If you stand up right this second, unzip your fly and hose off all over your MacBook, can you even pay Apple to service the machines? The answer is no, because Apple looks at micturated-upon MacBooks as a biohazard.

Sure enough, not even dog urine is acceptable. I know this because the helpful woman who answered the phone at the New York City's Fifth Avenue Apple Store told me that no, if my dog urinated on my MacBook, no Apple Genius would touch it. What's more, "biohazard" is the exact word she used, right before she encouraged me to "Google" a repair outfit that would deign to do such dirty work.

Dog urination aside, there are other MacBook pathogens that may surprise you. So if you smoke, heads up. Cigarette smoke-infused Apple products count as biohazards too, as Consumerist reported in 2009.

For the crime of creating $36K in Apple biohazards, the boy in question was charged with institutional vandalism and criminal mischief. While the police spokesperson assures me that, contrary to some reports, the kid was not arrested, his case was forwarded to the Cumberland County Juvenile Probation Department.

Not sure how it's possible, but to summarize; this is a classic case of a spoiled brat and a parent applying for a second mortgage.

If they were all closed and lying horizontal, I'd be surprised that they were all damaged. One would think that the liquid would run down the outside of the case, and not into the case. But I could be wrong.

Maybe the Macbooks were all vertical.

What a waste of good computers, though. I don't care if they were Macs or PCs. What a waste of taxpayers money.

They may not be ruined but I would not be able to clean one and move forward using it knowing what happened.

11 years old. He should know way better.

Maybe this is why the US spends so little on education. They know their kids will just pee on whatever they buy.

As punishment, he should be peed on.

what...what a p*sser.

<groan>

I know...that was a bad Fozzie joke.

Wonka wonka

you just knew someone was going to do it.

Eye for an eye makes the world blind...

I'd say 2,000 hours of community service would do it. 20 hours a week for 100 weeks/2 years.

I like how they go on about it being a bio-hazard. It's strange how any one of us would easily clean up that bio-hazard at home in the bathroom or any janitor would clean it up if it happened in the school washroom.

I'm pretty sure if you wiped them down with a disfectant like Lysol, nobody would be the wiser. That's assuming Lysol (the spray stuff) isn't to strong.

why is everyone blaming the kid? should we not blame the person who left 36K worth of computer laying around so they can be peed on ..?
they are both guilty .

why is everyone blaming the kid? should we not blame the person who left 36K worth of computer laying around so they can be peed on ..?
they are both guilty .

What? They were probably on a cart somewhere like in a library or something. Though I have no clue why the kid would do this? Perhaps its a case of "Oh this will be funny!" or " I wonder what would happen if.." Either way I think this kid should be punished for it it harshly. Gotta set an example sometimes.

That's why I said 2,000 hours of community service. If I were to make him serve full time, it would be 4,000 hours.

What? They were probably on a cart somewhere like in a library or something. Though I have no clue why the kid would do this? Perhaps its a case of "Oh this will be funny!" or " I wonder what would happen if.." Either way I think this kid should be punished for it it harshly. Gotta set an example sometimes.

Punish Both of them.. To set an example.. Yes the kid is an (*&#^^$ hole but that doesn't excuse an idiot who left 36K lying around.
would you leave 36K lying around like that? I don't think so

Eye for an eye makes the world blind...


What a stupid saying. The person who came up with that probably thought they were so clever and bright.

Not everyone in the world is a complete d-bag deserving of punishment. There'd still be plenty of decent, normal people on this planet with both eyes.

What a stupid saying. The person who came up with that probably thought they were so clever and bright.

Not everyone in the world is a complete d-bag deserving of punishment. There'd still be plenty of decent, normal people on this planet with both eyes.

I believe it was Ghandi who said that, and to my recollection he was kinda bright..
your second part of the comment actually "explains" what the quote is getting at.

I believe it was Ghandi who said that, and to my recollection he was kinda bright..
your second part of the comment actually "explains" what the quote is getting at.

pff, oh that guy..... yeah he was full of himself.. lol

pff, oh that guy..... yeah he was full of himself.. lol

lol.. come to think of it, in the final few years of his life, he was never full..:lmao:

lol.. come to think of it, in the final few years of his life, he was never full..:lmao:

Very true lol!

lol he must be a pc-fanboy

A PEE-cee fanboy you say?

I imagine the first thing he heard after he did it was "URINE a lot of trouble young man!"

If they were all closed and lying horizontal, I'd be surprised that they were all damaged. One would think that the liquid would run down the outside of the case, and not into the case. But I could be wrong.

Maybe the Macbooks were all vertical.

What a waste of good computers, though. I don't care if they were Macs or PCs. What a waste of taxpayers money.

The carts do store them in a vertical position, each computer in its own slot. The carts also have a lock on them. Had the cart been locked, it would have made this sort of assault pretty much impossible.

I like how they go on about it being a bio-hazard. It's strange how any one of us would easily clean up that bio-hazard at home in the bathroom or any janitor would clean it up if it happened in the school washroom.

I'm pretty sure if you wiped them down with a disfectant like Lysol, nobody would be the wiser. That's assuming Lysol (the spray stuff) isn't to strong.


+1 The bio-hazard argument is just lame. Unless the kid was sick (and I mean physically), the urine of any healthy human being is sterile.

Urine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine)

+1 The bio-hazard argument is just lame. Unless the kid was sick (and I mean physically), the urine of any healthy human being is sterile.

Urine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine)

thats why they use it in the New bluetec diesel engines. LOL [ because there is an unlimited supply for no cost ]
Urea, uh, urine: More than just for BlueTec! For batteries too? (http://green.autoblog.com/2007/02/28/urea-uh-urine-more-than-just-for-bluetec-for-batteries-too/)

not to mention soon in rechargeable batteries.. - damn those Euro'pee'ns LOL
smart people - lots of farms with lots of pee.

I heard that as well, why pay the dealer $80 every 16,000km to refill the AdBlue tank? Just pee into it.

+1 The bio-hazard argument is just lame. Unless the kid was sick (and I mean physically), the urine of any healthy human being is sterile.

Urine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine)

Yeah, that would be about the only time a human liquid would be called a bio-hazard, and it probably would be more of a concern with blood than pee. But I guess, in a public place, it's better to be safe than sorry as you don't know everyone there.

I heard that as well, why pay the dealer $80 every 16,000km to refill the AdBlue tank? Just pee into it.

$80 - who you kidding.. its almost $150 for my wife's beast ML350 Bluetec..
but tempting as it sounds - sadly I can not mount the insertion point - the hole is too small and requires a counter clockwise turn and lock and push to release for it to work. and it is in the trunk. LOL


when my kids were babies and we went for a check up with them and they 'free flowed' all over the doctor.. she said no worries it is only pee and it is clean. LOL

These could very well be cleaned, put on rubber gloves and a mask, get some disinfectant, and clean them off.
I'm almost 100% sure some of them will still work after they have been cleaned,
Pay me $30 an hour and I'd do it. How much urine can one kid dispense in one go?
If the lids were closed, there could be very little damage, and people already touch more disgusting surfaces everyday than this.
Everyday people touch doors in public places that are coated in stuff you don't want to know.
I say punish the kid severely and his parents, chastise the staff who left the cart out, stop whining and clean them up and test each one.
How do people get through life if the can't cope with knowing a loaner computer that is now cleansed was once pissed on?

These could very well be cleaned, put on rubber gloves and a mask, get some disinfectant, and clean them off.
I'm almost 100% sure some of them will still work after they have been cleaned,
Pay me $30 an hour and I'd do it. How much urine can one kid dispense in one go?
If the lids were closed, there could be very little damage, and people already touch more disgusting surfaces everyday than this.
Everyday people touch doors in public places that are coated in stuff you don't want to know.
I say punish the kid severely and his parents, chastise the staff who left the cart out, stop whining and clean them up and test each one.
How do people get through life if the can't cope with knowing a loaner computer that is now cleansed was once pissed on?

+1 Agreed.

Do we through out babies who have s**t themselves...? I mean really. And s**t is far worse than p**s...

Bio-hazard...?

I mean really. Get over it and get the job done... It's quite ridiculous actually.

.