Technically, prototypes are usually worth much more than $11k (hand built consumer electronics as complicated as mobile phones are expensive), but it wasn't the money that was important to Apple. It's the secrecy, Apple is obsessed with it. This is the company that announced everything about the iPad months ahead of time but wouldn't even let Apple Store staff use it once until the day of launch. It's useful to a point, but they have taken it way over the edge.