Tony Fadell is the mystery buyer of Jony Ive-designed Mac Pro (RED) and rose gold earpods

Tony Fadell may have left Apple five years back to start his own company but it seems his love for his former employer hasn't waned. The Nest Labs co-founder and chief executive is reportedly the buyer of the one-off RED Mac Pro and custom Apple EarPods crafted from solid rose gold at a Sotheby's charity auction on November 23 that benefited Bono's Global Fund and featured the works of Apple's Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson.

While Faddell, who served as the head of Apple's iPod Division for two years (2006-2008) did not confirm he was the buyer of the RED Mac Pro and the gold Apple EarPods, tweets from photographer Kevin Abosch suggest otherwise.

"Both 1 of a kind... @tfadell with the (RED) Mac Pro and he's already trying to hack it," Abosch posted on Twitter.

In another tweet, Abosch showed a photo of the rose gold EarPods, "My friend @tfadell stopped by with 1 of a kind solid rose gold earbuds. Very cool! Thank you!"

The RED Mac Pro sold for $977,000 when it crossed the auction block. It is said to be the most expensive computer ever bought. It was first estimated to go between $40,000 and $60,000 but most buyers did not hold back because it was all for a good cause. The proceeds of the auction would benefit people in Africa struggling with AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. The EarPods went for $461,000. At the time, Sotheby's did not reveal the name of the buyer.

The said Sotheby's auction featured 44 items curated by Ive and Newson. The auction also featured a Leica M camera crafted by the two designers, a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet signed by George Lucas, and an Olivetti typewriter from the 1960s.

Faddell's company is the maker of the Learning Thermostat that can be controlled using a laptop or an iPhone via Wi-Fi. It also created the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector that speaks to warn homeowners and can be turned off by swiping one's hand.