They're going to lose a LOT of foot-traffic business at their stores.
It's a bad risk for a customer to go there.
It's a bad risk for a customer to go there.
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Apple Stores Could Stop Thieves With New Security Measures
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You make a good point here. I instruct one one one in use of force training for private individuals considering concealed carry permits, etc. I try to ingrain in them the idea of "is it worth it".
If you (or I) were sitting in an interview room after being in a use of force incident, would you trade whatever it is you used force to prevent to get out of that room, no questions asked and go about your day? If so, you're probably in some sort of hot water these days. If not, you probably made the right choice.
Any thing, any item, or trinket, or device can be replaced. A life can not. Unfortunately, one has to consider the fact that quite often those with criminal intent are armed these days. More so than in the past.
Thieves are gonna thieve. People have been stealing other people's stuff from the beginning of time. Insure your stuff, folks. Criminals almost never pay restitution. More of them are armed these days. Just let them take your stuff. I KNOW how this sounds, but consider it. Stuff isn't worth your life. No stuff is worth your life, and especially someone else's stuff isn't worth your life.
Unfortunately, I have been in an armed confrontation. More than once. I don't care for it. It was never by choice. Also the victim of an attempted car jacking about a year ago driving home from work. Once the three of them (THREE!) they saw my outfit they turned tail.
Take my truck, but 3 on one in this day and age ramped up the "pucker factor" quick, especially the area I drive through to get home. I was glad it ended the way it did.
Apple needs to find a way to "brick" the thieves along with the stolen goods 
Seriously, this kind of mass theft gives me pause about shopping in person, or going into the Apple Store for technical support.
Seriously, this kind of mass theft gives me pause about shopping in person, or going into the Apple Store for technical support.
cant they just disable all the devices and have them tracked with "find my" ?
They can place 2 ED-209's (or a half sized ED-209 Mini) at the entrance to act as a deterrent AND lost prevention.
All the more reason ED-209 or ED-209 Mini would be better than MagnaVolt.
I went into the Roosevelt Field store in NY to check out the iPad mini when it was announced. Someone stole a whole tray of AirPods from the table. I don't know why apple would leave a whole tray out in plain sight...
Better security against theft is good.
Interesting how the patent shows wireless charging ipads & round apple watches.
How about removing the battery of all devices in the shop?, only a dummy with of the same weight?.
Or etching a number very visibly indicating this a “shop” device, so people buying them will know for sure it is stolen and will drive the price so low that this business will not be attractive for robbers anymore.
Or a guard outside in the more risky stores?
Or super glue the devices to a retainer in such a way that if they are separated the device will be totally damaged. Those devices will have to have the cover replaced when eventually they want to be sold or given internally in Apple.
Or etching a number very visibly indicating this a “shop” device, so people buying them will know for sure it is stolen and will drive the price so low that this business will not be attractive for robbers anymore.
Or a guard outside in the more risky stores?
Or super glue the devices to a retainer in such a way that if they are separated the device will be totally damaged. Those devices will have to have the cover replaced when eventually they want to be sold or given internally in Apple.
A couple of grams of C4 in every display device with a remote set app 🤣
sorry, i'm no longer certain i know what we're discussing.
I think these theft issues are a mix of a few things including bad legislature, the ease of flipping stolen products online to unsuspecting buyers, and companies like Apple getting SO big that they almost can't be bothered by these petty/low cost (to them) problems. None of it's good.
I still think those unscrupulous people who buy up supply to flip on eBay/Amazon at inflated prices are worse than these smash and grab thieves....
The local Target was ransacked a few years ago. They kept all of the stock in a glass front counter style sliding display case, with the demo units on the top. Typical big box display/stock shtick. The 'bad guys' walked right in, walked right to the case, smashed the panels, stuffed everything into bags they had carried in, all of it (except the display units), and walked out the door. They were likely in the store all of 5 minutes, and walked out with all their stock. People were 'stunned', but it was happening in sporadic areas elsewhere.
So now, you want an iPad let's say. You have to find a sales droid, and *hope* they know what's in stock, or have their 'magic wand' and can either scan the label, or enter the description and tease out the numbers from the bowels of their inventory system. Oh, and then can actually go back and verify it, access the secure cage and bring the wanted item to the register. It's a much more drawn out process. It reinforces the idea that human beings can't be trusted, and we all have to live with their security intrusions.
Whatever happened to the idea that stealing something was wrong. That wanting something that you can't afford meant you either did without, borrowed the money, got a job, or bought used. *sigh* (Damn, I sound old)
So now, you want an iPad let's say. You have to find a sales droid, and *hope* they know what's in stock, or have their 'magic wand' and can either scan the label, or enter the description and tease out the numbers from the bowels of their inventory system. Oh, and then can actually go back and verify it, access the secure cage and bring the wanted item to the register. It's a much more drawn out process. It reinforces the idea that human beings can't be trusted, and we all have to live with their security intrusions.
Whatever happened to the idea that stealing something was wrong. That wanting something that you can't afford meant you either did without, borrowed the money, got a job, or bought used. *sigh* (Damn, I sound old)
They sure can be. I remember getting my PS4. I had looked everywhere for one, and was in the local grocery, and 'had a feeling', so I wandered to their sparse 'electronics department', and spied three of them in the case. I frantically tried to find a sales droid to unlock the bounty for me, and got one just before a snake came up saying they wanted to buy ALL of the PS4's they had. I said yeah, well, I get one first. The sales guy looked a little shocked and frightened and agreed to let me purchase one. The scalper snake was visibly irked, but I FINALLY got one, and FOR RETAIL PRICE too! SCORE!!!
And it felt so sweet sniping a snake out of a sure couple hundred bucks 'fencing' the thing to rubes on the internet. HAH HAH!!! Sometimes that voice is dead right! (It never is with Power-ball tickets, sadly)
Seems like there's an easier way to go about this. Assume all the devices already have Activation Lock turned on, what Apple needs to do is simply:
1. Disable power button so thief cannot power down any devices once they leave the store
2. Devices will try joining any open wifi to send back locations.
3. Display warning message that devices are in loss/recovery mode.
No one will want to touch these hot potatoes.
1. Disable power button so thief cannot power down any devices once they leave the store
2. Devices will try joining any open wifi to send back locations.
3. Display warning message that devices are in loss/recovery mode.
No one will want to touch these hot potatoes.
Still the best way to keep thieves and customers out.
That’s the problem - designing systems (physical and procedural) that keep thieves from thieving while not in any way discouraging customers or potential customers from spending money.
with apple going digital, stealing apple devices is useless, all they do is lock it down forever from being used, hell, parts used to be a big market now it's serial number tracked. There's really no point now if you want them as paperweights lolol