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Apple recently announced that its retail location within the Chadstone Shopping Center in Melbourne, Australia will be getting a grand reopening on November 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. The newly relocated Apple Chadstone location will be triple the size of the previous store, and mark the first Australian store to gain Apple's modern retail layout.

Apple Chadstone first opened nearly ten years ago in 2008 with 69 employees, and will now grow to more than 240 with the grand reopening (via Herald Sun).

apple-chadstone-construction.jpg
Image via Herald Sun


Apple Chadstone will now feature a Genius Grove, a "boulevard" of window product displays, a boardroom for business meetings with local entrepreneurs and developers, a meeting place for "Today at Apple," and more. According to Apple senior vice president of retail, Angela Ahrendts, Apple Chadstone will lead the way for the rest of Australia's Apple retail locations.
“We’re thrilled to open Apple Chadstone in a stunning new location and introduce Australians to our latest store design,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to build on our 22 stores in Australia.”
In other retail news, Apple Regent Street was robbed today by ten individuals who stole "thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads" (via Evening Standard). To get into the store, the robbers drove mopeds through the glass storefront in the early morning hours of Monday, and then in less than three minutes managed to take various products from display stands before escaping on more mopeds waiting outside.

In total, police said the thieves stole iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and two iPhone Xs, which have since been recovered near Kings Cross. Apple Regent Street is said to be "open as usual" in the wake of the attack, which apparently follows an "epidemic" of moped-related attacks and thefts hitting London recently.
Ten thugs on five mopeds launched a mass raid on the Apple store in Regent Street early today snatching thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads.

One customer Hajra Ali, 37, from Ilford, said: “Moped attacks have got really, really bad and I’m not surprised this happened. I don’t know what the Met is doing about it.
For more on the latest Apple retail openings and redesigns, check out or Apple Store Roundup.

(Thanks, SlippedAtom54!)

Article Link: First Australian Apple Store Gets Modern Redesign as Thieves Rob Apple Regent Street in UK
 
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The time, effort and risk involved in robbing an Apple store just doesnt seem worth it with the payoff you'll get. Which, more then likely will be nothing. Other then earpods, any other Apple device will be locked down and rendered unusable when stolen.
 
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Definition of incongruent: Ten thugs on five mopeds :D

Idiot thieves. Those devices are now bricked.
Thieves don't care if the devices are bricked. They didn't steal them for personal use. Those devices will either be parted out, sold to some unsuspecting dupe, or sent somewhere deep in the Asian market.
 
Definition of incongruent: Ten thugs on five mopeds :D


Thieves don't care if the devices are bricked. They didn't steal them for personal use. Those devices will either be parted out, sold to some unsuspecting dupe, or sent somewhere deep in the Asian market.

I don’t know why people don’t understand this Lol. Every time these articles are posted someone says “the phones are useless!” You really think the thieves stole them to use for themselves? They’re obviously going to sell them as 69Mustang said.

People they sell them too won’t know or they’ll use the parts.
 
Driving mopeds through the front window? I've been to the Regent Street Apple Store. That took balls, and stupidity. It's a busy street.

And why do people assume that the devices would be bricked. Apple has the ability to track those things once they are registered. Who says they don't just flag the serial numbers and alert authorities when (if) they show up in their system. It would be like Lo-Jacking a car, from what I know about that technology. It pops up somewhere, and Apple just alerts authorites and problem solved. PLUS they stole display devices. One would think they are locked down, and also bugged too. Not the smartest thing. The blokes that ripped off the delivery truck had the better idea.
 
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I don’t know why people don’t understand this Lol. Every time these articles are posted someone says “the phones are useless!” You really think the thieves stole them to use for themselves? They’re obviously going to sell them as 69Mustang said.

People they sell them too won’t know or they’ll use the parts.
Full details of how these crimes work here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41582001

I've been mugged in London and have no doubt my phone was sold for parts, and the person who stole it got paid.
 
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Idiot thieves. Those devices are now bricked.

It's like they didn't think that one of the biggest tech companies in the world does not have the ability to track their devices.

Plus with Activation Lock from iOS (7?) I don't know why anyone would risk stealing a recent-era iOS device. They're potentially more work than they're worth.
 
I don’t know why people don’t understand this Lol. Every time these articles are posted someone says “the phones are useless!” You really think the thieves stole them to use for themselves? They’re obviously going to sell them as 69Mustang said.

People they sell them too won’t know or they’ll use the parts.

Unless of course, Apple figured on that, and came up with a way not just to brick them remotely, but to cause them to self-destruct remotely, without them having to be taken out of the box or turned on. How awesome would that be? Steal a bunch of new Apple products from their store, get a few blocks and suddenly all those batteries turn into bombs, not only destroying the devices utterly, but also maiming the thief in the process? CLASSIC!
 
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Unless of course, Apple figured on that, and came up with a way not just to brick them remotely, but to cause them to self-destruct remotely, without them having to be taken out of the box or turned on. How awesome would that be? Steal a bunch of new Apple products from their store, get a few blocks and suddenly all those batteries turn into bombs, not only destroying the devices utterly, but also maiming the thief in the process? CLASSIC!
Unless the thieves already sold that iphone and now an innocent child is holding his brand new christmas present from his parents when the batteries go KABOOM.

#iPhoneLivesMatter
 
I know it's the Evening Standard reporting and MR are only quoting, but why do more and more media outlets find the need to interview and quote random people who have no involvement or insight into the story whatsoever, and therefore nothing meaningful to add?

One customer Hajra Ali, 37, from Ilford, said: “Moped attacks have got really, really bad and I’m not surprised this happened. I don’t know what the Met is doing about it.
 
Thugs on mopeds? :confused: Mopeds? What kind of biker gang is that? Wow, hear something new everyday.

Been very common in London over the last few years - easy to steal, easy to ride and easy to escape on as you can manoeuver them through busy traffic, on the pavement or down narrow alleyways. And there's no doubt that the gangs involved in these moped crimes are thugs - attacking people with hammers and throwing acid into people's faces to steal their mopeds.

These aren't biker gangs undertaking criminal activities, they are criminal gangs who just happen to be using mopeds.
[doublepost=1510586313][/doublepost]
Destroys $5000 worth of stolen mopeds.

Collects $6000 worth of gear

#worthit
 
Unless the thieves already sold that iphone and now an innocent child is holding his brand new christmas present from his parents when the batteries go KABOOM.

#iPhoneLivesMatter
They wouldn't have time to do this as the detonations would take place as soon as they were out of the store, if being removed without purchase, after the alarms are activated by the break-in itself.

No innocent person buys electronics from someone riding away from a building where burglar alarms are still blaring, on a mangled moped 5 minutes later, let alone gives them as "christmas" (sic) presents to children.
 
I was on upper Regent Street a couple of months ago (near the Beeb at Portland Place, where George Osbourne seemingly was) when a couple of moped drifters sped past at top speed, nearly running over people at the crossing in the process, then 20 seconds later a Police car zoomed past following the same direction, followed by another seconds later.
...one has to wonder what they had just done.:rolleyes:

Is it even worth buying a moped for use in London anymore, as surely they all get nicked as there's no way to secure them from being lifted (literally!) by any brainless dick head, for use in smash and grabs, robberies, and the like, before they discard them (with or without ruining them, or setting fire to the things in the process).
It's a shame, as the traffic is so bad, it'd otherwise be something to consider, apart from the hassle of securing the thing each time you stop.
 
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The moped gangs which have been stealing mobiles in London have been paid between £50 - £200 per device. These have then been shipped to Bangladesh. Probably more of the same with these.
 
Even mopeds are not good for traffic congestion, the environment or for public health. I hope in future such criminals will consider using bicycles or skateboards instead. It’s the responsible thing to do!
 
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