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Just Lost iPad!
- Thread starter wrkactjob
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The erase option should be refined with an option to make it useless and focus on the possibility to track its location. Something like a complete lockdown and only network facilities on. With the built in sensors on it should even be possible to let it take pictures when it's moving, those could be sent to a preset emailadress.
He was referring to the above message about apple putting their own viruses on devices to be released if the device is stolen, thereby rendering the device useless.
We have over 800 iPads and the 'recover' options are just not there.
First a would be thief can just delete the icloud account or turn off the location services.
We use an MDM to assist in deployment of apps, ect. Apple requires MDMs to be removable by users choice, so I can not lock a profile onto a device, only remove the wireless connections, apps that we give the user.
One way we try to slow down a thief is to enable restrictions, then lock the accounts and location services. This prevents the thief from simply turning these services off, but doesn't stop them from just holding down the power button.
We've come to the conclusion that Apple doesn't really care if our iPads get stolen ( I guess they reason, we will just buy another one ), but they do care about our data; so they got it half right.
The iPad is still a pretty new device, maybe they will come up with a simple remote lock, I'm lost, modal, screen that cannot be overwritten without a password that you sent with the remote lock.
just thinking out loud
First a would be thief can just delete the icloud account or turn off the location services.
We use an MDM to assist in deployment of apps, ect. Apple requires MDMs to be removable by users choice, so I can not lock a profile onto a device, only remove the wireless connections, apps that we give the user.
One way we try to slow down a thief is to enable restrictions, then lock the accounts and location services. This prevents the thief from simply turning these services off, but doesn't stop them from just holding down the power button.
We've come to the conclusion that Apple doesn't really care if our iPads get stolen ( I guess they reason, we will just buy another one ), but they do care about our data; so they got it half right.
The iPad is still a pretty new device, maybe they will come up with a simple remote lock, I'm lost, modal, screen that cannot be overwritten without a password that you sent with the remote lock.
just thinking out loud
It's not that Apple doesn't care if your iPad is stolen, but that there is no practical way for them to do what you want.
Remote lock with password is a software lock. Pressing the power and home buttons together, then letting go of one while keeping the other pressed down, etc, is a hardware reset. By its very nature, a hardware reset overrides any software locks. Think about a regular desktop computer. Can anybody write a software program to prevent someone from physically pulling the power plug? No, you cannot. Trying to write a software lock for an iPad that prevents a hardware reset is the same thing. It's physically not possible.
Now, Apple *could* build iPads without a hardware reset. But if they did that, then when things go wrong with an iPad software-wise (for instance, we often see people posting in the forums about iPads stuck at the Apple logo, getting errors while trying to restore/update, etc), then there will be no way to recover from those situations, and a lot of people will have a $500-900 paperweight.
Apple does not publicize how to do a full hardware reset (DFU). If you read through their support pages, you'll find instructions on how to put your iPad into recovery mode, but not into DFU mode -- in fact, Apple doesn't even acknowledge that there is such a thing. It's supposed to be an "inside secret" known only to a select group of authorized people, such as service technicians. Unfortunately, the method has become easy to find on the Internet, primarily because of its use in jailbreaking iDevices.
What I'm trying to say is Apple is doing what it can to protect your data *and* your devices from theft, but a fool-proof counter-theft method just does not exist. Any counter-theft method has to be weighted against other concerns. Make it too hard for a thief to use the device, and you make things too inconvenient for legitimate users too. Apple is trying to strike a balance here, and IMO, it is doing a reasonable job.
In order to do that, the tracking data would have to be on a separate storage medium, plus some kind of software to enable send and receive of location data would have to be on board, separate from the main OS. I'm thinking it would be too complicated and expensive for consumer-grade equipment.
I mean, at least iPads have a tracking method avaiable. Other more expensive devices, such as laptops, high-end cameras, etc, don't. We don't complain that a thief can just wipe and reuse our $2000 MacBook. I think having a little bit of theft prevention has all of a sudden made us clamor for more.
Thinking...
Correct, but I can write a program that disables the power button. I can also write a program that puts the computer back to the exact same configuration it was when the power cord is plugged back in. I can also require that computer to have an internet connection, check in with a database, verify it has not been reported stolen, then start. Or, if an internet connection is unavailable just sit there with a little message on the screen asking the user to politely connect me to the internet.
I agree, there is no fool-proof theft prevention magic button. It has been my experience that Apple excels at simple user interfaces. In the area of location services I believe they could ( and probably will ) have done better. I do appreciate that they even give us the chance to locate our lost devices, even if it is not as easy as it could be.
This has never been pitched as an anti-theft feature. It's more of a "left it in a taxi" or "can't recall where I left it" feature. It's meant to help find a misplaced device or lock/wipe a device that is unlikely to be retrieved.
No company wants to assume a greater liability for policing stolen devices, there's simply too much downside on their end.