Apple-hungry thieves defy sinking New York City crime stats Thieves in America's largest city have made Apple devices their target of choice, according to police. The New York Police Department (NYPD) said that it logged some 8,465 grand larceny cases involving Apple products in 2013, part of an overall climb in thefts that defies otherwise declining crime figures in the city. …
Blacklists aren't synchronized between countries, meaning any blacklisted phone can just be fenced overseas.
Now, in a related thread, someone postulated that the thefts were incidental to general assaults: intended to deny the victim quick access to 911. I have to ask. How many of these crimes can be conclusively shown to be targeting the phone specifically and not as a denial of access against another crime?
I thought the assertion that apple was being 'targeted' was a bit sketchy as well. Obviously iPhones do have better resale value, but looking at "the targeting of Apple rose from just 25 cases in 2002 to more than 8,000 last year" they are comparing now to a decade ago. How many iDevices were readily available to snatch on the streets in 2002? Didn't iTunes launch in 2003?
Just goes to show how undesirable the other phones are to the thieves, according to the New York Times a survey of thieves was made asking why it was Apple products they wanted. 87% of the thieves stated Android phones were not secure enough, and that so much malware was going around they didn't want to risk being ripped off through identity theft.
I wonder what this registration entails. Whatever it is, I'll bet it makes it easier for them to link a phone to a person.
Activation Lock requires 'Find My iPhone' be enabled, but the tracking this just makes it easier for the phone's owner (or anyone else with the password to his Apple account) to track the whereabouts of the phone using information that exists for all phones, not just iPhones. That is, information on the phone's whereabouts that is available by virtue of the phone being powered on and connected to a cell tower (or having a network connection and GPS information)
If registration requires submitting proof of identity etc. so they can link your phone to you, that gives them information about who owns what phone that they can't get for people using PAYG SIMs which don't provide any link between a SIM and the phone.
Seems like the NYPD is taking advantage of this "crime wave" to increase their tracking of the citizens. They don't have access to the NSA's database, so they're trying to replicate it by tricking people who are afraid of crime into giving them their personal information voluntarily! Don't want to let them know Apple provides a better way, because that doesn't help the NYPD track people...
See it in London all the time.. Muppets holding their Ipad to the air as if offering it to the Gods.. but no.. in fact taking a picture or video of a landmark (or a lovely plump delicious speckled Pigeon called 'Speckled Jim') and thus making all and sundry know that they have such a device..
I have little sympathy.
Which leads neatly to the comment I was going to make.
Based on those I know (which, granted, is not a huge sample set), I'm inclined to say Apple users are more likely to be showing off using their devices in public when it may not be necessary. This in turn may suggest not that the thieves are specifically targeting fanbois, rather that they simply have more opportunity to steal Apple devices.
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You need to get out more.
All over the world, people are obliviously walking around while waving their cellular devices about, regardless of brand. Makes it difficult to resist the temptation to snatch 'em out of their hands, if only to toss down a sewer grate or over the side of a bridge.
Not that I would ever do such a thing, oh no...
"What utter rubbish, how exactly do android use their stuff? in their pockets without taking them out?"
See that bit where I said "when it may not be necessary"? Can you guess what that means?
I'm not saying people should leave their devices in their pockets and never use them. That's just silly. If your phone rings then, obviously, you may need to take it out to answer it.
Based on the iDiots I know, though, Apple users have a habit of getting their devices out when they don't need to do so, and I put it down to the same mindset that causes them to refer to their devices as (for example) "my iPhone" instead of just "my phone"; the mindset that says "LOOK AT ME! LOOK WHAT I HAVE!" - and if that mindset then leads to them subsequently thinking "Oh, I no longer have it - the thug who just stole it does!" then it serves them right.
...Apple users have a habit of getting their devices out when they don't need to do so...
in my experience this is a problem with owners of the flagship android phones as well (nexus/galaxy/note models); I've always assumed that it had more to do with the actually usefulness of those devices (along with iOS). there's very little I'd want to do with my kyocera rise (or could for that matter), but my mate's nexus 4 is shockingly useful for tasks beyond making and receiving phone calls.
perhaps that's the key, would be thieves avoid the android phones since they might snatch a galaxy nexus and then discover it's an optimus g.
"What utter rubbish, how exactly do android use their stuff? in their pockets without taking them out?"
Two words: Bluetooth earpieces. They can talk without taking out their phones. And if more information is needed, we're starting to see smartwatches now (which would normally be strapped to the wrist and harder to remove unless you're willing to risk bloodying your booty).
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