iPods inspire lust in ways rarely seen historically outside of, say, tulip fetishes. They are certainly the most frequently stolen consumer devices on Earth. So do iPods, in and of themselves, cause crime? Consider the evidence. Here's just a quick googling of iPod-related crimes from last Friday, all within 24 hours. What can we deduce from these stories? And from the many others I did not include? To even the most casual observer, it becomes clear that iPods are a root cause of crime throughout the world. They're involved in thefts, in assaults, and even in murders. Remove the iPod and perhaps you make the world a safer place.
[Theft] Police hunt teen robber
The youth stole a mobile phone and iPod.
[Murder] Employer knew he was under suspicion when 2nd woman slain
Police recovered an iPod that Triplett allegedly took from Ordidge's apartment.
[Counterfeiting] Beware of gifts that aren't what they seem
Mr Smith said the latest 'must have' Christmas present to attract the attention of the counterfeiters were iPod nanos.
[Theft] Car iPods are thieves' latest 'must steel'[sic] target
The problem is the iPod, sat nav or phone can easily be sold in a pub or on a street corner for a few quid. That is bread and butter to the opportunists.
[Assault and Robbery] Teens arrested in El Cerrito assault, robbery
El Cerrito police arrested three Richmond teens Tuesday after they allegedly attacked a female walking alone and stole her iPod and her bank card.
[Robbery] Police and Fire
Five teenagers were charged with robbing a 30-year-old Centreville man of money and his iPod.
[Theft] On the Logs
A 15-year-old at East Hampton High School told police that, while he was in gym class between noon and 1 pm last Thursday, a $250 iPod Nano was stolen.
[Theft] Police Log
At 5:37 pm, police responded to the first of two calls on Park Avenue after two cars' windows were smashed, and a cellular phone and Ipod were stolen.
[Assault] Police Beat
The Creamery on Ninth East reported an argument. The confrontation began with two parties, then a third party attempted to intervene. The agitation was over the use of an Ipod.
[Theft] Wal-Mart Workers Arrested
After his arrest for West City Police, Cocke gave a statement in which he admitted that he had previously stolen an iPod Nano and several soft drinks.
[Theft] Crooks snatch goods from volunteer kids
Stolen items included calculators, wallets, a camera, an iPod and a handmade guitar that belonged to four students.
[Theft] Hackensack man charged with iPod thefts
Police on Wednesday charged a Hackensack man with committing a series of snatch-and-run thefts of iPods at RadioShack stores in four Bergen County towns.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
12-19-2006 @ 8:13AM
bryan said...
dont be so fucking stupid! this is the worst post ever posted on TUAW.
Why dont we get rid of all money and then maybe there will be less crime?
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12-19-2006 @ 8:15AM
my_name_is_tudor said...
What? Consumers should be punished because criminals can't be properly dealt with?
Lets ban cars too, there's a whole lot of crime circling around them. Infact, why don't we all just live as possessionless monks to remove all temptation from would be criminals? Lets ban driving to stop joy-riders, and ban running a business to stop fraud and conmanship. And to top it off, lets ban life to make murder defunct.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:22AM
joe said...
I know this is a joke used as an intro to the links for the news reports but this is the most retarded thing I've ever read. Why even publish reports of iPods getting stolen? You don't see reports of Volkswagens or BMWs getting stolen on car enthusiast websites. What. The. Christ.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:27AM
derek said...
what the hell?!?!?!?!
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12-19-2006 @ 8:29AM
Zero said...
Yes iPods cause crime and guns cause people to kill people and pot is the root cause of all drug abuse. Isn't logic fun.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:30AM
slingshot said...
Erica, you and your employer need to have a long discussion about your suitability for this job. I have a strong feeling this isn't the right role for you.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:49AM
Mr Lizard said...
Idiot.
Take away the iPod, and the crime will simply shift toward the mobile phone.
Take that away, and it'll be money.
There will always be something to steal.
Genuinely considering the idea of 'banning' something because people steal for it is an insight into someone's small mindedness.
Repeat: Idiot.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:49AM
Storv said...
I have to agree with slingshot.
This is a pointless post - one of the most pointless amongst a whole raft of pointless TUAW posts. Seriously, what the hell is this about? It's got to be one of the most asinine things I've read for a long while here on TUAW, and that's saying something.
:-(
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12-19-2006 @ 8:50AM
MissingLink said...
Maybe the last paragraph got lost somewhere? The one where you make clear that the title was just to catch readers' attention, and where you then say "no, obviously, poverty should be banned". That would still have been a rather pointless article, but at least not as silly as the one above.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:55AM
Marcus said...
Maybe we should ban money too. I hear a lot of people commit crimes to get money.
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12-19-2006 @ 8:59AM
Marcus said...
Sorry...I just re-read all the comments and they're pretty harsh. Don't worry about it Erica. Your post was harmless and made with good intent. It's easy to say harsh things when everything is anonymous, I'm sure none of the people who posted above (myself included) would have said those things were we talking to you face-to-face.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:03AM
Q said...
Neither iPods nor money are the root cause of the bad things people do, they are simply targets for greed and lust in a materialist society. Removing one target results in it simply being replaced by another. It is in our nature to seek out our desires and satisfy our wants and needs, however it's our moral judgement and sense of right and wrong that separates the good from the bad.
To make the world a safer place would require the removal of those people who threaten its safety, not the material items they wish to possess.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:25AM
joe said...
To Marcus: You vastly underestimate the human population. I would have said the same thing or even worse to her face.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:27AM
Josh S. said...
Yikes. It's just a post. I agree that crime would shift to another device or object. iPods are stolen because they are so numerous and have value, but their existence is not the root cause of their theft.
Erica, the post was fine - don't worry. Maybe you should have phrased it a little differently (so as not to imply that removing them would make us safer) but it really isn't a big deal. It's just a post and you can't expect every post here to be perfect. It's a free blog, so lighten up everyone.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:35AM
Jussi said...
The most frightening thing about this post are these comments.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:47AM
Joel Heflin said...
TUAW is sinking lower and lower. I am not sure how much more of this trash I can stand. Please try to actually be responsible. We don't want some amature writing whatever idea comes to their head. We want REAL stories. We want actual FACTS. We don't want an opinion piece that displays the logic of a 4 year old.
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12-19-2006 @ 9:50AM
Mike said...
A common misconception is that the Bible says, "Money is the root of all evil." It actually says, "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil." Unfortunately the love of iPods is also the root of a lot of evil, apparently.
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12-19-2006 @ 10:03AM
Jon said...
I remember when my laptop got stolen by airport staff. I checked in an expensive-looking suitcase, and they tried to blame me for the theft for making my possessions "attractive to criminals". I was livid.
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12-19-2006 @ 10:29AM
michael said...
Erica, please perform tha same search on other items. Yes, I'm sure the iPod is a frequently stolen item, but so are Honda Accords, Toyota Camrys, more types of cell phone than I care to imagine... Your article is accomplishing nothing beyond some fear-mongering and harming the reputation of The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Please use better judgment in the future if you are again inclined to post an entry along these lines.
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12-19-2006 @ 10:31AM
slingshot said...
To those of you making "ahh, don't worry about, its only a post" statments. This is a commercial blog. The writers are paid for their contributions and therefore have a responsiblity to their readership and employer to maintain the quality and the reputation of the product. Although only here a short time, this particular writer has, in my opinion, done more to damage the credibility of the site than any other contributor this year or last (including Chartier). Things are getting worse, not better. Time to go.
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