Thieves targeting iPads in NY Apple Store
Apple's products have been increasingly targeted by thieves since those now-ubiquitous white earbuds first announced, "I'm carrying an expensive Apple doohickey! Mug me!" iPhones and iPods are often too hard for ne' er-do-wells to resist, and now iPads have joined their ranks.The New York Post reports that the West Side Apple Store was robbed of iPads twice in the last week. In both instances, opportunistic thieves nabbed boxed iPads that were being unloaded from a delivery truck in broad daylight. Picking up five at a time while the driver was looking away, the crooks simply sprinted from the scene.
Of course, the iPad is a hot product and has sold well. Store employees noted that they've increased security, but monitoring shipments is tricky business, as they don't know when new iPads or other Apple products will arrive.
Keep your eyes peeled when walking down the street with your iDevice. And to the thieves: Surely there's a easier and less disruptive way to make a few hundred bucks?
[Via Cult of Mac]
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Apple's products have been increasingly targeted by thieves since those now-ubiquitous white earbuds first announced, "I'm carrying an...
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Very nice post!
apple ipad
"a few hundred bucks"?????
Five of the cheapest iPads is $2500 retail. Five of the 64GB+3G is $4200 retail. On eBay/Craigslist/overseas, sealed units are probably much higher than retail. Having five of the hottest, least available consumer products on the market is an amazingly good business decision for a thief. If you break each case down into 5 units for different folks to sell, any one that gets caught is under the $2500 felony limit.
Damn racists. This is why we can't have a cohesive society.
June 23 2010 at 12:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThat was meant for @waiownsyou above.
June 23 2010 at 12:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIf Apple know the serial numbers of these stolen iPads, I wonder if they can remote wipe them using some 'magic' FindMe backdoor?
June 23 2010 at 11:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyremote wipe only removes personal info. You just have to plug it into a computer and restore it
so that's no go.
how is stealing ipads from an apple store "disruptive"???
June 23 2010 at 10:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replylooks like we need to hire someone for the Barney guarding job.
June 23 2010 at 10:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't get it. How would a purple, super-friendly dinosaur help with guarding Apple products from thieves?
:eyeroll:
define:barney guarding job http://tinyurl.com/29zqh84
June 23 2010 at 10:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"And to the thieves: Surely there's a easier and less disruptive way to make a few hundred bucks?"
Yeah, thieves -- why can't you steal things that are less disruptive to society than our precious iPads?
:eyeroll:
smartest Apple thieves yet.
June 23 2010 at 10:14 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDo they bring them off the truck in their retail packaging? I mean it makes for some nice advertising to people passing by on the street, but jeez, put like 20 at a time in a plain brown box or something. I guess they've factored the cost of theft into packaging them this way.
June 23 2010 at 10:07 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo. From what I have seen being on the docks getting my stores stuff at the same time, everything is in plain brown boxes. But it's pretty easy to guess what could be ipads, iphones etc.
First time they probably took a guess, after that they knew the shape to look for.
What I wonder is if Apple knows the serials in each box. and can mark them as stolen goods somehow. doubt it would get them back but perhaps void the warranty???
I don't understand... why wouldn't they try to steal the more expensive laptops?
June 23 2010 at 10:05 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI work at a mall with an Apple store and a central dock and from what I can tell the ipads are coming in UPS and Fed Ex Air while the laptops are generally Freight.
So the UPS/Air guy has a bunch of smaller boxes he has to hand load onto a dolly to wheel in. If it's a back alley and not an enclosed dock, this is easy to distract and grab. And from what I understand that's the case with the two stores hit. 5th Ave is probably the only one in the area with a gated loading zone etc
But the Freight goes in on a wrapped pallet. So you'd have to distract long enough to cut and grab, if you can even see where to aim
At my mall the Apple store is upstairs just off the loading zone (which is on street level) and every truck from Monday to today at least one blue shirt and two uniformed guards has come down before the delivery guy opens the truck door, no matter who it is. I doubt that the phones were actually being delivered (probably show up really late tonight I'm thinking) but why risk someone attacking a truck thinking maybe they will get lucky
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