Snobby robbers annoyed by Droids, prefer iPhones

Today's secret word is "techno-elitism" (actually, if you follow that link, you'll find the secret word is a bit more salacious). Whatever your personal views on Android vs. iPhone vs. BlackBerry may be, at least one particular subset of society has apparently made up its mind on the matter.

According to NBC New York, two robbers in upper Manhattan are targeting Columbia University students and demanding they hand over their iPhones. Upon discovering that one victim had an Android-powered smartphone rather than an iPhone, they declined to take it and demanded cash instead. A third victim had a BlackBerry, which the robbers also refused to steal.

"It's insulting they don't want my BlackBerry," said the victim, earning her a nomination for 2011's Weirdest Perspective of the Year.

This isn't the first time New York-area robbers have shown a marked preference for Apple's products. Various news reports in the mid-2000s blamed the iPod for a rise in thefts and muggings, and for a while it seemed like wearing white earbuds was like wearing a sign that said, "Please rob me." More recently, the NYPD told the Daily News that at least 70% of the cellphones taken in city thefts or robberies are iPhones. [Yes, these aren't the Droids they're looking for. –Ed.]

Apple products consistently retain a high resale value -- whether they're legitimately obtained or not -- and that plus high demand for the iPhone naturally makes it a tempting target for thieves. As for these two thieves' disdain for Android phones and BlackBerry handsets, I'll leave it to the rest of you to speculate just why they may take that stance.

[via The Loop]