(photo credit Neowin altered by me)
“Apple picking” no longer refers to going to an orchard with the kids, at least not in the Big Apple.
It now refers to the phone being snatched out of peoples’ hands while they’re talking!
The iPhone’s pretty popular in the Big Apple: So popular that a special police unit to prevent iPhone thieves has been created to deal with this as well as tablet theft.
The way the unit works is as soon as a theft is reported, the unit contacts Apple and asks to be notified as soon as the unit is activated. Apple is apparently cooperating with the effort although they haven’t stated so directly.
According to CNN (quoting police sources), about 75% stay in New York City. Apparently, the unit is pretty successful in reuniting owners with their property. No direct statistics were supplied, though. Sometimes they catch the thieves and others people who thought they were just buying a used unit.
Another good note: The phone industry is creating a database which when up and running will bar devices being activated or provided service on an LTE network in the USA. The database, as well as the police unit are pursuing all theft, not just of Apple products. The majority of their work is with Apple’s products because of their general popularity, the police stated.
In fact, NYC theft statistics rose by 3% last year. They would actually have fallen if mobile device theft wasn’t so severe.
So… be aware… and don’t flaunt your gear!
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/22/tech/mobile/nypd-iphone-squad/index.html
http://www.neowin.net/news/nypd-has-a-group-dedicated-to-recovering-stolen-iphones