“A pair of would-be robbers targeting Columbia students in upper Manhattan seem to be rather picky as they prowl,” Katy Tur reports for NBC New York.
“Twice at 526 114th St., and once at 556 114th St., the suspects demanded the victims hand over their iPhones, police said,” Tur reports. “The first victim complied, but the second only had a Droid, according to police. The thieves apparently didn’t want a Droid — so they took cash instead. ‘I think it speaks to the resale value of an iPhone,’ one student on the Columbia campus said. ‘It’s insulting they don’t want my BlackBerry,’ said a female student. ‘I don’t like mine,’ said another student. ‘I’m waiting to get an iPhone myself.'”
Tur reports, “In each case, the suspects got away. Police hope someone will recognize them in a newly released surveillance video.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: And there you have the sole reason to get a pretend iPhone: Discerning thieves. Let’s be careful out there.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Art” for the heads up.]
if I was gonna steal a car from a BMW lot I wouldn’t take the Kia lol
NICE!
i will never get robbed with my new samsung galaxy phone
phew 🙂
Uh, what about using Find My iPhone to track the perps down?? It’s been done before.
Did that. Signal was located in the barrio in San Diego.
No way were we going in there to retrieve the iPhone, as you can meet some real bad asses, so we called the police and told them where it was located.
The police heard where the phone was located and they wouldn’t send an officer there to retrieve the phone. Believe it or not!
That sucks, I had a very similar experience, except I did get my phone back. (the neighborhood was OK).
They really should have sent in the SWAT team, regardless if it was just an iPhone, just sends the wrong message to the perps that you might be able to get away with it.
There’s money to be made in iPhone cases that look like Blackberries or flip phones
Yes there is: http://hideapod.com/
Yes, and turn on the Find My iPhone feature so that these people can also get 3 square meals each day and a roof over their head (in prison).
iPhone is gonna need a built in defense mechanism, mabe a built in taser that shocks any fingerprint it doesn’t recognize
That should be a real hoot with your friends who say, “Is that an iPhone? Let me see it….”
Siri, flame on.
thanks, Jane…needed that
+1
Which gets me thinking… Just imagine if the thief fires up Siri, asks a question then Siri responds, “Who the hell are you?”
Get your hands off me you dirty bastard!
” You have the right to remain silent, you have the right…..”
You just can’t make this stuff up.
A SIMILAR HORROR STORY HAPPENED TO ME:
I was walking on the street alongside a stranger with an iPhone.
We were MUGGED!! Big mean HAIRY DUDES with TATOOS!!
they took our cash, 250 bucks or something from the iPhone guy, 75 cents from me.
then they took the guy’s iPhone. When they saw my Android they threw it at my face and shouted “CRAP!!!”
INSULTED I loudly DEMANDED THEY TAKE THE ANDROID AS WELL since they took the stupid iPhone.
Then the biggest hairest of the dudes said “$%^&* !!” and smacked me mercilessly (actually he only slapped me once but since I’m a geek not a fighter that FELT merciless.. ) .. my phone fell down and he stomped it to pieces (that’s ok it was riddled with malware anyways)
but the point I want to make is this : I’M PROUD TO SAY IT’S JUST AS DANGEROUS TO CARRY AN ANDROID AS AN IPHONE — insulting articles saying that muggers are INDIFFERENT to androids are plain wrong…
Just brilliant.
(Glad you’re OK!)
I’m ok thanks..! Only my PRIDE is wounded.
My mom is asking me to join her Mixed Martial Arts cum Tai Chi class but I have doubts..
it’s most senior citizens there but they can be NASTY (and they’re mostly iPad users). Especially that instructor Ms Abercombe, she’s 68 but MEAN. she always likes to pick on me , maybe to show how even a senior can cripple a 30+ year old guy …i.e I’m a punch ‘dummy’. Chairperson of the local MacUser Group she coos “Come her Droidy Baby!” and then beats the crap out of me. Don’t laugh! Wait until she gets YOU in a paralyzing Javanese ‘Silat’ headlock!!
I should introduce Ms Abercombe to the Big Hairy Dude! Lend her an Android as bait…
Ever consider writing for Letterman?? or Sponge Bob Squarepants? Hilarious!
“Sponge Bob”?! You’re all wet.
Look out, don’t underestimate the elderly! With all the senior discounts they get, they can afford top-shelf martial arts training, as you discovered! And they have decades of pent-up rage powering them! And they’ve learned every dirty trick in the book!
Uh…if you used and iPhone instead of that silly Droid, do you think they would still pick on you?
mom wanted me to join the class so I can defend myself but I dunno if the seniors are more dangerours or the muggers…
still they aren’t nasty ALL the time.
They use the Good Cop Bad Cop thing.. I think they want to convert me to going apple like you said.
Sometimes when they go Good Cop they use the infernal ‘Give him the Dessert’ trick, you know muffins, peach pie etc to try to bribe me (“Have a piece dear and always remember we have coffee and goodies after the the MacUser Group meeting”), but the Force is STRONG within me to resist! Although must admit Mr Dubois chocolate fudge brownies with the extra walnuts almost got me..
F.A.T. S. A. P will be apalled if I ever became APOSTATE.
(Fatsap : Far Sighted Action Team to Stop Apple Power).
Well said AF!
AF don’t get between me and my early bird special!
typo :”biggest hairest” should be “biggest HAIRIEST of the dudes”.
p.s
One IDIOT Apple fan in a tough neighbourhood near my place is selling cases to DISGUISE iPhones as androids so owners won’t get mugged. HA! Always ready to puncture an Apple dweebs business plans I TOLD him MY STORY… you’re liable to get BEAT UP DISGUISING it as AN ANDROID!! that really made him crestfallen…
You no doubt had your merkin in place.
You are seriously getting better. This was a great effort and clearly in Zune Tangs league.
Maybe they can combine the iPhone with a Pufferfish
The headline made the think of the Onion.
MDN, nice HSB take.
Smug muggers.
Guys and gals with the blackberries and droids wanted to have their phone stolen but got unlucky, gosh darn it they were thinking ….