Apple, which has seen its stores in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington, D.C. broken into and looted, isn’t letting stolen property such as iPhones go so easily.
Nicole Lyn Pesce for MarketWatch:
Images of stolen iPhones are circulating on Reddit and Twitter showing a message that warns that the phone has been disabled and is now being tracked. The most viral image shows a device allegedly stolen from a Philadelphia store, with an alert reading: “Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.”
https://twitter.com/disposablefilms/status/1267111238313693185
Apple has been using proximity software since 2016 that disables any demo devices from working outside of the Apple store, except for responding to the “Find my iPhone” geolocation service that can track a lost or stolen device. So the company has the ability to disable and track any stolen device.
Apple had just started reopening more than 100 stores across the country after closing them due to the coronavirus pandemic, but began temporarily shuttering many retail locations again this week after stores were vandalized or looted over the weekend.
MacDailyNews Take: More proof that criminals aren’t the brightest bulbs in the pack.