Apple Loses Another 4th-Gen iPhone 466
An anonymous reader noted that Apple appears to have lost another of its 4th generation iPhones. This doesn't seem like the most efficient distribution mechanism, Steve. Wonder if the SWAT team will get called in.
Part deux (Score:4, Informative)
Looks exactly like the phone Gizmodo got their hands on, except this one has a SIM slot on the right. I tend to believe these are the real deal.
Deception (Score:3, Interesting)
Now that I've thought about this more, if Apple were really, REALLY, clever, they would plant fakes - perhaps prototypes, or even specially created units - just to lead everyone off track. The planting of a second unit exactly matching the first would only reinforce the illusion.
So these are either the real units, or they are a strategic deception by Apple.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, probably a good point. Apple's Elk Grove facility appears to have become mostly a warehousing/distribution operation.
Apropos to nothing, I made a delivery there once back when I was driving an 18-wheeler. One of the best-run receiving operations I ever encountered--a bit more paperwork than usual but I was in and out in less than 45 minutes. To a truck driver who's paid by the mile and makes nothing while he's waiting to be unloaded, that's like money in the bank.
Re:Part deux (Score:5, Funny)
Andre... you've lost another submarine?
Re:Part deux (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Part deux (Score:4, Insightful)
even assuming foul play, pickpocketing != robbery.
robbery implies threats of violence.
So if someone breaks into your house while you're away on vacation, you can't say that you've been robbed?!?!?!?
This is one of those areas where /. readers love to pontificate on the precise meaning of words and totally lose sight of what the intent might be.
So, if someone breaks into your house, they can:
* take pictures of every page of your diary; ...after they've copied all the files, including your final draft of the book you're writing for O'Reilly.
* write down your social security number and any passwords they might find;
* take a copy of your spare set of car keys;
* format your hard drive;
*
But in the world of /., nothing tangible has been taken from you, so it's not theft or stealing. (It's not even copyright infringement, in the cases posited above.) Neat, huh?
Re:Part deux (Score:4, Insightful)
don't let your shallow language knowledge hinder you on your way to dig.
Re:Part deux (Score:4, Insightful)
ally lose sight of what the intent might be.
So, if someone breaks into your house, they can:
* take pictures of every page of your diary; ...after they've copied all the files, including your final draft of the book you're writing for O'Reilly.
* write down your social security number and any passwords they might find;
* take a copy of your spare set of car keys;
* format your hard drive;
*
But in the world of /., nothing tangible has been taken from you, so it's not theft or stealing. (It's not even copyright infringement, in the cases posited above.) Neat, huh?
Yeah, and if I see someone fail to stop on the red lights, I can't call it hit-and-run! And have you even tried to call jaywalking embezzlement? People behave as if words had some kind of agreed-upon meanings!
Re:Part deux (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Part deux (Score:4, Informative)
Summary of differences [whathappensnow.com] between Burglary, Robbery, Theft, Larceny...
To summarize:
Robbery: Stealing something from a person with the threat or application of force
Burglary: breaking into a structure with the intent of committing a crime
Larceny: like burglary, only you didn't break in, you walked in. "Along with motor vehicle theft, larcenies can include purse snatching, shoplifting, theft of any bicycle, fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, forgery, con games, etc"
So...in the attempt of burglarizing someone's house while they sleep, you might wake them up and force them to tell you where the safe is. You're now a burglar and a robber. I suppose "robbing" a bank with a gun while it's open, while certainly robbery, may also be considered larceny since banks are public buildings.
Re:Part deux (Score:5, Funny)
Ive always preferred 'burgled'
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow. (Score:3, Interesting)
After all the fuss with the last one.. you'd really have to be a complete and utter moron to do this. Did Gray ever get fired for loss of the first phone?
Re: (Score:2)
Did Gray ever get fired for loss of the first phone?
For that matter, has anyone heard anything from him recently?
Re:Wow. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
This is going to be an unpopular question, but is Steve a Scientologist, heh?
Re:Wow. (Score:4, Funny)
No, he's been relocated to Cancun in punishment for instigating such a successful publicity campaign.
Re:Wow. (Score:5, Funny)
Of course not. He lost his phone.
Not wow. Marketing. (Score:3, Insightful)
Easy and cheap - "look, we got to the front page of /. again, practically for free".
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I think I read somewhere that Apple decided that they won't fire him, instead as a punishment he would be relocated to Apple's office in Vietnam.
Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Interesting)
I think at this point, it would have to be...years of successfully controlling leaks, and then a prototype for the same product line gets leaked TWICE within weeks of each other? Yeah...I could believe the first one to be an honest mistake, but there is no way this one wasn't planned. /tinfoil hat
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
You could be right.. but that doesn't really seem to be Apple's way..
More likely there's an employee in the right place wanting to make a little extra cash.. at least til
Re: (Score:2)
There's a guy facing serious legal repercussions over the first "leak". He had his house searched and computer equipment seized.
So if it's not real, they owe him an apology.
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)
Or maybe with Apple currently being more successful that it's ever been, and the iphone being a hugely popular device right now, the temptation to learn or share privileged information is just well beyond anything that Apple has seen before?
Apple would have zero problems getting more "legitimate" news coverage if they wanted it. They're always so careful with the aesthetics of their marketing, why would they want to leak grainy photos and poorly lit videos by random people when they could easily get crisp clean front page covers of a dozen different magazines/website? I guess they could be trying some sort of "underground" marketing strategy, but that doesn't make sense for a company where image is very important.
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Funny)
speaking of which, what is this i-phone thing anyway?
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)
The early prototype for what eventually became the Palm Pre, Blackberry Bold, and Nokia Symbian phones.
Some people still buy them out of nostalgia for the good old days when you weren't bothered with having to tether, were protected from the confusion of too much choice in applications, didn't have to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries, could concentrate on doing only one thing at a time and your phone supported this by not multitasking, and when "(whatever memory is installed in the phone) is enough for everybody".
Ah, memories.
Re: (Score:2)
The early prototype for what eventually became the Palm Pre, Blackberry Bold, and Nokia Symbian phones.
What are those? Like castrated Nexus Ones or Legends? ... Nexi? Nexuses?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
you weren't bothered with having to tether
iPhones can be tethered without Jail Breaking now. Have been able to for some time.
were protected from the confusion of too much choice in applications
Yeah, because the 50,000 or so on the App Store last I checked is a terribly small number and indicates a horrible lack of choice ::Eyeroll::
didn't have to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries
I'd grant you that this is a valid point, except it's never been a problem for me. The device lasts all day with heavy use. At the end of the day I can charge it. Under some unusual circumstances I guess I can see this one, but day to day it's hardly a major issue.
could concentrate on doing only one thing at a time and your phone supported this by not multitasking
The operating syste
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Insightful)
"Doesn't have multitasking" - I won't listen to Pandora while I read email.
"No replaceable battery" - I won't use it on the plane to watch that movie, that way I can make sure to call a cab when I land.
"It can be tethered now" - I have AT&T and they don't allow tethering, but the AT&T 3G network is so crappy I won't even bother.
Re:Just a thought (Score:5, Interesting)
"Doesn't have multitasking" - I won't listen to Pandora while I read email.
Sorry but most smartphones did not do this either. A very VERY small number of people want this. and many that did have it on a WM5 phone hated it as the phone would crawl because of having apps in the background running consuming processing power. My older Nokia smartphones also suffered from multitasking apps. nothing like getting the battery sucked dry and the phone taking 12 seconds to answer a call because of some damn app in the background using up the system resources.
"No replaceable battery" - I won't use it on the plane to watch that movie, that way I can make sure to call a cab when I land.
I have never met a person that carries around spare phone batteries. Plus anyone that even had a Palm Treo had the same problem. not easy to replace battery on smartphones has been a theme. Ever try to replace the battery in a Blackjack? the battery door self-welded shut every time you put it back on.
"It can be tethered now" - I have AT&T and they don't allow tethering, but the AT&T 3G network is so crappy I won't even bother.
It always was able to tether if you got away from a sociopath carrier. Unlock it to go to t-mobile and you can add a tethering app or more recently use the built in function.
I have been a smartphone user for over a decade. I have used them all. and I currently have an iPhone because the apps that work with my workflow are on it, I don't have to reboot it weekly, and being a phone is first priority to it. I have never had a call I could not answer because the damned phone was busy... Unlike Windows Mobile phones. or have a phone freak on certain callers... like my Nokia E62 did.
there are some "neat-o" things I would like to do. Like have the phone report my GPS location every 15 seconds to my server at home. It would be cool to have the house see that I am on my way home and turn the heater on the hot-tub on when I am within a 15 minute distance, or make other decisions when it senses I am on a return path. but I can live without that, or simply grab the phone, fire up the crestron app and press the button myself.
I also still have not found a single Apple-hater that does not change their mind when I actually show them what I do with my phone that they CANT do with theirs. (lack of "app for that"(tm)(r) on their platform mostly)
Recently the biggest was sitting at a bar, talking to a client, filling out and sending them an invoice and then processing a credit card payment over the phone right there after they got the invoice. A colleague freaked and instead of doing his typical, frothing at the mouth apple-hate, started asking serious questions about it more.
Re:Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)
You make valid counter points, but people often adjust thier behavior to the capibilities of a device.
True. But they also sometimes find that reality doesn't live up to theory. I thought copy/paste would be a huge hindrance. I've had it for a while now and used it like... twice. Flash? Thought I wanted it yet don't miss it. There's adjustment and then there's it just not being the bfd that everybody thought it would be. I would think Linux users who are happily away from Windows would understand this.
Re: (Score:2)
Just a thought. Is water wet? :)
One of these leaks is "probably" an intentional marketing campaign. Two, in the course of a few short weeks, is falling deeply into "Captain Obvious" territory.
Stevie loves to be in the headlines, but doesn't have any new ohh shiny to show off right now. These prototypes are cheap advertising.
Re:Just a thought (Score:4, Insightful)
-Apple has taken legal action against the journalist at Gizmodo reporting on the previous prototype. This would not have happened if the leak was intentional.
-Apple is not stupid. They know about the Osborne Effect [wikipedia.org] - that releasing too much hype and information on new products causes immediate losses as people who would have bought the current product sit and wait for the new product's release instead.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
This reminds me of a Russian joke:
- Your honor, the victim accidentally tripped and fell on my knife seven times.
Re: (Score:2)
I believe in this case the prototypes have been loosed.
LOL WUT!? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:LOL WUT!? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
The fact that, FTFA, the pictures appeared on a Vietnamese website, I don't think the owners have anything to worry about.
Re: (Score:2)
Because Apple doesn't have a strong relationship with the Vietnamese police.
punctuation (Score:5, Funny)
> This doesn't seem like the most efficient distribution mechanism Steve
I always had my doubts about the efficiency of Steve as a distribution mechanism.
Lost? You keep using that word. (Score:5, Funny)
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Apple hardware is being found, in the same way you can find a wallet, if the owner doesn't notice your hand in their pocket.
Re:Lost? You keep using that word. (Score:5, Interesting)
It's hard to do considering these phone are pseudo camouflaged, from my understanding at first glance it looks like an ordinary iPhone.
It would be like "Finding" a wallet in someone's pocket with something specific inside (like a 2-dollar bill or a Discover credit card). Sure if you check enough wallets I'm sure you'll find them but it would be noticed fairly quickly.
I imagine the big options are:
- Intentional leaks by Apple. The most likely in me eyes since it's now twice.
- *Very* careless employees, perhaps bragging that they have the new 4g (perhaps while intoxicated). Then leaving them behind, or not noticing that the phone disappeared 2 minutes after they bragged about it.
- An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.
- Some other sort of coordinated effort with geeks trying to find out which Apple employee might have the phone. Find out where the phones are developed, determine which employees work in fields with access to the iPhones, chat up those 1-2 dozen employees until you find one with the phone.
Re:Lost? You keep using that word. (Score:5, Funny)
ZOMG! There's no way I would buy this phone considering how easy it is to lose. They really need to work on that. /joke
Re: (Score:2)
- An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.
I would think that corporate espionage people would not rely on random websites on opening and distributing pictures about the internals
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Not corporate espionage by competitors, but by journalists.
Face it - Gizmodo pretty much scooped up a pile of money off their iPhone 4G revea
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- An inside job, or some otherwise corporate espionage thing. I don't see what they would gain here other than seeing what Apple's internals look like a few weeks early, which wouldn't help them rush a product to market ahead of Apple.
if it was corporate espionage, it'd be locked in a lab somewhere, being dissected by an electron microscope, not on a vietnamese blog.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
if it was corporate espionage, it'd be locked in a lab somewhere, being dissected by an electron microscope, not on a vietnamese blog.
Get real. Almost all of Apple's product are using standard off the shelf components. How do you think strip down site are able to list costs to build so quickly?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Except the ipad cpu which was manufactured by apple and is claimed to also be in the new iphone.
Re: (Score:2)
- Some other sort of coordinated effort with geeks trying to find out which Apple employee might have the phone. Find out where the phones are developed, determine which employees work in fields with access to the iPhones, chat up those 1-2 dozen employees until you find one with the phone.
Lesson learned: never bring a hot iPhone to a sex-date.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
You are assuming that both events arise from the same source.
What it appears to me is:
1) First leak - careless, drunk employee. The timing on that incident is all wrong for a marketing campaign. Too far from the release date, too close to other releases and kills their current iPhone sales for way too long.
2) Second leak - employee who thought he or she could make a quick $4k, but will now be in deep trouble because the guy who bought it didn't keep his mouth shut.
Could it be intentional? Probably not.
Re:Lost? You keep using that word. (Score:4, Informative)
Let see.
Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around.
Trie to contact the owner. No luck
Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
Sells it to Gizmnodo.
Gizmodo contacts Apple, Apple says it isn't theirs.
Gizmodo takes it apart.
Apple now says it is theirs.
Gizmodo gives it to them
Gizmodo gets raided by the police.
Yeah, it's like finding a wallet, trying to find it's owner then when people say ti isn't there you decided to keep the money. Then you get thrown in jail.
The only people at fault for anything is Apple.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, 'cause all corporations have perfect and instant total information awareness throughout all levels of employees and branches of their offices so it's totally like dealing directly with a person who lost a wallet (assuming you are asking the right person in the first place).
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Lets be realistic here. If you're smart enough to know that you're looking at a prototype iPhone, you're smart enough to know that ringing Apple's consumer phone line is not going to get you anywhere and that you should at least call the bar. Of course, you may also be smart enough to only call Apple anyway, so that it looks as if you tried to return the phone, even if you never intended to.
Pesky laws ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Let see. Person find phone on bar. the owner no where around. Trie to contact the owner. No luck Calls Apple, Apple insists it isn't theirs.
And this is the point where you have to give it to the police. Crazy californians, I know. Surely nowhere else are such crazy laws in place.
Or are there ...?
I hate defending Apple but... (Score:3, Informative)
Step 2 is where it started to go wrong, step 4 is where it actually gets illegal. I think the whole thing was an organised leak but lets assume I accept your assertion at face value...
Step two should have been:
"Dropped it off at police station."
In Australia, our laws require this. If no one claims it within a reasonable amount of time the object is
lessons from the past (Score:4, Insightful)
Instead of exposing themselves to corporate controlled police action again they decided to export the phone to a free country before publishing their victory.
Wait, there is something seriously wrong about this...
Re: (Score:2)
I know. It's kinda scary isn't it?
First time... (Score:2, Funny)
Isn't there an app for that situation? (Score:3, Funny)
So what? (Score:2)
By the way, The Reg reports that it runs on the same A4 1GHz processor as the iPad does. They have pictures, too.
Re: (Score:2)
Because Slashdot is in love with Apple. In fact, if I were feeling particularly cynical and suspicious, I'd wonder who that "anonymous reader" is, and if in fact the notes had pictures of dead presidents on them...
Great (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Great (Score:4, Funny)
...and if you want to invade there's an app for that.
Why is this modded funny? (Score:3, Informative)
...and if you want to invade there's an app for that.
There really is an app for that. [thefirearmblog.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Is Apple a little worried? (Score:2)
Not that it isn't going to sell a billion of them simply becaus
Re: (Score:2)
How many iphones do you think Apple has sold on the basis of tech specs? The only spec that 95% of the people who have bought them so far cared about is that it has a big screen. None of the other numbers matter to the average person.
Please stop the apple spam (Score:3, Insightful)
Will the next blog buyer be smarter (Score:2)
and do a full technical bust-open of the unit before FedExing back to Apple to show they returned it in a reasonable time?
Lost your phone? (Score:5, Funny)
With apologies to Mr. Wilde ... (Score:2, Funny)
And the next time: (Score:2)
-Goldfinger
When does Gizmodo guy get his computers back? (Score:3, Insightful)
And a full apology from the Storm Troopers?
At this point, it's pretty clear that NOTHING WAS STOLEN, clearly, Apple is intentionally "losing" these phones to continue to generate buzz. So unless Jason Chen was part of the viral marketing campaign (if so, I hope he's being paid real well to have his door kicked in), I think the California Police Department of Overreaction owes this guy some crow-eating.
Apple is the guilty party, and you can't be in possetion of stolen property if it was intentionally "lost" by the rightful owner. That's called a "free sample". And if the Police State we live in can't tell the difference anymore, then companies shouldn't be allowed to viral market.
Fake screen? (Score:3, Interesting)
Why does this phone appear to have a fake, non-functional screen? Looks like one of those cardboard computers you see in furniture stores.
Re:Fake screen? (Score:4, Informative)
It's working.. look at the battery bar graph on the bottom - it flips between 2% and other values @ 0:55.
Is this some kind of half assed viral marketing? (Score:2, Insightful)
I doubt it myself but it is generating quite a bit of interweb buzz around the new phone.
I think it is an appropriate time to misquote Oscar Wilde:
"To lose one phone, Mr. Jobs, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness."
Time for a conspiracy theory! (Score:5, Interesting)
The last one happened right in time for the release of the HTC Incredible -- I wonder if this "leak" has anything to do with yesterday's story about Android sales overtaking the iPhone [gizmodo.com]...
iPhone or iPhone mockup (Score:2)
Ambassador... (Score:5, Funny)
“...are you saying that you've lost another nuclear submarine?”
];)
Screen resolution this time I hope. (Score:3, Interesting)
The last time, despite having it in their hands, Gizmodo was not able to get the specific resolution of the iPhone 4G prototype display. As an iPhone developer, it would be nice to have a heads up about the new resolution, so we can modify our current and future apps to support it.
My wish would be to have it match the iPad's XGA (1024x768) resolution, so that it can run iPad apps, but I doubt it in the iPhone's form factor. The 960x640 resolution suggested would also be unlikely, since there aren't really any off-the-shelf LCD's with that native resolution. My bet would be something like 800x480, like the HTC HD2 phone, since there are already existing LCD's that support it.
I wonder if Taco is still bitter... (Score:5, Informative)
I wonder if Taco is still bitter about how "Less space than a Nomad. No wireless. Lame." turned out for him.
My vote is that yes, yes he is.
Apple doesn't get to call out SWAT. The Cops use SWAT for everything these days. Apple wouldn't need SWAT anyways as they have their Black Turtleneck Ninja Corps.
Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS (Score:5, Insightful)
What ever happened to finders keepers??
If Apple is gonna keep losing their 4G iPhones, I seriously think law enforcement needs to stop helping them. Apple is careless and that's the price they pay.
Kindergarden playground rules don't apply in the Real World. IANAL, but I do know that from a legal standpoint I can "store" my property anywhere I want and it doesn't cease being mine just because you can pick it up and carry it off.
Oh look, I found your Porsche parked on the street. I'll just take it home with me. Finders keepers. I don't think so.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
IANAL either, but have you ever heard of abandonment doctrine [associatedcontent.com]? For example, police cannot go through your trash (in the US) if it's on your property, but when you put it out to be collected, it's on public property (sidewalk) and is considered abandoned. So you can't just store any old property anywhere you wish. Cars? That's another story, I'm referring more to small personal possessions.
Similarly this could apply to things you leave about, however, ethics dictate that a person
Re: (Score:2)
IIRC in The Netherlands the rule is that if you find say a wallet (or something that is obviously lost and not abandoned) you are to hand it in to the police, or just give it back to the owner if you happen to know them. If no-one claims the lost object after something like three years it's indeed for the finder - people who have lost something valuable of course are expected to report this to police. Not handing such object to the police is theft. I think in most countries it works roughly like that, to me
Re:They need to stop arresting the FINDERS (Score:5, Informative)
Uhhhh...what?? What law is this? IAAL and I've never heard of this legal maneuver.
Re: (Score:2)
Property can be seized during a drug raid... in which case it's likely auctioned. Also, if your car is towed, it can have a lien put on it by the towing/storage company in some jurisdictions. But that would take some time... a long time.
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Legal at least in California, thanks to 30 seconds on Google:
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060720210018AAWfCCp [yahoo.com]
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/liensale.htm [ca.gov]
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Are you sure you're not BadAnalogyGuy under a new nickname?
Yes, what you say is absolutely true. So as soon as we can prove that the people who "lost" their phones broke into the finder's homes and placed them on their kitchen tables, and the finder contacted the police, turned in the phone, waited an appropriate period for it to be declared "abandoned property", and asked the police to give it back, your analogy will be perfectly relevant. Based on the news coverage of the "finds", it sounds more like (a
Re: (Score:2)
No, but park it in my parking space, don't remove it after I have you served with a notice to either do so or that I will go to court and get title of it, and guess what - I *can* go to court and get title transferred.
Uh, "your parking space"? What does that mean? You mean, in your driveway? I don't know what your state is like, but in California it takes two years to acquire a car that was abandoned on your property, then you can execute a lien sale. You can attempt to recover storage costs in civil court.
And if you park your Porsche on the street without license plates, the city will seize it. If you never registered or plated it, you'll have fun getting it back.
Well, again in California, you can't buy a car without titling it. You can get it psuedo-registered as an off-road-only vehicle, which AFAIK is a single-event, lifetime thing. Nobody has to pay any more fees until it's
Re: (Score:2)
What ever happened to finders keepers??
If we went that route, it would also be losers weepers...and you don't want Steve crying. It would likely be a substance similar to the acid blood inside a Xenomorph [wikipedia.org].
We don't need that kind of bullhonkity.
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Oh. You actually think these phones are being lost and then found? Interesting.
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Also, why can't I ever find a prototype of some highly-anticipated tech candy left unattended in a bar somewhere?
Probably for the same reason I can't pick the stocks that are going to zoom from $80 to $250 in six months.
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Well there's competing interests here... you really need to test phones out in the field, across as many networks as possible. After all, a class action lawsuit, bad publicity and lost sales is probably far worse than loosing a few devices.
The problem with ultra-tight security is that people get lax over the years. A basic study of armed forces long-term defense plans reveal most of the common issues.