Bloomberg: Steve Jobs Behind NYC Crime Wave 311
theodp writes "Rudy Giuliani had John Gotti to worry about; Mike Bloomberg has Steve Jobs. Despite all-time lows for the city in homicides and shootings, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said overall crime in New York City was up 3.3% in 2012 due to iPhone, iPad and other Apple device thefts, which have increased by 3,890 this year. 'If you just took away the jump in Apple, we'd be down for the year,' explained Marc La Vorgna, the mayor's press secretary. 'The proliferation of people carrying expensive devices around is so great,' La Vorgna added. 'It's something that's never had to be dealt with before.' Bloomberg also took to the radio, urging New Yorkers who didn't want to become a crime statistic to keep their iDevices in an interior, hard-to-reach pocket: 'Put it in a pocket in sort of a more body-fitting, tighter clothes, that you can feel if it was — if somebody put their hand in your pocket, not just an outside coat pocket.' But it seems the best way to fight the iCrime Wave might be to slash the $699 price of an iPhone (unactivated), which costs an estimated $207 to make. The U.S. phone subsidy model reportedly adds $400+ to the price of an iPhone. So, is offering unlocked alternatives at much more reasonable prices than an iPhone — like the $299 Nexus 4, for starters — the real key to taking a bite out of cellphone crime? After all, didn't dramatic price cuts pretty much kill car stereo theft?"
The real issue (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not the *cost* of the iPhone. It's the *black market resale value* that drives theft.
It's uncomfortable allowing a third party to be able to permanently brick your phone or other device, but if that were a commonly-used option, the resale value would quickly drop down close to zero.
As always - back up your data, and don't store important personal information on your easily-stolen device...
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Informative)
It's not the *cost* of the iPhone. It's the *black market resale value* that drives theft.
It's uncomfortable allowing a third party to be able to permanently brick your phone or other device, but if that were a commonly-used option, the resale value would quickly drop down close to zero.
As always - back up your data, and don't store important personal information on your easily-stolen device...
The cost of the iPhone is what drives the black market price up to begin with. If the price from a retailer wasn't so high the amount of money paid for stolen phones wouldn't be nearly as high either (except during shortages) and the incentive to steal them would go down as well.
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The cost of the iPhone is what drives the black market price up to begin with. If the price from a retailer wasn't so high the amount of money paid for stolen phones wouldn't be nearly as high either (except during shortages) and the incentive to steal them would go down as well.
Does that imply the $699 unlocked price of the Samsung SIII isn't a high amount since thieves mostly target the iPhone?
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Does that imply the $699 unlocked price of the Samsung SIII isn't a high amount since thieves mostly target the iPhone?
I hope not. The variable being ignored is brand recognition. You're going to have an easier time and probably ultimately make more money off of selling Toyota Corollas on the black market than you are PT Cruisers, simply because more people in the area tend to buy Corollas than PT Cruisers. In the US, it's fairly safe to assume that the iPhone has the brand recognition over the SIII, so it's a safer bet to sell iPhones on the black market than SIIIs. That seems to be a shrinking gap between the two, but it
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Although one has to wonder how big the market for iPhones really is. It's not the like the vast majority of consumers aren't stuck paying one of the big carriers for a monthly sub anyway, and for them how much cheaper is a stolen iPhone than the carrier price anyway?
But then with phones it's a little easier. The EU has been working on this, stolen phones should be blacklisted from carriers. If you can't resell them, what is the point of stealing them? There is still the overseas market but it eliminates
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Followup
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20120412/devices/att-verizon-sprint-and-t-mobile-usa-agree-to-block-stolen-phones/
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Funny)
The variable being ignored is brand recognition.
If thieves can tell them apart how come Apple's lawyers think there is brand confusion?
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Insightful)
The thing protecting the S3 is obscurity. Its harder to identify amongst a host of other cheaper products, On the other hand if they steal an apple phone they know the price is high and that theres a resale market for it and its ridiculously easy to identify.
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Insightful)
Plus the majority of smartphones in America are iPhones and the majority of tablets are iPads. Even if thieves were blind, and stealing randomly, they'd steal more iDevices than all the other brands added together.
Most ridiculous Slashdot Fandroid story ever (Score:5, Insightful)
Even if thieves were blind, and stealing randomly, they'd steal more iDevices than all the other brands added together.
Precisely. BTW I'm pretty accustomed to Slashdot's ever-declining state of "quality" over the last several years, but this story takes the cake - it's 1/2 article and 1/2 ludicrous Fandroid rant that somehow the real cause of the problem of increased theft of small, highly valuable electronic devices in NYC is that Apple charges too much for the 64 GB iPhone and that somehow Google's pricing for the 8 GB Nexus 4 is the solution? Are you shitting me? Can you possibly be serious?
Slashdot, who do do you have at the wheel these days approving stories? Is it someone that actually cares, or are they just looking for the biggest flamebait submissions they can find? Through all the ups and downs, Slashdot have been my homepage for more than a decade. Please don't make this latest acquisition the one that drives me away for good.
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lashdot, who do do you have at the wheel these days approving stories? Is it someone that actually cares, or are they just looking for the biggest flamebait submissions they can find? Through all the ups and downs, Slashdot have been my homepage for more than a decade. Please don't make this latest acquisition the one that drives me away for good.
If I didn't have the foreknowledge that Slashdot.org is now a corporate subsidiary of Dice Holdings (that shitty job site dice.com), I would say Slashdot.org sold out. That ship has obviously sailed.
I can't even bring myself to use the hack-period symbols to reference it. Because that's actually too nerdy for what Slashdot.org is today. Stories like this bullshit one and banning proliferate posters (seriously, in 2012 who the fuck bans someone that isn't a spammer? Slashdot.org has an entire section named "
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Slashdot, who do do you have at the wheel these days approving stories? Is it someone that actually cares, or are they just looking for the biggest flamebait submissions they can find? Through all the ups and downs, Slashdot have been my homepage for more than a decade. Please don't make this latest acquisition the one that drives me away for good.
The summary did seem jam-packed with more troll-bait than usual.
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Please - let's not introduce rational discussion and valid points to this discussion. Based on the title and the summary, I had just about decided that Dead Steve was much more evil that I had ever believed Living Steve to be. Now, here you go, forcing me to backtrack. Alright, Dead Steve isn't any more evil than he was living. Forget Zombie Steve, forget the invasion, forget the Apple crime conspiracy. Crap - Apple bashing threads are so fun to read!
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Don't know how this got to +5 insightful...
Because I'm right. For example, current US market share is 53.3% for iPhone. Android share is only 41.9%
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57560421-37/iphone-snags-its-highest-u.s-market-share-ever-says-report/ [cnet.com]
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The black market value is heavily influenced by the actual retail price.
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Funny)
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While much of Harlem is white, the crime statistics for the U.S. don't paint a good picture for blacks.
What do you mean by "crime statistics"? Perhaps you mean arrest statistics? Or incarceration statistics? Because such statistics don't necessarily indicate that blacks commit more crimes, only that we tend to arrest them and lock them up more often.
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That's really strange. I happen to live in a rather bigoted all-white area. Few blacks live here. Those blacks who live here are mostly found in the city. Yet, our crime rate is consistent with the rest of the state. Our state's statistics are consistent with national averages. We have our horrifying murders, we have rapes, we have child molestation cases, auto thefts, drug labs.
If you and people like you had any idea what you're talking about, then my neighborhood should be virtually crime free, yet
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Agreed.
Now that the major carriers have all agreed to kill phones that are reported stolen [pcmag.com] (like most European carriers) , the in-country black market value should drop to zero.
There is still the export option for stolen phones.
But to a certain extent the price of the phone sets the black market value as well. And that price is just too high.
And further, I have my doubts about the claim at the bottom of the summary:
The U.S. phone subsidy model reportedly adds $400+ to the price of an iPhone.
Accord
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Insightful)
I think that Apple charges that price not to support subsidies, but rather, because they know they can charge what they want and subsidies will make it affordable for end users. It's like health care or education. If the government makes it so you can get grants or low interest loans, then that means you can make your undergrad programs 25-30K a year, and most people will still be able to pay it. Apple counts on the cell phone companies for spreading the very high cost out so that it doesn't look like it is as much as it is.
Of course, there is certainly a level of symbiosis involved, but I think Apple looked at existing situations with subsidies and saw a pricing scheme that would allow them to break into a market with their high markup items and have it not sting as much for the end user. Apple can not, and to their credit, will not compete in situations where there they will be unable to secure a high unit price for their product. The wireless market was a slam dunk for them, in that regard.
cell phone subsidies drive up cost T-mobile dropin (Score:2)
cell phone subsidies drive up cost T-mobile is dropping them and even when you pay full price for a iPhone over 2 years you pay less with T-mobile and get more data.
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/12/07/cell-phone-subsidies-rip.aspx [fool.com]
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/12/t_mobile_end_smartphone_subsidies_paying_more_for_your_phone_is_good_for.html [slate.com]
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Instead Apple sells at well over 200% markup even when you buy direct with cash up front.
Which of course explains why they "only" get 45% margins on iPhones. Oh, wait, no it doesn't ;-)
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>So how does the subsidy enter into that equation?
A lot more people will pay $200 for a new phone than $600, even though they end up paying much more in higher monthly bills to Verizon or whatever.
I stick with Verizon because I travel so much on business and they have the best coverage, not because of their extortionate monthly fees and data caps.
Markup vs profit margin (Score:2)
Re:Markup vs profit margin (Score:4, Insightful)
"Markup" (and its relative "gross margin") are defined in terms of selling price versus the cost of sale.
For a producer, the selling price is the wholesale price, for a retailer, it is the retail price. Despite Apple's own retail presence, the vast majority of iPhone sales is through carrier and other retailers, not through Apple Stores.
The cost of sale includes not just the production cost (materials, labor) but also supply chain, unit tariffs and royalties, shipping in, etc.
Anyways, Apple's gross margin over all products has ranged between ~40% to ~47% percent since the rise of the iPhone. This works out to a markup of 66% to 88% across all sales. Now if we assume that iPhones are particularly profitable, with estimated margins of up to 55%, that works out to a markup of ~120%. While not bad, it isn't 200%.
And, it doesn't include R&D, administration, marketing, legal, rent, taxes, etc., which also go against profit.
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Whatever. Somehow I doubt that the black market resale value of the HTC Android phone I bought from Virgin for $149 is anywhere near the black market resale value of an iPhone.
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Funny)
In fact, for the cost of an unlocked iPhone I could buy an HTC Android phone and a .22 pistol and get a Florida CCW and still have enough money for a whole lot of whiskey to drink at home so I don't have to go out and expose my precious smarty phone to criminals in the first place.
Yeah!
Re:The real issue (Score:5, Insightful)
The cause of theft: people carry items worth stealing!
The cause of rape: ?
Please follow the same logic and see how idiotic it is.
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Lets blame the victim, eh Mr Mayor?
Re:The real issue (Score:4, Insightful)
The cause of theft: people carry items worth stealing! The cause of rape: ?
Please follow the same logic and see how idiotic it is.
Let's take your logic the other way:
The cause of being kidnapped and executed in drug-lord-controlled areas of foreign countries: visiting drug-lord-controlled areas of foreign countries
Well you're right: it's not the cause, but a contributory factor. I would appreciate being told where these drug-lord-controlled (or guerilla-rebel-held) areas are so that I can avoid them. And if I have to pass through them, I would appreciate advice about how not to get kidnapped for ransom.
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And add security and encryption!
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Imtend to think that this is more related to poorness, which leads to less education, more frustation.....
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I'm not so sure that the lack of material wealth necessarily makes you unhappy. What makes people unhappy is either not being able to actually take care of yourself or your family, or it is a belief that you won't be happy without what someone else has.
To be honest, I have two iPhones. One I bought for myself, and one that actually belongs to my work place. They're nice and all, but I could totally see my life without one. In fact, I could have cared less if I even owned a cellphone before my work place
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When you cannot afford to feed what your kids like to eat most likely you will be kind of sad.
You pretty much believe on sionist ideas, and Im not going to argue against that, but you really dont know much about real poorness
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Its "living in a shithole" that drives theft. The people of NYC would want to get their act together.
But its a crapulous one.
Worst headline ever (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst headline ever (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst headline ever (Score:5, Insightful)
There isn't even an article here. It's just a troll summary with a bunch of unrelated links pimping Android devices. At least if they would have compared the SIII to the iPhone, it would be so blatant. The Nexus 4 has no storage or even LTE... It's right inline with the free phones.
How the hell does he equate "Crime Is Up and Bloomberg Blames iPhone Thieves" to "Bloomberg: Steve Jobs Behind NYC Crime Wave"? That is libelous, since using the "Bloomberg:" prefix implies that it is a Bloomberg quote, which it isn't.
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Bloomberg is an idiot.
It doesn't matter what someone steals or why they stole it, it's still theft.
It's his city and his policies. Fucking buck up and own it.
What a pussy.
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He got it from Bat Boy...
So by the logic of this article... (Score:5, Insightful)
So they are saying that it is "unfair" that iWhatevers cost a bunch so making them cheap means nobody will steal them.
So using this jumping-the-tracks train of logic, we should make guns free so no criminal will ever want to steal one. BINGO!
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So using this jumping-the-tracks train of logic, we should make guns free so no criminal will ever want to steal one. BINGO!
No, you just took the facepalm to a new level because criminals steal guns since they can't legally buy them, not because they can't afford them. Fundamentally, the article is right because thieves don't steal for shits and giggles, but because you have valuables and because that value exceeds the risk. Just like every tourist guide will warn you not to wear your expensive jewelry to the slum areas. Where the article goes off the rails is in suggesting that we shouldn't have expensive items in an effort to
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>Fundamentally, the article is right because thieves don't steal for shits and giggles
The depends on the thief. I would suggest your premise is mostly correct, the majority of theft is for profit, but large amount is done just so the thief can have the item independent of the items value. Many times thieves are caught and their reasons fall along the lines of 'we thought it would be fun'.
This is borderline ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
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No, really, it is Steve Job's fault - personally - that since the devices are loved so much by users, the re-sale black market price is high allowing big profits for people who steal them. If ONLY Steve Job made the products lousy, no one would pay for them! and no one would steal them!
Uh.... I wonder if the criminals DON'T steal the Android phones?
Criminal: "Give me your iPhone!"
Geek: "I have an Android phone!"
Criminal: "Darn, ok you can keep your Android."
???
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I bet you think you're joking, eh?
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111209/manhattan/iphone-mugger-near-columbia-doesnt-want-your-blackberry [dnainfo.com]
Re:This is borderline ridiculous (Score:5, Informative)
a desirable vehicle that is prone to theft as a result of its desirability or popularity.
Offtopic, but Lexus doesn't even figure in the top ten [jalopnik.com]. I think the Honda Accord and Civic have topped that list for years -- earlier-model ones, for that matter.
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The way this is written is so absurdly biased; if you want to promote Android devices, just come out and say it.
I don't think they're trying to. I'd infer one a few possibilities, possibly more than one:
*Apple has, through a marketing blitz, become synonymous with personal electronic gadget. So a crime wave of electronic gadget theft makes people think Apple.
*Apple devices have a high market share, so their devices probably constitute a high fraction of gadget thefts
*Apple devices may have a better b
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Have you actually driven an IS-F? The torque converter is locked up the whole time if you aren't in first gear. They went with a torque converter as it's a large weight saving over a double clutch. There are various reasons I probably wouldn't get an IS-F if I was going to get a Lexus tomorrow, but the torque converter isn't one of them.
Victim blaming (Score:2, Insightful)
If you don't want to have your iPhone stolen stop using it in public.
Great.
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If you don't want to have your iPhone stolen stop using it in public.
Great.
Or stop advertising that you have one on you by wearing it like a fashion accessory. Ahh, wait, that would defeat the entire point of owning one. What a dilemma.
"Wearing"? (Score:2)
Or stop advertising that you have one on you by wearing it like a fashion accessory.
Who "wears" an iPhone or iPad? Usually they are kept in pockets or jackets or backpacks.
The problem is that the whole point of having any kind of phone, much less a smartphone, is that you can receive calls, make calls, or look up things as you wish. If you lock your device away out of fear until you are in a private space then what is the point of having something portable?
Re:"Wearing"? (Score:4, Insightful)
Who "wears" an iPhone or iPad? Usually they are kept in pockets or jackets or backpacks.
In my experience they are usually kept about chest height in front of the owner, in their left hand, and the owner is paying almost no attention to anything other than their iDevice.
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Woman in front of me in the bag drop queue at the airport last week and two seats across from me on the plane: iPhone tucked into her bra, but carefully positioned so it protruded above her neckline, so everyone could see it (her boyfriend was pretty nerdy, too - short that was a reference to both Portal and Street fighter, and reading some Halo novel).
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Warrant for his arrest (Score:2)
Bloomberg is too busy... (Score:5, Insightful)
...Being a lecturing nanny to actually see that the normal functions of a city government are performed.
Note his wars on large sodas and restuarant menus, while bedbugs run rampant.
He wags his finger at Apple because crooks are loose in his city. And he has his PIs make straw purchases of firearms in far-away states, violating federal law for masterbatory political posturing.
Why do New Yorkers elect this clown?
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Why do New Yorkers elect this clown?
As George Carlin explains [youtube.com] "this is the best we can do folks". Bloomberg is just a reflection of the people who vote this clown in.
Is Apple responsible for stolen devices? (Score:4, Informative)
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While I'll grant that the lawyer was pretty scummy since half his case was "Apple should have warned me people might steal my iShiny!" there's also this:
Apple also serviced Deverett's stolen computer for someone else even after Deverett called to tell them it was stolen.
That's pretty scummy on Apple's behalf, too.
They can both be jerks.
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At least one lawyer successfully sued Apple and got compensated [iphoneincanada.ca] when his previous toy got stolen. Why take responsibility for your actions when you can blame someone else?
I'm sure we'll see you in all the copyright troll threads talking about how the publishers/MPAA/RIAA have "successfully sued" people who settled prior to any trial. I mean, it's certainly successful by some definitions, but I wouldn't rely on it as actually establishing liability, or anything,
History repeating (Score:2)
It was exactly the same when cellphones themselves were expensive gadgets. Their price dropped over the years and now they're pretty commonplace.
Article Failure... (Score:2)
Zombie attack (Score:4, Funny)
Unbeknownst to Steve, his new liver was infected with zombie juice. He didn't stay buried long. Hordes of zombies wielding iPhones now attacking New York subways, lead by Steve or what remains of him.
Blame Visa Debit Cards and Electronic Payments (Score:5, Interesting)
I imagine that most people (such as myself) don't carry any significant quantity of cash on them anymore since most every Retailer and Restaurant will take a Visa Debit card issued from your bank.
So it only makes sense to go after iPhones and iPads since going after someone's wallet will typically net you $60 or less, while you can offload that shiny iGadget for a couple hundred.
If it weren't iDevices, it'd be something else.
The real culprit here is a profound culture shift from cash based shopping to electronic payments.
Re:Blame Visa Debit Cards and Electronic Payments (Score:5, Informative)
What I'm saying is that money is falling out of use, maybe not for you, but for me and many others.
Why pay ATM fees to grab $20 or even $60, when you could just pay with a debit card and have the retailer pay for the transaction fee (aside from certain a-holes like ARCO and some corner stores that pass on the fee to the consumer)
About a decade ago, I would typically keep about $100 in the house just because. Now days it's rare if I have $15 around at any given time. Mostly I keep a roll of quarters in the car to pay for meters, and even those are starting to go the electronic payment route.
And if you don't like ATM fees, use the grocery store checkout as your ATM. ;)
Yes, you have to buy something, but a pack of Altoids is a lot less than most ATM fees, and much more invigorating
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About a decade ago, I would typically keep about $100 in the house just because. Now days it's rare if I have $15 around at any given time.
Well I usually have some cash around just because it's guaranteed to work. I recently had to replace my VISA card because it appeared somehow it'd been compromised, which meant doing several days of Christmas shopping without it until a replacement arrived. I do have a credit card laying around here somewhere too but cash always works. It doesn't mean I use it much, but it's useful to have when you need it.
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paying the kids their allowance (which is funny, because they mostly give it back to me and tell me to deposit it into their bank account, for which they have ATM cards
I just do an account-to-account transfer to pay allowance.
Problem already largely solved... (Score:2)
I'm from the DC area, and we had the same problem. Chief Lanier (our chief of police) along with other counterparts from other major urban centers with a lot of iPhones, have had the same problem...and they pushed the cellular carriers to make it possible (as it already has been in Europe for a long time) to essentially blacklist stolen devices. As we speak, the system is going into use, and soon stolen iPhones will be basically worthless. iPads are a little different, since you can do most of what you
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and soon stolen iPhones will be basically worthless
Except, in New York City, apparently, where they still seem to have some worth.
Bloomberg was on the cutting edge on the soda size issue, though . . .
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All iDevices (and most upscale Android devices) can be remotely bricked if set up properly. The problem is 90% of the owners have no clue this is a free service that would immediately drop the want for expensive bricks.
Other markets (Score:2)
This post is nonsense. The iPhone is expensive in unsubsidized markets. A $400 subsidy doesn't add $400 to the price rather it is a subsidy what consumers pay. As for American phone subsidies. Phone subsidies have been a crucial component of building America's cellular infrastructure. It may be completely irrational but that irrationality doesn't change the fact:
a) The quality of one's total cellular experience is highly dependent on the quality of the handset.
b) The better the cellular experience th
The Actual Real Issue (Score:2, Interesting)
Here in Seattle, WA, the police are also responding to a great surge in these theft calls. The reason is simple: if they do not respond, the owner might take the law into his or her own hands (or the hands of their posse, in some cases). The police would rather intervene and not have people get into such risky situations.
Otherwise, the usual
price cuts didn't kill car stereo theft (Score:2)
After all, didn't dramatic price cuts pretty much kill car stereo theft?
The general consensus of criminologist is that two factors killed car stero thefts...
First, car manfacturers started putting in better stereos into most cars reducing the market for stolen car stereos.
Second, it was much easier to fence GPS navigation devices in glove boxes than spend the time to rip out the car stereo.
So with this logic, we should force carriers to only give out smart phones for free (you could still get a feature phone for $40) and have people carry easy to fence sunglasses and gold jewel
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The other thing of course is that now so many manufacturers have strange custom bezels for the stereo, so if you rip a stereo out of a car it will only fit the same make and model. Furthermore, these days the stereo display is integrated into the dashboard, and the controls are integrated into the steering wheel. So, even if you remove the stereo and fit it to an identical car, the serial numbers don't match up and it won't work properly.
Terrible submission (Score:3)
Only if you ignore such pesky things like R&D, salaries, buildings, administrative staff, operating costs, tooling costs, distribution, packaging, marketing and so on.
Apple make a good profit from their handsets, but not the three times that the submission implies. It's also worth noting that whilst the Nexus is impressively priced, the only Android OEM that is really making any money is Samsung - everyone else isn't doing quite so well.
No. (Score:2)
It's uncomfortable allowing a third party to be able to permanently brick your phone or other device, but if that were a commonly-used option, the resale value would quickly drop down close to zero.
And the Slashdot crowd would be screaming EVEN LOUDER about proprietary "walled gardens".
Price isn't the issue (Score:2)
An Samsung Galaxy S3 is almost $600 unlocked as well.
Instead, Apple should SQUASH the black market by making it easy for customers to report a device stolen. Once reported stolen, Apple should brick the phone remotely and contact the service provider to have the IMEI blacklisted.
AT&T and TMobile just started blocking blacklisted IMEIs last month. As other carriers follow suit and companies like Apple make it easier for the average consumer to make the report, thieves will eventually learn that the devic
Awfully bad summary (Score:2)
This is an awfully bad summary. There is no need to try to be snarky from the beginning. Also, what Bloomberg's press secretary said is so stupid that is fitting for the Innocent's day, the spanish and latin american version of April's fools that was yesterday.
Of course thieves and muggers will try to steal expensive gadgets. People don't wear expensive jewelry like in past years because it is out of fashion and, unlike jewelry, gadgets can perform an useful function so they are a more common and convenient
It's not Jobs (Score:2, Flamebait)
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Meh (Score:2)
I want a phone that detonates (Score:2)
Send the detonate code out and instantly blow the phone up. Steal my phone lose most of your face.
Simple Solution (Score:2)
A cover for an iPhone that makes it look like a Motorola DynaTAC.
This has been advice... (Score:2)
Tao Te Ching:
Not exalting the gifted prevents quarrelling.
Not collecting treasure prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.
The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
If people lack knowledge and desire,
then intellectuals will not try to interfere.
If nothing is done, then all will be well
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Apple and Guns (Score:2)
It's the guns that are responsible for the shootings. Forget Constitutional rights, just ban them and problem solved.
It's the iPhones/Pads that are responsible for the spike in crime that makes me look bad as America's Mayor. Blame them, and the dead guy, and I'm in the clear. Without a doubt if there weren't all of these lovely iPhones and iPads all over the place criminals would stop stealing stuff altogether, so spake Mayor Bloomberg (S)*
*(S) = the Stupid Party affiliation.
Has /. stooped so low... (Score:2)
.
Did Mr. Bloomberg actually say that Steve Jobs was responsible for the increase in theft of personal bling devices?
Car stereo theft... bad summary (Score:2)
According to the very article linked in the summary, car stereo theft is virtually nonexistent because aftermarket car stereos are virtually nonexistent. Auto manufacturers put in good enough radios that practically nobody replaces them, and the original equipment radios only fit in that make/model/year of car.
The cost of a radio has nothing to do with it. There's no market for a radio that only fits a couple years of (as an example) three models of Ford products. Thieves don't steal things that they can't
Dramatic price cuts didn't kill car stereo theft. (Score:3, Informative)
Including a stereo in every car killed the theft. Once everyone had stereo in their car, there was no one who needed to buy stolen units.
I'll never understand the appeal of iPhones. My wife had one (a 3GS) for three years on AT&T. It didn't work for phone calls most of the time, and data was so slow it was almost useless. She recently changed to Verizon and got an iPhone 5. Doh! The iPhone 5 can't understand her speech input (she has a slight Japanese accent), when she got it google maps was gone and the Apple maps thing was crap. Every time she called me with the 3GS (when it worked), there was about a 3 or 4 second delay before my audio would get through to her. I'd answer, say hello, and wait, and wait, and wait, until eventually she'd hear me and start talking. I'm not sure if the 5 has the same problem.
What is it about iPhones that keeps people buying them even when they have so many problems? It's as if Apple keeps sending out alpha or beta test stuff and people happily pay through the nose to find out what works and what doesn't this time around.
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I hate to break it to you but they probably don't have those problems.
I've gone through a 3G, a 4, a 4S and now a 5 and I've not experienced any of the issues you describe. My friends don't have those problems either. On that basis, I don't think it's too unreasonable to suggest she's probably got a duff handset - it happens.
My advice is to install Google Maps onto her phone (yeah, we know Apple Maps is rubbish) an
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If banning guns will cut down on crime, this is absolute proof that banning I-Phones and I-Pads will also reduce crime. At the very least I-product owners need to have background checks and get registed and licenced to carry them. Also I-Pad 2s should be outright banned. Who in their right mind actually needs and I-Pad 2? The retina display isn't that much better and all it is doing is fuleing a crime wave.
Challenge: Tell me why my post is wrong, but banning gus is right.
LOL
Because no one can walk into a crowded public place and kill a dozen people with an iPhone or iPad? Though I suppose you might be able to take down one or two slow moving people with a strike to the head with an iPad.
Furthermore, your iPod can save your live by stopping a bullet: http://www.gadgetcrunch.net/2007/04/06/ipod-stops-bullet-saves-soldiers-life-in-iraq/ [gadgetcrunch.net]
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Challenge: Tell me why my post is wrong, but banning gus is right.
That's an impossible challenge. If you can't see the difference already, then you are predisposed not to see the difference between the target of a crime and the means of committing a crime.
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turn off the engine of the car so passenger can't (Score:2)
turn off the engine of the car so passenger can't use phones as well??
What about makeing a 911 call with the engine on for heat?? or useing them for GPS?? useing a GPS is safer then a big fold out map.
2) Owners of these devices must submit finger prints, self-photos, home address, work address, to be confirmed and approved valid before these items can be bought, brought home, used, or transported.
3) Owners must submit to training for these devices as well as medical background checks. This will ensure no da
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