These guys took a massive bite out of Apple

[BisectedBrioche]

I apologise for the pun. Anyway, watch the video of the report, the commentator reporter's incredible.

http://gizmodo.com/5351450/this-is-how-you-steal-23-macbook-pros-14-iphones-and-9-ipods-in-31-seconds

[Etcetera]

Action spectacular amazing exclusive theft special!
They're pretty damn impressive though. You'd think maybe one of them worked there ore something!
And savvy enough to wear masks!

[OverdrivePrime]

Dangit, I told them to get me a 30" studio screen, too! Buncha amateurs! :smallfurious:

[Groundhog]

I wonder if those guys practiced before doing that. It certainly looks like they did, considering how fast they were.

[Trog]

Theft different. :smalltongue:

[skywalker]

I wonder if those guys practiced before doing that. It certainly looks like they did, considering how fast they were.

Wow. Reminds me of the quote from Public Enemies: "How long does it take you to go through a bank?"

Practiced? I don't know how you would practice that, but they certainly knew what they were doing. These aren't just a few punks who decided to go knock over the apple store and get a new computer 30 minutes beforehand.

[Ichneumon]

I can't believe it. I can't look at my macbook the same way again without feeling the pain of those other macbook's out there, somewhere, who feel alone.

[charl]

What I don't understand is why the news programme has to use a CGI iPhone to show the surveillance video in the beginning of the report. What happened to TV news shows?

Apart from that, it's just another theft. It's a smart thing to use several people and fake being armed, but that's just common sense. If you have to break the law, be smart about it. Not that you should break the law mind you. You could get caught.

[Gamerlord]

Woah....

That my friends, takes skill.

[Jack Squat]

This is a battle that's been going on for ages. Security vs. customer appeal that is. If it were up to some people, everything would be behind metal-and-lexan cases, while Apple chooses to have everything sitting out to attract people.

IMO, Apple chose poorly. How could it not occur to a store with a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of easily lifted merchandise to not lock it up when you close? Heck, even attaching those cables that secure the devices to tables would make it at least a little more difficult for these thieves.

[Groundhog]

Or they could have the computers sitting out in the open, but have some sort of RFID/GPS/tracker/whatever chip in them that gets disabled after someone buys them. Then if something like this happened, they'd be able to track down the computers easily.

[Jack Squat]

Or they could have the computers sitting out in the open, but have some sort of RFID/GPS/tracker/whatever chip in them that gets disabled after someone buys them. Then if something like this happened, they'd be able to track down the computers easily.

Not likely. Give it a month or two at most and everyone in the Black Market (what, someone steals 23 laptops for personal use?) will know how to disable it, whether it be an actual chip or some software that broadcasts it's IP to Apple until deactivated.

Even if they can't, take it apart and sell the bits on Ebay; that's probably what's going to happen anyways.

[Groundhog]

*sigh* True. Maybe some sort of explosive...

[Moff Chumley]

I gotta admit. Anything can be an art form. :smallsigh:

[Pika...]

As much as I love my Macbook, even I have to admit they are overpriced.

Wish I had known you can get them on a "black market".

[skywalker]

I can't believe it. I can't look at my macbook the same way again without feeling the pain of those other macbook's out there, somewhere, who feel alone.

Does yours not feel alone? Or do you have another macbook to keep it company? :smallconfused:


IMO, Apple chose poorly. How could it not occur to a store with a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of easily lifted merchandise to not lock it up when you close? Heck, even attaching those cables that secure the devices to tables would make it at least a little more difficult for these thieves.

Our local Apple store does in fact have steel cables connecting the merch to the tables. And that's in a mall. I'm more likely to say this was a fail by the store management, who assumed that since they were in an upscale galleria, there would be little theft.

RFID chips are very expensive. Probably too expensive to justify. But, parting out Apple computers is likely to be less lucrative than parting out other computers, since they have less of a DIY culture associated.

[golentan]

Wowzers: They moved fast.

I'm thinking it has to have been an inside job. They went in and grabbed everything, but I know out our way for example all the Apple stores DO have everything bolted down. You can't just pick it up and run without ripping out the shinies and making your theft worthless (and them covered by insurance).

But yah, there are smarter ways to do things but that's fairly effective.

[Moff Chumley]

My local apple store has them loose... but when they're closed, they have steel grates over the entire store. So that helps. :smallwink:

[Pika...]

Our local Apple store does in fact have steel cables connecting the merch to the tables. And that's in a mall.


Same here. In the tourist heavy Florida Mall where people come before and after Disney.

I was surprised by that. Were they holding cutters or knives in their hands?

[littlequietguy]

It's about time someone cut that guy down a peg. Not Steve Jobs. The AI mainframe that exists in all computers.

[Jack Squat]

Our local Apple store does in fact have steel cables connecting the merch to the tables. And that's in a mall. I'm more likely to say this was a fail by the store management, who assumed that since they were in an upscale galleria, there would be little theft.

Probably the case. I've never been in an Apple store, and actually haven't been to the mall in quite awhile. Was just going off of the security footage here.


RFID chips are very expensive. Probably too expensive to justify. But, parting out Apple computers is likely to be less lucrative than parting out other computers, since they have less of a DIY culture associated.

Actually, RFIDs are pretty cheap, and they should be, since they've been around since WWII. They're also not very secure, as in you can reprogram one to hold whatever set of numbers you want for about $15 in electronic parts and some free software.

Laptops in general have a pretty limited DIY culture, however, a search on eBay (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=macbook+pro+parts&_sacat=See-All-Categories) shows that you could probably get a decent return on it. 'Course you could probably get more by selling it whole on Craigslist or just walking around campus with one. Point is though, these guys wouldn't have stolen all that they did if they didn't already have a plan on how to get rid of them.


I'm thinking it has to have been an inside job. They went in and grabbed everything, but I know out our way for example all the Apple stores DO have everything bolted down. You can't just pick it up and run without ripping out the shinies and making your theft worthless (and them covered by insurance).

Yeah, I was thinking it's likely an inside job as well. I mean, it's completely possible that it's not, but I see a mass theft as more of something that has to be rehearsed a few times at the very least.

[Blackdrop]

Our local Apple store does in fact have steel cables connecting the merch to the tables. And that's in a mall. I'm more likely to say this was a fail by the store management, who assumed that since they were in an upscale galleria, there would be little theft.

The store that got hit was the one my parents got our macbook from. My mom said she remembered seeing the cables when she was in the store.

I wonder why they removed the cables? :smallconfused:

[Lord Seth]

There's "tracking" software you can buy for in case your laptop is stolen, but I don't know if the laptops in question had them. I really do recommend getting them for your laptop.

On that note, I once was using my laptop on the bus and someone literally grabbed it out of my hands and ran off. The police did manage to find them and get the laptop back, but it was really a stroke of luck that they did.

[Ichneumon]

Does yours not feel alone? Or do you have another macbook to keep it company? :smallconfused:


I'm all it needs:smallredface:

[Moff Chumley]

*plays cheesy 70s ballad for Ichy*

I think my computer is seeing other people... >.>

[mr_pathetic]

Wow...they certainly stuck to a organized plan... course the store looks like it could have been robbed by nursing home escapees. :smallwink:

[Jade_Tarem]

They wouldn't have moved so fast if those had been Microsoft products. :smalltongue:

I'm using XP right now please don't hurt me.

[thubby]

IMO, Apple chose poorly. How could it not occur to a store with a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of easily lifted merchandise to not lock it up when you close? Heck, even attaching those cables that secure the devices to tables would make it at least a little more difficult for these thieves.

on a grand scale, apple's more customer friendly environment probably gets them more money than thefts like this cost.
making money gets weird on a large scale.

and honestly, anybody with maybe 20 minutes and a few friends could put this together.

[BisectedBrioche]

and honestly, anybody with maybe 20 minutes and a few friends could put this together.

Not really. They would have had to have done quite a bit of leg work to find out where the cameras were, know when the security guard was too far away to do anything, etc. Obviously it could have been luck, but they would have been lucky quite few times.

[thubby]

Not really. They would have had to have done quite a bit of leg work to find out where the cameras were, know when the security guard was too far away to do anything, etc. Obviously it could have been luck, but they would have been lucky quite few times.

they didn't need to know where the cameras were, they wore masks, and it's not hard to figure out anyway.
the guard wasn't too far away, they threatened him.

[Jack Squat]

on a grand scale, apple's more customer friendly environment probably gets them more money than thefts like this cost.
making money gets weird on a large scale.

and honestly, anybody with maybe 20 minutes and a few friends could put this together.

Customer friendly environments don't matter when the store's closed. Actually, none of my suggestions you quoted would significantly change their image; and at least the cables are already in use by other Apple stores, as noted in this thread.

I wasn't suggesting sticking them all in a lexan and steel case, though I did mention that some people would find that solution attractive. My main solution was to lock them up in the back room when they close up.

[charl]

Customer friendly environments don't matter when the store's closed. Actually, none of my suggestions you quoted would significantly change their image; and at least the cables are already in use by other Apple stores, as noted in this thread.

I wasn't suggesting sticking them all in a lexan and steel case, though I did mention that some people would find that solution attractive. My main solution was to lock them up in the back room when they close up.

A simpler solution would be to just install metal blinders or bars over the entrance that can be pulled down at night. It won't stop a determined thief, but it would make a scenario like the one in the clip impossible.

[Renegade Paladin]

The reporter thinks it takes skilled practice to throw a brick through a window? :smallamused:

[Jack Squat]

A simpler solution would be to just install metal blinders or bars over the entrance that can be pulled down at night. It won't stop a determined thief, but it would make a scenario like the one in the clip impossible.

Most, if not all, stores in malls have metal grates that come down over the otherwise doorless (or more increasingly, glass door)entrance. The problem is the front windows are also made of plate glass and are fairly large. If you bar these off, you do lose some of that customer appeal, even when closed. That only applies if Apple would be the only store doing it.

The "simple solution" here would be to replace all the glass with polycarbonate panels, which would preserve the openness while giving some protection. Although that would result in more scratched-up windows as plastic scratches easier than glass, it's just more durable. On the plus side though, polycarbonate can take some blows (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIyVl8OXqew&feature=related).

[Ichneumon]

I don't understand, don't people use kensignton locks anymore? All the apple stores in my town do so.

[Neko Toast]

I don't understand, don't people use kensignton locks anymore? All the apple stores in my town do so.

^ This. Why weren't any of those laptops bolted down when the cheapest one is about 1000 bucks? I blame the Apple Store's stupidity for this fiasco.

[charl]

I don't understand, don't people use kensignton locks anymore? All the apple stores in my town do so.

Locks are at best a deterrent. There are hundreds of ways to get past them, ranging from lockpicking to sledgehammers.

[Ichneumon]

Locks are at best a deterrent. There are hundreds of ways to get past them, ranging from lockpicking to sledgehammers.

I know, but both cost time and might damage the computer. You need the time to pick a kensington lock and sledging it will likely damage the laptop, making it worthless to sell.

[Jack Squat]

I know, but both cost time and might damage the computer. You need the time to pick a kensington lock and sledging it will likely damage the laptop, making it worthless to sell.

Which is why there are bolt cutters...which this group obviously didn't have (and are fairly awkward to walk around a mall with), so it'd have worked in this case.

[Ichneumon]

Which is why there are bolt cutters...which this group obviously didn't have (and are fairly awkward to walk around a mall with), so it'd have worked in this case.

As it does in most cases, that's why most computer stores have them.