Apple Stores close again, as iPhone looters get this tracking warning

Shortly after Apple Stores started exiting from the coronavirus-induced lockdown and reopened, they are now forced to close up shop again, and empty the showfloor as iPhones, Macs and iPads are a hot commodity among looters capitalizing on the ongoing mass protests in major US cities.Apple Stores across Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia, got vandalized first thing when the protests erupted, and plenty of merchandise on display stolen all the while Apple donated to equal justice and human rights organizations.

You can see looters coming from Back-of-House at the downtown Philadelphia Apple Store, but they don’t have much loot. That’s where the bathrooms are too and then a pretty solid keypad/magnet-locked door to the real prize … https://t.co/xxEsEqO3mQ

— Paul McGrane (@pmcg) May 31, 2020
Meanwhile, CEO Tim Cook sent a moving memo to Apple staff to soothe and encourage them in these trying times, detailing that "I have heard from so many of you that you feel afraid - afraid in your communities, afraid in your daily lives, and, most cruelly of all, afraid in your own skin. We can have no society worth celebrating unless we can guarantee freedom from fear for every person who gives this country their love, labor and life."

Stolen Apple Store iPhones are tracked and traced

We've long heard about a device tracking system that Apple employs for devices in its stores that eventually traces stolen merchandise that has veered away from its designated place at this or that address, but the current riot lootings are for the first time showing it in action. Here's the message one got after taking this iPhone from Apple's Walnut Street store.

Tracked, traced, authorities alerted, and, worst of all, with a disabled device, one can only post this brick of an iPhone on Craigslist in all their wisdom, advise the buyer to read up on how to unlock it, and wonder why they didn't at least grab an 11 Pro Max. 

We kid, but the Apple Store anti-theft system apparently works, yet the company isn't taking any chances, and started boarding up plenty of downtown stores after emptying their showfloors and device warehousing. This means that some Apple Stores may remain closed for the duration of the protests, as otherwise it wouldn't have bothered to board them up against vandalism. 

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.

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