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Bloomberg: Steve Jobs Behind NYC Crime Wave
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?"
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...
Interesting statistics, but seriously Steve Jobs died in 2011. And even if he was still alive he personally would not be responsible or connected to any form of crime wave in New York.
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!
AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
The way this is written is so absurdly biased; if you want to promote Android devices, just come out and say it. Don't use some arbitrary statistic to promote your agenda. That's like blaming the former CEO of Lexus for making a desirable vehicle that is prone to theft as a result of its desirability or popularity.
If you don't want to have your iPhone stolen stop using it in public.
Great.
Have they issued a warrant for Steve's arrest? Quick, before he flees the country.
...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?
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
At least one lawyer successfully sued Apple and got compensated when his previous toy got stolen. Why take responsibility for your actions when you can blame someone else?
It was exactly the same when cellphones themselves were expensive gadgets. Their price dropped over the years and now they're pretty commonplace.
bickerdyke
Thieves will steal whatever they can to make some money, especially easy money since people don't keep their phones/tablets locked to themselves. They don't care if its an iPhone or not and I bet if all android type phones were lumped into a single category they would be just as high in theft rate as iDevices and maybe even higher. Sure some criminals might see the iDevice and know exactly how much they can pawn it for and maybe make a bit more compared the numerous devices by other manufacturers but that's about it.
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.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
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.
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 want with one using only wifi, but these are also less prevalent and less often stolen.
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
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 the more one is willing to pay.
c) Adding the price of the phone to the monthly reoccurring services doesn't change the total amount much (i.e $400/20 = $20 / mo).
So it makes sense to subsidize the handset and add the cost to the monthly bill.
Is tracking software -- the kind users install named "Find My iPhone" or "Find My Android." In anticipation of the day when their device may be stolen or lost.
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 response to property crime of such a low value would be to take a report and move on. A detective would not be assigned to a lost $600 item. A recovery would not occur. The stolen item would be gone.
With owner-installed Find My [Property] using GPS + Cloud applications, law enforcement is being moved into a citizen-responsive mode. The "dispatching detectives" are the citizen running a web app, reporting the location of the stolen item. The radio transmission relays some information along the lines of, "victim has tracked the item to a particular building and believes he can hear it ringing upon his command." And the police units are on the way post haste to intervene on that potential scenario.
The same is happening with Android, but to a reduced extent. Some cheap-o Android devices are no doubt not tracked. Possibly the user experience for person who lose their smart phone is discrepant between platforms.
At least one moving "stolen" phone I heard a report of turned out to be in the back seat of a taxi. That is where it had been lost the night before. There were multiple police chasing the location reports around while the citizen in the GPS-web loop called the moves... Eventually the taxi they were following became apparent and the case was solved.
Meanwhile, if I lost a Fluke Scopemeter (hypothetical possession; please send me one), I would be out a $2400 portable meter. It does not have a Find My Flukemeter that I could otherwise use to pursue asset using dynamics.
If the robbery was an armed robbery and the victim can identify the suspect later, the police are proactive in using the same tracking software to collar the perpetrator for the major crime.
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 jewelry.
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?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Challenge: Tell me why my post is wrong, but banning gus is right.
Guns are designed for no other purpose than to kill or maim. Easy availability allows for more and deadlier crimes, so their use should be restricted. However, Apple devices are the targets of crime owing to their desirability.
There were robberies before iPhones and iPods and there will be robberies still when they are long forgotten. But reducing the availability of deadly weapons makes them harder to pull off.
I am so very glad that banning drugs has stopped anyone from doing them. Oh, wait...
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.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
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".
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Who said I was one?
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 devices are worthless.
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 target than wallets full of credit cards and no cash, jewelry or expensive watches.
Instead of saying stupid stuff to the press the mayor should blame the thieves themselves, the growing income gap that makes easier to rationalize crime for people that don't have anything to lose, or the bad economy for the increase in crime instead of Apple o any other consumer electronics company.
Mexico: 100% conservative's America now!
It's the American public rushing out to buy 'luxury' 'designer' goods at prices far beyond their worth. Lose the label envy and you'll solve the problem.
My guns must be defective. They've never killed or maimed anyone despite being fired tens of thousands of times.
Understand, Tapefuck, I will never... EVER... disarm. So get that shit out of your mouth right now.
Don't blame the law abiding citizen for what a criminal does. Guns are not only designed to maim and kill. So go fuck yourself in the ass. Your memes are lies and they're tired lies at that.
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/
This is a nationwide problem and thus not unique to NYC. I live in the DC area and device theft is so much of a problem that DC Metro Transit Police have warnings posted everywhere as well as pretty good prevention tips.
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.
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
Send the detonate code out and instantly blow the phone up. Steal my phone lose most of your face.
Clearly apple's ploy to reinforce the perception of desirability of their shiny iThings. It works - look at all those iSheep.
Sent from my Tianhe-2 (MilkyWay-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
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/12/t_mobile_end_smartphone_subsidies_paying_more_for_your_phone_is_good_for.html
I think you're thinking of the latter, he's talking about the former. Markup is based on production cost and doesn't take into account all of the other stuff.
A cover for an iPhone that makes it look like a Motorola DynaTAC.
Have gnu, will travel.
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.
"95% of all Slashdot
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
Gus is a smelly, toothless old hobo who only hangs out in the library to leer at underage girls. I have no problem whatsoever if he is banned.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
De Beers is responsible for pricing fixing diamonds to the point where they are fashionable to steal.
Really, this story is the most asinine thing I've ever heard of.
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 dangerous or unauthorized usage of these devices occurs.
Seems like a lot of paper work and the last thing we need is lot's of 3rd party's with SSN 2.0 also medical tests? drug tests take time and can cost $50 or more pop Bulk rates may be lower.
Names, addresses, place of work and other information will be placed on line just what we need people call you at work with spam calls.
Summary: Nice things have a higher chance of being stolen than non-nice things.
Probably the stupidest slashdot submission in awhile, and clearly the submitter has a (as usual) hard on for the ghost of Steve Jobs. Seriously, anyone that sctually tries to spin this into anti Apple BS is an idiot.
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.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Actually not true. Anti-theft measures, custom sizes, plus sane after market prices have all contributed significantly to the reduction in car break ins to steal stereo equipment... come on dude, this was even part of the summary.
.
Did Mr. Bloomberg actually say that Steve Jobs was responsible for the increase in theft of personal bling devices?
have your ass beat if you own or use anything made by Apple.... Hah hah, just joking.....maybe !!!
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 sell.
In some cases, there isn't really even a separate radio to steal; it's deeply integrated into the car rather than being a discrete and easily aftermarket replacable component.
The preferred solution is to not have a problem.
Would Bloomberg prefer the 70's when everyone was getting mugged for their wristwatches and cash?
All due respect, but now that the man is deceased, can we finally stop equating everything related to Apple Inc with its former figure head?
Guns are designed for no other purpose than to kill or maim. Easy availability allows for more and deadlier crimes, so their use should be restricted. However, Apple devices are the targets of crime owing to their desirability.
Knives are designed for no other purpose than to kill or maim. Easily availability allows for more and deadlier crimes, so their use should be restricted. Anything is a target of desirability, including money.
In fact, the doctors over in the UK just called for a knife ban. You're just a stinking fool.
Om, nomnomnom...
Crime is up in New York, because Mayor Bloomberg's city is a toilet.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
estimated cost to manufacture does not factor in cost to develop and cost of support and distribution. So how do high-end Android phones and tablets justify their prices? Anyway, it was the same with Nike shoes, GPS in cars, and Digital watches, it will all calm down until/when the next big thing comes along.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
Anyone using "LOL" as a substitute for punctuation is not worth a serious response.
Also, Gus is a valued colleague, and I see no reason why he should be banned.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
There's so much wrong with the notions in this summary, it's even hard to decide where to start. First of all, Apple isn't to blame here, much less Steve Jobs, a dead man. Thieves are to blame in the very first place, and secondarily the people who are so careless with their valuable possessions. You can get your pocket picked in a huge city, who would have guessed? Second of all, reducing the prices of iDevices? Seriously? It's common knowledge that there are cheaper alternatives to Apple products, many of which offer the same benefits; a few which are even better. It's irrelevant. The huge markup in Apple products is due to the perceived prestige of the brand. People don't need platinum Patek Phillippe watches to tell the time, still they want them because they're status symbols. Apple products are entry level status symbols, but that they are nevertheless. The conclusion is that you can't have a society that highly encourages consumerism and not have the downsides that come with it, such as exaggeratedly expensive items and people who can't afford them, and yet feel the need to obtain them by other means.
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.
In other news Bloomberg blames women wearing revealing cloths for getting raped. "They should cover themselves up head-to-toe to prevent men from lusting after them." Bloomberg says. He goes on to suggest "if they were fatter and ugly then they wouldn't get raped, its their own fault. Eat more sugary super sized sodas!" In other news, sales of black cloth up.
http://www.forbes.com/2005/08/31/technology-tools-knife_cx_de_0831knife.html
The idea of banning knives is silly really. It may reduce incidents of people carrying them, maybe. A knife is a simple machine. Any object that is wedgelike and sharp on one side is a knife. I mean, people stuck in prisons have never made knives.
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) and if she's still having problems with the 5 then take it back to an Apple store.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
Bloomberg: Steve Jobs Behind NYC Crime Wave
This is not what he said, and the title of the story being linked is this:
Crime Is Up and Bloomberg Blames iPhone Thieves
But let's not get these significant semantic differences get in the way of publishing mindless, attention-whoring, National-Inquisitor-like headlines.
I, for one , believe Apple has a clear path to solving this and a moral obligation to take action to defend their customers from these low-lifes. I am speaking of guns of course, since how else can any wrong be righted? I think any clear thinking individual can see that part of the problem with guns is the industry has been dominated by a few companies whose ideas stagnated during the middle-ages . Introducing the new kid on the block--Apple! The mere idea of a new iGun every year sends me aTwitter! Full-size iGuns, mini-iGuns. Imagine the look on that wanna-be iDevice thief when you pull your full auto(heh, we don't want to bother an Apple customer with choices)mini-iGun out and sweep the street with it. Hard to teach a better life lesson that. Or maybe that should be lifeless lesson. One thing I've learned over the years is some Apple owners take a shot better than others, if you know what I mean. All joking aside, what other company is out there that has the cajones to take someone else's design, dress it up(also called trade dress) and sell it as something you just have to have .
I have read of a number of cases now where idiot thieves have stolen someone's iPhone, only to find the cops rock up at their place because the owner has looked up the location using 'find my phone' and reported that to the cops. Typically, in the stories I have read, the cops then find a whole load of other stolen stuff and evidence of further criminal activity. So it begs the question, who would be dumb enough to steal a device that knows where it is and that is capable of sharing that information with its owner? I assume 'droids and 'dows mobiles have an analogous feature.
I used to have a better sig than this, but I got tired of it
then we would have low crime?