Apple Store retail location robberies, where thieves grab display devices from the tables and run, have become a cost of doing business for the company.
A recently published patent describes how Apple could fight back.
First, Apple uses special software images which render them useless the moment they leave the store location:
A source tells us that the current special OS images on demo devices include a software ‘kill switch’ which disables them when they go out of range of the store Wi-Fi. This means that Apple no longer has to use Find My iPhone to disable them manually.
Unfortunately, these measures don’t act as an ideal deterrent:
There’s something quite satisfying about the idea of these thieves thinking they’ve just snagged tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment only to discover that what they actually have is a pile of junk. Or, at best, something they have to break for parts – an expertise they are unlikely to possess. But it would be far better to prevent the thefts in the first place […]
For anyone present in an Apple Store when one of these robberies takes place, it must be a pretty scary experience. A mob of people whose faces are covered rush in and grab everything they can, presumably not worrying about anyone they have to shove out of the way. Customers won’t know whether they are about to be assaulted, or have their own possessions stolen.
The patent describes these hardware raids as something that aren’t exactly commonplace, but aren’t always rare. As such, the patent describes preventative hardware-related measures to prevent theft as opposed to software-related ones. It goes on to describe a type of bracket used to protect iPads at exhibitions:
Various embodiments are disclosed that relate to product-display systems for displaying products to potential purchasers in a visually-appealing manner. Such product-display systems may also make the displayed products available for use (e.g., for testing) by potential purchasers while limiting the potential purchaser’s ability to remove the product from a display area.
For example, embodiments include a product-display system having a retainer bracket with at least two arms that extend around opposing sides of a displayed product. The product-display system may also include a retainer body that has an edge and has a continuous, smooth outer surface extending from the edge. The retainer body may be coupled to the retainer bracket at a portion of the retainer body on an opposite side of the edge from the smooth outer surface.
The product-display system may also include a retaining cable that may be coupled to the retainer body at an opening of the retainer body through the outer surface of the retainer body. The smooth outer surface of the retainer body may extend continuously from the opening to the edge.
It’s unknown as to how exactly Apple would get around the somewhat inherent ugliness that tends to accompany these retainers:
Using only a single fastener to couple together first and second arms may help allow bracket arm fastener to be hidden from view, which may facilitate a clean, smooth visual appearance of retainer.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.