Stolen iPhones

You'd think one of the most successful companies in the world would have better theft prevention...

Yet in a course of two days, a total of three iPhone 5's were stolen from the Apple Store at North Point Mall and the AT&T store on Old Milton Parkway. On October 26, two men and a woman walked into the Apple Store at North Point. As one of the men dismantled the security devices, the other man and woman walked away with one of the phones on display. The next day, two young boys stole a a display iPhone off of the wall and ran away with them.

Obviously attempts at theft are unpreventable. However with its billions of dollars, Apple should be able to adequately deter petty thieves from stealing the company's products. Regarding the first incident, the grown man might have had extensive knowledge of the security system in order to be capable of disabling it. In contrast, the second crime was committed by boys, who were simply able to grab the iPhones off of the wall. If word gets around that such a highly prized piece of merchandise can be so easily stolen, this issue of theft could increase and become out of control for Apple.

These thefts are also representative of the overall frenzy for Apple products. Apply is literally the singular dominant force in technology right now when it comes to luxury products. Everyone knows about the iPhone. No one hates their iPhone (if it's the latest). The iPhone is status symbol for the wealthy. The competitor phones are always compared to the iPhone, not the other way around; they are viewed as "alternatives", most often less expensive. The iPhone has become a universal piece of technology among the upper-class, as commonplace as a product like a laptop.