Image: iosguides.net
Figures from insurance company ProtectCell show that iPhone owners are 46 percent less likely to need a replacement than owners of other smartphones, and 11 percent less likely to need a repair.
While iPhones seemingly have higher build quality than other phones (or perhaps more careful owners), it comes as no surprise to see they are more desirable to thieves, with iPhone thefts 65 percent higher than those of other smartphones. A number that will hopefully fall when word reaches the criminal world about Activation Lock.
Update: ProtectCELL emailed us to say their press release contained the wrong figure (reading 54 percent instead of 46 percent). We have updated with the correct one.FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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Any word on how activation lock has impacted thefts? Are people trying to sell the stolen and locked phones, for example, knowing they don’t work?
I suspect it’s a bit early to have decent data for comparison. As most criminals aren’t noted for their intelligence, I think it will also likely take a while for word to get around, but I would expect to see a pretty substantial drop year-on-year.
They sell them for spare parts
In the end not big change
It’s not the thieves that are the idiots selling them, it’s the general public that wants to save a quick £ and buys them.
In emerging markets like México iPhones with Activation Lock are being sold at one quarter of the real price for repair parts. Thieves have no knowledge of this block and so they still stealing. I hope this numbers drop to a half at least. But this phones have a high price even dead.
I see a LOT of posts on Apple’s discussion boards asking how to get past the need for the Apple Id and password to activate their new iPhones. The answer is invariably “get it from the person who sold you the phone or get a refund.”
Then some unlikely excuses why that can’t happen, followed by some variation of “Stop buying stolen phones” or “enjoy your brick.”
I LOVE IT!
Heh, there is definitely a satisfaction in seeing that kind of post.
Having worked there, I’d love to see where and how they arrived at this data. I can’t count the number of phones I’ve replaced…Stupid iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake button…good grief.
Sounds like you should take better care of your possessions instead.
how is the sleep wake button failing a result of negligence? can’t see how’d one would accidentally break it but yet it seems to be pretty widespread.
I can’t see how one would break! Same with the Home Button. People always complain that they get dirt underneath them both. SO TAKE BETTER CARE OF IT! That’s not a fault of the product!
If you’d read instead of assuming I don’t take care of my devices, context should tell you that “since I worked there” I was replacing customer’s devices, not my own. Don’t be condescending.
See my below comment, but my first should read, Having worked at Apple. WordPress doesn’t allow editing of comments, apparently?
WordPress IS sorely lacking in many fields.
Mea culpa and my apologies to you; “edit” my reply to be third person, then.
Sometimes things just go bad on their own. A friend had her iPhone 5’s home button and speaker go south for no reason. The phone was always in a case and never dropped. That’s why it’s smart to get Applecare. Apple fixed the problems free of charge.
And finally, we have a clear idea of why the stock is flat.
Is this story missing something? Methodology?
Methodology is analysing an insurance company’s claim stats.