Crime is on the rise in New York, and the mayor blames Apple.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the slight increase in the city's crime index was down to more iPads and iPhones being half-inched, NYTimes.com reports, via 9to5Mac. The Police Department recorded 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than in 2011. This stat includes felonies as serious as murder and grand larceny, as well as robbery. There were 3,890 more Apple products stolen than in 2011, according to the donut-chomping number-crunchers down at police HQ.
If it wasn't for thefts of Apple devices, crime would actually have been on the wane. Marc La Vorgna, the mayor's press secretary, said: "If you just took away the jump in Apple, we'd be down for the year."
During the mayor's weekly radio show, Bloomberg said Apple products were thieves' first choice, though he admitted he wasn't factoring in thefts of rival devices like Samsung phones in his figures. So maybe he's not being completely fair.
Mayor Bloomberg had some advice for anyone worried their idevice was being eyed up by ne'er-do-wells: keep it out of sight, and so close you can feel it. "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," he said.
It's only recently that thieves have started targeting Apple owners, according to the mayor's press man. "The proliferation of people carrying expensive devices around is so great," La Vorgna said. "It's something that's never had to be dealt with before."
How do you feel about whipping out a high-end gadget in public? With handsets like the Nexus 4 making smart phones more affordable, and hence more prevalent, is the threat from thieves greater or lesser? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 7
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anonymous 1 January, 2013 09:16
So NY theives will steal iphones and won't go for Samsung S3's- guess they know what sells.
anonymous 1 January, 2013 09:18
haha, Samsung should target its $8 billion/year marketing at new audiences (8 tiumes what Apple spends! maybe Apple are targeting them?)
anonymous 1 January, 2013 09:19
so my gorgeous Nokia 920 is safe?
anonymous 1 January, 2013 09:22
stop the Samsung bashing PLEASE. They're having a hard enough time facing a potential multibillion fine from the European Commission for anticompetitive behaviour- not to mention LG taking them to court!
anonymous 1 January, 2013 14:42
Samsung = success
Success = haters
leoevs44 1 January, 2013 14:50
The only reason everyone else is trying to sue Samsung is because their all jealous how successful Samsung are and no one else can compete,their trying to bring em down but it ain't going to work,apple are just years behind and as for blackberry they ain't got a hope, windows8 is slick,smooth and pretty fast but jeepers it can't do much,android tech is so far ahead nobody else can catch up, and as for iPhone being pinched in new York well that says it all,the yanks don't know quality if it slapped them in the face hell they still can't even build a decent car yet that can at least turn corners...
anonymous 1 January, 2013 23:53
@leoevs44 1 January, 2013 14:50
"The only reason everyone else is trying to sue Samsung is because their all jealous..."
That's a very nieve remark.
Samsung are p*ssing off a lot of companies because of their habitual disregard for patent licences and other bad practices.
Is anyone surprised though when the company is headed by such a corrupt chaebol. with a terrible track record.
Do some homework. You won't be impressed with what you'll find out.