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MSNBC reports that General Electric Co.'s (NYSE: GE) NBC Dateline was able to track 12 of 20 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPods it left as bait for thieves.
About 110 million iPods have been sold since they were introduced. And people have been murdered for them. And many iPod owners have had them stolen. Moreover, as Dateline discovered, Apple could easily track the thieves and help reunite the owners with their stolen iPods. However, despite an average of five or six calls per customer service rep per day asking for help with stolen iPods, Apple has stayed out of this problem.
Dateline's Chris Hansen created a ruse to find out whether he could track stolen iPods. He left 20 lying around for thieves to steal in cities around the U.S. And when the thieves registered their stolen iPods so they could buy songs from iTunes, Hansen had them send their name, address and other contact information to Apple and Dateline. Hansen then drove to the thieves' houses in an RV to give them a fake prize. At that point he listened to their explanations of how they got their iPods, then showed them the incriminating video of them stealing the iPods.
Although Apple has stayed out of this problem for some time, it may emerge as a hero. Just recently came word from the U.S. Patent Office that Apple has applied for a new patent. In its application, Apple confirms that there is a "serious problem" with iPod theft and that iPod owners have been seriously injured or even murdered for their iPods. And the company has proposed an ingenious solution to the problem: essentially, you can't recharge the iPod or the new iPhone if you can't prove the device is yours when you hook it up to iTunes.
Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates, a management consulting and venture capital firm. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He owns GE and has no financial interest in Apple.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-02-2007 @ 4:01PM
42 said...
Dateline's Chris Hansen created a ruse to find out whether he could track stolen iPods. He left 20 lying around for thieves to steal in cities around the U.S.
This is complete nonsense. Dateline must not have much else to cover.
If I found one of these iPods "lying around" and I take it, it is not theft. Depending where it was I'd turn it into a lost & found if possible but otherwise I have no way to track down whoever left it on the subway or whatever. Theft implies robbery. Picking up a homeless iPod or whatever isn't theft.
This is like blaming Nokia or Motorola for not tracking down lost cellphones. but hey any Apple-bash story lately is sure to get picked up no matter how blitheringly stupid it is, like that stock-tanking "oh noes! Apple cut iPhone production!" lie. You guys need to filter this crap a little better.
8-02-2007 @ 4:53PM
Ken Westin said...
It is interesting how they stated there was no existing technology. There has actually been a company with technology that tracks stolen iPods for quite a while. They are called GadgetTrak (www.gadgettheft.com), they were mentioned just briefly in the story, but they have actually recovered stolen iPods and other devices.
8-02-2007 @ 5:02PM
Jeff said...
42 - Robbery is taking something from somebody by force. Theft does not imply robbery. You need your definitions straightened out.... taking something because you can't immediately attribute it's ownership makes it - not theft? One word for you- seedy.
Peter in no way was Apple bashing. The question is, if the technology exists to combat theft, why not use it? Who cares if Nokia or Motorola don't do jack about the tools available to them. Since you're all about analogies, that is like saying someone being raped in public shouldn't matter to you, because no one else is doing anything about it.
8-02-2007 @ 6:19PM
1littleb said...
This is a silly story in a lot of ways. Apple should be out looking for lost iPods? Please. iPods are often sold as new models come out. Should apple also have to sit judgement over whether the iPod was legally sold or not on ebay or keep track when the lost iPod is found but no one bothered to inform Apple? I don't see this as Apple's job. Let other companies that already look for missing gagets do this and let Apple keep making great products.
9-22-2007 @ 8:48PM
libby said...
neither dateline nor the tech people said apple should be chasing ipods down. i think the point of the piece was to ask why apple is not doing ANYTHING AT ALL. why not disable ipods that have been reported stolen to apple as soon as they're connected to itunes?
8-03-2007 @ 9:37AM
Matt said...
I watched this dateline the other night. Are they running out of sex offenders to catch?
While I do agree that iPod theft is a problem I can't agree with this argument that it's Apple's responsibility to help you find yours if it gets stolen. When mine was stolen I didn't cry to Apple. I'm just more careful with where I leave my new one.
With that said, when my car gets stolen should I call Mazda and expect them to help me find it?
8-06-2007 @ 5:41PM
Warren said...
"MSNBC reports that General Electric Co.'s (NYSE: GE) NBC Dateline was able to track 12 of 20 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPods it left as bait for thieves."
My husband works for NBC Universal. On 11/18/06, his ipod got stolen out of his office. He contacted security, did observation via surveillance camera and found out who the culprit was. The incident was filed as "Petty Theft", but he never got his ipod back.
8-17-2007 @ 11:13AM
Meg said...
"If I found one of these iPods "lying around" and I take it, it is not theft."
Actually, it's larceny. Larceny and theft are the same thing.
"Theft implies robbery. Picking up a homeless iPod or whatever isn't theft."
Robbery = theft + assault. Just thought you might want to know before you make an ass of yourself before the judge.