Starting with the iPod and now the iPhone, those telltale white earbuds have made Apple branded mobile products easy to spot. That and high resale values have made Apple’s iThings very, very popular with thieves. No more, because Apple’s iPhone kill switch works.
Law enforcement officials in New York, San Francisco and London claim that iPhone related crime has declined by 19 percent, 38 percent and 24 percent, respectively, since Apple implemented its activation lock, aka kill switch, in September 2013.
That said, kill switch advocates New York attorney general Eric T Schneiderman and San Francisco DA George Gascón are claiming success. Further, according to a New York Times writeup, they’re demanding that governments pass laws requiring new smartphones and/or operating system implement kill switches.
“The introduction of kill switches has clearly had an effect on the conduct of smartphone thieves,” said Schneiderman. “If these can be canceled, like the equivalent of canceling a credit card, these are going to be the equivalent of stealing a paperweight.”
— Microsoft on Thursday told the NYT that it, too, will introduce a kill switch in a future software update for its Windows Phone operating system.
— Google will also be introducing one in the next version of Android.
For his part, San Francisco DA Gascón says government should pass legislation, similar to seat belt laws, that require devices implement Apple’s iPhone kill switch tech.
And, you know what? While there probably isn’t a need, DA Gascón, for new laws, Google and Microsoft certainly must copy Apple’s iPhone kill switch tech. But, there’s nothing new about any of that…
What’s your take?
Image: New York Times