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I have carried around laptops and smartphones for decades now. Not a single one was stolen. Even if one was stolen now, what's the average cost of 'Stuff being

by TekMol 8y ago

I have carried around laptops and smartphones for decades now. Not a single one was stolen. Even if one was stolen now, what's the average cost of 'Stuff being stolen' over the years? I had Laptops with me since the 90s. For over 20 years. If my iPad Pro gets stolen now, that's $1000 over 20 years = $50/year. I don't mind. I really would love if a Linux distribution would support the iPad so I know I can do with it whatever I like forever.

madeofpalk 8y ago
Same. I've never had a phone/laptop/tablet/etc stolen. Yet, "The number of smartphones stolen dropped by 50% in London, 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York in 2014, according to an announcement by officials in the three cities" since the introduction of these anti-theft measures https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/11/london-smartphone-theft-drops-after-kill-switch-introduction-iphones https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/11/london-sm...
- stuaxo 8y ago
  I saw a slightly suspicious looking cyclist come going past me, with a mask on ... he grabbed the guy in front of me's phone and cycled off! That was in a pretty nice bit of London. I've managed to let my laptop get taken when I was really drunk at a pub too <shrug>.
gaius 8y ago
have carried around laptops and smartphones for decades now. Not a single one was stolen Good for you. Meanwhile in London a common crime is for moped riders to snatch phones out of people’s hands. Sometimes there’s a passenger on board who will also spray the victim with acid. Maybe you would mind that?
- sgift 8y ago
  Yeah, I mind that. The solution is an effective police force. Maybe you've heard of it.
  - coldtea 8y ago
    Yeah, please tells us more about your crime statistics in the states with this more "effective police", and how they're so much better than Europe/London...
    - sgift 8y ago
      I'm not living in the States, so I have no idea about the situation there, but Germany has very save cities. I'm sure you are able to input crime statistics Germany in your search engine of choice, if you are curious.
      - coldtea 8y ago
        I was curious. This is what I found: Overall Crime and Safety Situation U.S. Embassy Berlin does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The American Citizens’ Services unit (ACS) cannot recommend a particular individual or location, and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided. The U.S. Department of State has assessed Berlin as being a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Please review OSAC’s Germany-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Crime Threats Crime rates throughout Germany have been comparable to those in most first-world countries, and comparative analysis of crime data for the U.S. and Germany reveals only marginal differences. The Bundeskriminalamt’s (BKA) 2016 Police Crime Statistics for Germany indicated only minor changes in the number of the majority of recorded offenses with an increase of 0.7% overall. This resulted in reported crime being at its highest level since 2005. However, when discounting the “Aliens Act-related” crimes (which saw a 21.1% increase in 2016), a fall of 0.7% in recorded offences was registered. Significant increases were seen in violent crime (6.7%) including murder and attempted murder (14.3%), rape (12%), bodily injury (8.1%) and serious bodily injury (9.9%). Increases were also seen in drug offenses (7.1%) and weapons offenses (14.8%). Significant decreases were seen in burglaries (9.5%), shoplifting (3.3%) and economic crime (5.6%). Some observers have suggested that official statistics may not always provide an accurate accounting of the level of crime, and not all crimes reported to the police are captured in the form of an actual police report. There have been reports of police dissuading victims from making formal reports citing little chance of capturing the suspect. Such a practice may create a disincentive to report criminal activity. Outspoken representatives of police unions have stated the number of crimes is often drastically under reported. In 2015, the head of the German Detective Union (Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter) accused politicians of “leaving the public in the dark as to the true level of criminality.” He claimed that only 75% of domestic burglaries were reported and that sex crimes and cybercrimes were under reported. There have also been reports of crimes, in effect, being de-criminalized due to their frequency and impact on resources. One such report involved a community declaring petty crimes, such as shoplifting, would no longer be investigated by the authorities. To tackle high-profile criminal activities, such as violent crimes and burglaries, police have reallocated and/or increased resources in certain areas, resulting in less emphasis on investigating and detecting less serious crimes, such as fraud. It is not uncommon for visiting Americans to be victims of purse snatching or pickpocketing in high traffic and tourist areas (in train stations, internet cafes, crowded restaurants, and outdoor market places), but violent crimes against Americans have been relatively infrequent. Carry a copy of your passport while maintaining the original in a safe location. While personal assaults do occur, there is no evidence that such crimes were driven by anti-American sentiment. https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=23788 https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=237...
martin-adams 8y ago
Parent: >> I'm sure it deters the theft of iPhones/iPads at least a bit if they know the device will become completely useless once locked out. >> Not a single one was stolen The interesting question with the popularity of people having high values phones, tablets and laptops now, does the security measures of those devices keep the rate of theft low. If I were to correlate your statement (none stolen) with the theory (locking devices deters theft), it matches up. But, I get the feeling that isn't the point you wanted to make :)
amrrs 8y ago
I am not sure if you ever happen to be in India (or any developing nation for that matter). I live in Bengaluru, the silicon valley of India. Recently my colleague's smartphone was stolen while he was commuting in a Public transport Bus. Few Months earlier, Another calling was talking over the phone and walking and it was snatched from him. Bottomline: Devices are stolen always and It is heart wrecking when you know the most intimate device where you might have your intimate pics or your family's is in the hands of someone who's not ethical. What Apple doing here, MATTERS a lot!
comboy 8y ago
"30 years I've been driving without a seat belt, not a scratch!"

by TekMol 8y ago

madeofpalk 8y ago

Same. I've never had a phone/laptop/tablet/etc stolen. Yet, "The number of smartphones stolen dropped by 50% in London, 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York in 2014, according to an announcement by officials in the three cities" since the introduction of these anti-theft measures https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/11/london-smartphone-theft-drops-after-kill-switch-introduction-iphones https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/11/london-sm...

stuaxo 8y ago
I saw a slightly suspicious looking cyclist come going past me, with a mask on ... he grabbed the guy in front of me's phone and cycled off! That was in a pretty nice bit of London. I've managed to let my laptop get taken when I was really drunk at a pub too <shrug>.

gaius 8y ago

have carried around laptops and smartphones for decades now. Not a single one was stolen Good for you. Meanwhile in London a common crime is for moped riders to snatch phones out of people’s hands. Sometimes there’s a passenger on board who will also spray the victim with acid. Maybe you would mind that?

sgift 8y ago
Yeah, I mind that. The solution is an effective police force. Maybe you've heard of it.
- coldtea 8y ago
  Yeah, please tells us more about your crime statistics in the states with this more "effective police", and how they're so much better than Europe/London...
  - sgift 8y ago
    I'm not living in the States, so I have no idea about the situation there, but Germany has very save cities. I'm sure you are able to input crime statistics Germany in your search engine of choice, if you are curious.
    - coldtea 8y ago
      I was curious. This is what I found: Overall Crime and Safety Situation U.S. Embassy Berlin does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The American Citizens’ Services unit (ACS) cannot recommend a particular individual or location, and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided. The U.S. Department of State has assessed Berlin as being a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Please review OSAC’s Germany-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Crime Threats Crime rates throughout Germany have been comparable to those in most first-world countries, and comparative analysis of crime data for the U.S. and Germany reveals only marginal differences. The Bundeskriminalamt’s (BKA) 2016 Police Crime Statistics for Germany indicated only minor changes in the number of the majority of recorded offenses with an increase of 0.7% overall. This resulted in reported crime being at its highest level since 2005. However, when discounting the “Aliens Act-related” crimes (which saw a 21.1% increase in 2016), a fall of 0.7% in recorded offences was registered. Significant increases were seen in violent crime (6.7%) including murder and attempted murder (14.3%), rape (12%), bodily injury (8.1%) and serious bodily injury (9.9%). Increases were also seen in drug offenses (7.1%) and weapons offenses (14.8%). Significant decreases were seen in burglaries (9.5%), shoplifting (3.3%) and economic crime (5.6%). Some observers have suggested that official statistics may not always provide an accurate accounting of the level of crime, and not all crimes reported to the police are captured in the form of an actual police report. There have been reports of police dissuading victims from making formal reports citing little chance of capturing the suspect. Such a practice may create a disincentive to report criminal activity. Outspoken representatives of police unions have stated the number of crimes is often drastically under reported. In 2015, the head of the German Detective Union (Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter) accused politicians of “leaving the public in the dark as to the true level of criminality.” He claimed that only 75% of domestic burglaries were reported and that sex crimes and cybercrimes were under reported. There have also been reports of crimes, in effect, being de-criminalized due to their frequency and impact on resources. One such report involved a community declaring petty crimes, such as shoplifting, would no longer be investigated by the authorities. To tackle high-profile criminal activities, such as violent crimes and burglaries, police have reallocated and/or increased resources in certain areas, resulting in less emphasis on investigating and detecting less serious crimes, such as fraud. It is not uncommon for visiting Americans to be victims of purse snatching or pickpocketing in high traffic and tourist areas (in train stations, internet cafes, crowded restaurants, and outdoor market places), but violent crimes against Americans have been relatively infrequent. Carry a copy of your passport while maintaining the original in a safe location. While personal assaults do occur, there is no evidence that such crimes were driven by anti-American sentiment. https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=23788 https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=237...

martin-adams 8y ago

Parent: >> I'm sure it deters the theft of iPhones/iPads at least a bit if they know the device will become completely useless once locked out. >> Not a single one was stolen The interesting question with the popularity of people having high values phones, tablets and laptops now, does the security measures of those devices keep the rate of theft low. If I were to correlate your statement (none stolen) with the theory (locking devices deters theft), it matches up. But, I get the feeling that isn't the point you wanted to make :)

amrrs 8y ago

I am not sure if you ever happen to be in India (or any developing nation for that matter). I live in Bengaluru, the silicon valley of India. Recently my colleague's smartphone was stolen while he was commuting in a Public transport Bus. Few Months earlier, Another calling was talking over the phone and walking and it was snatched from him. Bottomline: Devices are stolen always and It is heart wrecking when you know the most intimate device where you might have your intimate pics or your family's is in the hands of someone who's not ethical. What Apple doing here, MATTERS a lot!

comboy 8y ago

"30 years I've been driving without a seat belt, not a scratch!"