4 ms·

I thought phone theft was still fairly common, although I have a hard time understanding how it's profitable. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/04/bathroom-

I thought phone theft was still fairly common, although I have a hard time understanding how it's profitable. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/04/bathroom-tunneling-burglars-allegedly-lift-500k-in-iphones-from-apple-store/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/04/bathroom-tunneling-b...

aikinai 4y ago
Those are new in-box unactivated phones, completely unrelated to personal theft and activation lock.
- Xylakant 4y ago
  It’s not related to personal theft, but to activation lock. Apple can (and will) lock these phones as well.
  - aikinai 4y ago
    Oh yeah, good point. I can’t imagine how that’s worth it then…
    - Xylakant 4y ago
      They will sell the hardware to unwitting victims as new via eBay, Craigslist, … and disappear before the victim figures it out. It is a new iPhone in the original shrinkwrap - who’d become suspicious?
      - olliej 4y ago
        A cheap sealed boxed iPhone off craigslist or eBay seems like something I'd be suspicious of.
        coldtea 4y ago
        You'd be surprised. If you mean "suspicious that it might have been stolen", the buyers are suspicious too, but they don't care, they're fine with it if it means they get it for cheaper.
  - olliej 4y ago
    Is that something that is happening? I would have thought it would have been in the news before if apple had been doing that.
14 4y ago
If you look at the cost of a new screen or battery you can see that parts do have some value. For a thief even $50 is a score.
- Xylakant 4y ago
  Apples lockdown even includes hardware such as screens. You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another.
  - ris58h 4y ago
    > You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another. Why so? May be I can't but how difficult it for a repair shop?
    - shortcake27 4y ago
      Because all the parts are paired. Hugh Jeffreys has an interesting series where he buys two new phones and swaps the parts. Basically nothing can be swapped without breaking core functionality. Swapping a screen, for example, loses true-tone and auto brightness. This can be fixed by replanting a tiny chip from the old screen to the new screen, requiring extremely precise micro-soldering skills that the average repair shop doesn’t possess.
      - cryu 4y ago
        Yep, absolutely true -- I worked on the project ("FDR / New Deal"). It was originally supposed to prevent a repeat of the Hon Hai Zhengzhou incident where a team of line workers mixed/matched parts from units that failed QC and sold the Frankensteined units on the grey market. (Massively oversimplified, but that's the general gist) The resulting near-total inability to swap screens/buttons without knowing someone with FDR update access was seen as acceptable collateral damage.
        salawat 4y ago
expertentipp 4y ago
I don't see exactly how it happens. The first guy cuts the security cables, the second guy collects the devices?

aikinai 4y ago

Those are new in-box unactivated phones, completely unrelated to personal theft and activation lock.

Xylakant 4y ago
It’s not related to personal theft, but to activation lock. Apple can (and will) lock these phones as well.
- aikinai 4y ago
  Oh yeah, good point. I can’t imagine how that’s worth it then…
  - Xylakant 4y ago
    They will sell the hardware to unwitting victims as new via eBay, Craigslist, … and disappear before the victim figures it out. It is a new iPhone in the original shrinkwrap - who’d become suspicious?
    - olliej 4y ago
      A cheap sealed boxed iPhone off craigslist or eBay seems like something I'd be suspicious of.
      - coldtea 4y ago
        You'd be surprised. If you mean "suspicious that it might have been stolen", the buyers are suspicious too, but they don't care, they're fine with it if it means they get it for cheaper.
- olliej 4y ago
  Is that something that is happening? I would have thought it would have been in the news before if apple had been doing that.

14 4y ago

If you look at the cost of a new screen or battery you can see that parts do have some value. For a thief even $50 is a score.

Xylakant 4y ago
Apples lockdown even includes hardware such as screens. You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another.
- ris58h 4y ago
  > You can’t just transplant an iPhone screen from one phone to another. Why so? May be I can't but how difficult it for a repair shop?
  - shortcake27 4y ago
    Because all the parts are paired. Hugh Jeffreys has an interesting series where he buys two new phones and swaps the parts. Basically nothing can be swapped without breaking core functionality. Swapping a screen, for example, loses true-tone and auto brightness. This can be fixed by replanting a tiny chip from the old screen to the new screen, requiring extremely precise micro-soldering skills that the average repair shop doesn’t possess.
    - cryu 4y ago
      Yep, absolutely true -- I worked on the project ("FDR / New Deal"). It was originally supposed to prevent a repeat of the Hon Hai Zhengzhou incident where a team of line workers mixed/matched parts from units that failed QC and sold the Frankensteined units on the grey market. (Massively oversimplified, but that's the general gist) The resulting near-total inability to swap screens/buttons without knowing someone with FDR update access was seen as acceptable collateral damage.
      - salawat 4y ago

expertentipp 4y ago

I don't see exactly how it happens. The first guy cuts the security cables, the second guy collects the devices?