When you hold up your wrist to admire your new Apple Watch, the shiny new device might also catch the eye of an opportunistic thief.
Police and security experts are urging common sense and awareness of surroundings when interacting in public with the new smartwatch, which will begin arriving on doorsteps and adorning wrists Friday.
A spike in thefts seems to accompany each new wave of technology. But mobile manufacturers were pressured to install kill-switch technology, making hot devices harder for criminals to sell, and the move has been credited with a drop in swiped smartphones.
With the Apple Watch being the latest must-have gadget, police and techies wonder whether the watch will have similar security measures that would render a stolen watch virtually worthless. Concerned Apple fans have been discussing the situation on reddit, noting that AppleCare doesn’t cover theft.
Apple has assured buyers the watch will not work once it senses it has been removed from its owner’s wrist.
“There may be an initial wave of thefts because it’s new or attractive,” Frank Scafidi, spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, told MarketWatch. “But these thefts will eventually subside once word gets out that the Apple Watch is not going to work and, at least in some cases, will only make a nice paperweight.”
Then there’s the Apple Watch Edition — the $10,000, 18-karat gold version that could be attractive to thieves regardless of whether it’s functional.
One San Francisco blogger was bold enough to predict a gold Apple Watch will be stolen in his city by June.
“I don’t care what security features your multi-thousand dollar gold iWatch has,” wrote San Francisco Citizen in February. “There’s nothing stopping somebody from taking your shiny (watch) and then melting it down to sell the gold for $1,0000 an ounce.”
San Francisco police say beware of the possibility that someone could be watching for people glancing at their wrists in the days following the Apple Watch launch.
“Criminals will be looking for this device so, like with any new tech, use common sense,” San Francisco police officer Albie Esparza told Cult of Mac. “Criminals might now know about enhanced security features. They’re just opportunistic. Just be aware of your surroundings.”
An app providing an impenetrable force field around an Apple Watch owner is probably a few generations away. For now, analog smarts for your smartwatch may be the most important function.
David Pierini is a former newspaper writer and long-time photographer. Considered a luddite by most of his friends, they did not believe him when he broke the news that he would be writing for a technology website. He is fascinated by human nature and would love to cultivate stories about the people driving the tech bus. Reach out to him at [email protected].
9 responses to “Common sense is your best defense against Apple Watch thieves”
$1,0000 an ounce?
Is bold really the right adjective to describe the blogger? Considering thousands of luxury watches (rolex, cartier, etc) that are a lot more valuable than the apple watch are stolen every year, I think obtuse is a better descriptor. Don’t you? ;) #commonsenseisntverycommon
Yeah, but right now, the AppleWatch is getting promoted and these thugs try to steal what they can’t get under normal conditions and what’s popular so it’s easier to sell.
I had some punk kids steal my MacBook from me, but since they were stupid kids, they didn’t realize that the unit I had was so old it couldn’t run the latest OS at the time it goes stolen and the resale value was only about $250 if it wasn’t stolen and had the power adapter with it. But they stole it without the power adapter/cable and the unit was old and not worth that much. But since it was a titanium model and it had the Apple logo, they probably thought it would be worth $1000 because it LOOKS like a new laptop, even though it was over 5 years old and was worth very little. I was pissed more because I wasn’t ready to replace it. If I keep a computer to the point where it can’t run the latest OS and I am replacing it, I don’t mind giving it away to someone that needs a computer that has no money, but I would like to at least wipe the drive clean and get the replacement unit first. ;-)
To some of these thieves, they see the Apple Logo and their brain ceases to work properly.
Don’t worry. No one wants your dorky Apple watch.
Wow, what a puerile comment. Sounds like you are bored and have no where else to go.
lol. I really do think they are dorky. But that is ok maybe I will change my mind.
I’ll be wearing long sleeve shirts or jackets for a while..
Well if they don’t stole the watch it self at least the bands will be a nice target.
If you remove the word “thieves” from the headline, you make a much better point.
I wear a smart watch and I wish I would have exerted a little more common sense before purchasing it, it can be convenient at times but I wouldn’t feel lost without it.