A friend of mine had his iPhone stolen. When he went to AT&T to activate his old iPhone, the representative said iPhone theft is very common. Many people just cancel their contract and change carriers because replacement of the uninsurable device is so expensive.
Here in Chicago, a woman was shoved down stairs at an L stop when her iPhone was stolen. She was killed in the fall.
Before I divert too far from my question... Isn't Apple able to create a registration system that would allow a user to report the serial number of a stolen iPhone to have it completely locked by Apple. It would seem to help keep down theft. Though for Apple, it's probably a money maker as a device is stolen because many users will buy a new device.
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Why can't Apple lock an iPhone that is reported stolen, which would deter theft.
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Use find my iPhone, the service is now free and you can erase your phone remotely.
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I don't think many users would be keen to the idea of Apple having the ability to turn off any user's device at will. Plus, if Apple decided to provide this service, they could potentially find themselves in a situation where they'd be held liable for the theft of any user's data.
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I thought carriers could block IMEI numbers, rendering a stolen phone useless.
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Carriers don't do this simply for the same reason tobacco companies don't stop selling cigarettes.
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Hi, AFAIK after a device has been locked by a carrier using its IMEI, its rendered useless. So eventually the manufacturers would end up making a sale! So I don't see why they shouldn't lock it. I guess there is a procedure to do it and it involves some legal steps where you have to procure documents from the authorities to the carrier. I think in India it is initiated by the police.
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