NYPD touting iOS 7 upgrade for iPhone-owning New Yorkers at subway stations

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
New York City's Police Department is looking to cut back crime by informing iPhone-owning residents that they should update their devices to the latest version of iOS in order to obtain new security features designed to thwart potential thieves.



The weekend brought reports that NYPD officers were handing out informational flyers to passersby, urging them to upgrade to iOS 7 in order to take advantage of the security features Apple has built into its latest operating system. Twitter user Michael Hoffman published a picture of one of the flyers on Sunday.

Specifically, police hope that iPhone owners will upgrade, which will automatically install Apple's Activation Lock feature. That security feature keeps a thief from erasing a phone's data and reactivating it. Instead, the original Apple ID and password used to activate a device are needed to perform such actions or to deactivate Find My iPhone.

Apple first showed off Activation Lock at this year's Worldwide Developer Conference. The feature is an integral aspect of iOS 7's security suite, and it is is active on any device with iOS 7 installed.

New York in particular has had a considerable problem with the theft of iPhones and other Apple products. Between January 1 and September 23 of last year, the city saw a 11,447 recorded thefts of Apple products. Apple product theft accounted for 14.4 percent of major crimes, and the rise from 2011 to 2012 in iDevice thefts outpaced all other crimes over the same period.

Government officials from both New York and San Francisco repeatedly called on Apple and other device makers to build better security features into their smartphones and tablets. The Activation Lock feature in iOS 7 has been met with cautious optimism, though officials note it is not a complete solution, but instead a step in the right direction.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    Best kind of free press, even the government telling people to buy apple products.
  • Reply 2 of 24
    Now we know why so many people are upgrading. This is genius and well designed marketing! /sarcasm
  • Reply 3 of 24

    Ironically, Android needs this kind of help. But the cops should be standing at the offices of the carriers and device makers because they are the ones holding up the upgrades.

  • Reply 4 of 24

    Great free advertising for Apple!

     

    It is common knowledge that Apple products are the most desirable products amongst thieves.

     

    Apple products account for a great percentage of all stolen goods in New York. Android is of course garbage, the lowest of the low, and even most thieves don't want to be bothered with such crap.

     

    If not for Apple, crime would be down in New York.

     

    “If you just took away the jump in Apple, we’d be down for the year,” said Marc La Vorgna, Bloomberg’s press secretary, according to the New York Times reported.

  • Reply 5 of 24

    Now to add this to OS X devices. I had a MacBook swiped. I had added it in preyproject.com but it never showed up. It would be nice to know that no one else could have used it.

  • Reply 6 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    ddawson100 wrote: »
    Now to add this to OS X devices. I had a MacBook swiped. I had added it in preyproject.com but it never showed up. It would be nice to know that no one else could have used it.

    I've had this on all my Macs ever since it came out. Not that any have been stolen but I feel pretty good about this.

    http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/mac/
  • Reply 7 of 24

    Too bad someone didn't proofread the flyer before printing it up...

  • Reply 8 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    rothgarr wrote: »
    Too bad someone didn't proofread the flyer before printing it up...

    I give in I can't see the error ... mind you I'm one of those that can read text with no vowels and not notice they are missing ... I don't actually see what I read I just seem to hear it in my head. Hence I am a lousy proof reader.
  • Reply 9 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    I give in I can't see the error ... mind you I'm one of those that can read text with no vowels and not notice they are missing ... I don't actually see what I read I just seem to hear it in my head. Hence I am a lousy proof reader.

     

    "...the new iOS 7 software avaialble..."

  • Reply 10 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    ddawson100 wrote: »
    "...the new iOS 7 software avaialble..."

    Thanks

    Ha .. so obvious once one 'sees' it!
  • Reply 11 of 24
    maestro64 wrote: »
    Best kind of free press, even the government telling people to buy apple products.

    Where did you see that?
  • Reply 12 of 24
    Lol the NYPD used the old color strip Apple logo, I wonder are they also printing this flyer from an Apple printer connected to a Macintosh plus :D
  • Reply 13 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    Where did you see that?

    I think he meant recommending the upgrade was kind of endorsing the Apple so in a way helping sales through free advertising for Apple ....
  • Reply 14 of 24

    And then Apple sues them for using the rainbow Apple logo and misrepresenting the company and its products. :p 

     

    Also, do you see LAW ENFORCEMENT going out of their way to tout Android upgrades ANYWHERE? The sheer magnitude of Apple’s ability to get free advertising is astounding.

  • Reply 15 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    And then Apple sues them for using the rainbow Apple logo and misrepresenting the company and its products. :p  

    Also, do you see LAW ENFORCEMENT going out of their way to tout Android upgrades ANYWHERE? The sheer magnitude of Apple’s ability to get free advertising is astounding.

    The old logo kind of looked cool on the old, yellowed paper look :)
  • Reply 16 of 24
    I'm sure even Apple will look the other way for the use of the older, multi-coloured Apple logo.
  • Reply 17 of 24
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    broadbean wrote: »
    I'm sure even Apple will look the other way for the use of the older, multi-coloured Apple logo.

    and in this case it was more duo tone than colored anyway ;)
  • Reply 18 of 24

    I wonder if the message is truly intended for Apple device users or if it is for iDevice thieves?

    Maybe both?

    I mean if I’m the police, I couldn’t care less if people have the Activation lock feature or not, but I would what thieves to be aware of it’s existence so that they stop stealing iDevices...

     

    (maybe I’m over-estimating the thought process behind the initiative though)

  • Reply 19 of 24
    Maybe iPhone-owning NYC residents should do these 2 things:

    1. Use non-Apple earbuds that aren't light gray and white.
    2. Keep their iPhone out of sight in their pocket while on the train.
  • Reply 20 of 24
    I think he meant recommending the upgrade was kind of endorsing the Apple so in a way helping sales through free advertising for Apple ....

    It could very well also have a adverse effect and people might not choose a Apple device so they won't be a target for would be thieves.
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