Apple temporarily shutters Palo Alto store for repairs after smash-and-grab burglary

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2017
Apple's store in Palo Alto, Calif. has so far been closed all of this week, likely coping with the aftermath of a major burglary last month in which a vehicle rammed through the glass facade.




Apple makes little mention of the closure on the store's official webpage, and hasn't said when the shop will reopen. Indeed trying to call results in a recorded message says that the shop is undergoing "renovations," with the suggestion that people who need to buy something in person go to another store, such as the Stanford Shopping Center outlet.

The burglary took place before dawn on Dec. 4, and saw a group of 8 to 10 people smash a rented Kia Soul through the facade. The suspects then grabbed a number of Macs and iPhones, at least some of which were later found in another car parked half a block away in an alley.

The shop actually reopened almost immediately, but with boarded-up windows. Apple uses unusually large glass doors/windows at many of its outlets, which in this case may have taken extra time to manufacture and ship. Perhaps more importantly, delays may be attributable to the company wanting to keep sales active through the holiday season.

Because of its glass facades and high-cost electronics, Apple has had to cope with a number of smash-and-grab burglaries. In some cases the company has set up deterrents like bollards, but in the Palo Alto attack, the thieves simply drove around them and veered in from the sidewalk.

Apple's most famous store -- the Fifth Avenue "cube" in New York City -- is due to close for renovations on Jan. 20. The company will temporarily relocate to the nearby General Motors building, occupying space that was once home to FAO Schwarz.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    These idiots were stupid not to really that Apple devices on display had store Apple ID logged in and can be traced using iCloud. Bottom line, they can't sell these devices anyway cuz once they're connected to internet, bam...activation lock triggers!
    netrox
  • Reply 2 of 12
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    It surprises me that Apple does not install bollards in front of all their accessible stores. Even if they are not allowed because of local by-laws they could install them just inside the glass. If the glass has enough flex it may not break and even if it does the car would be wrecked and so reduce the chances of a swift getaway. There are nice stainless steel ones ones that move down flush with the ground when not in use - no doubt controllable via IOS.

    Better still Apple should design their own that are always down except when the glass breaks, at which point they rise either trapping the car inside the store, or taking the car up a foot or two :)
    edited January 2017 SpamSandwich
  • Reply 3 of 12
    fallenjt said:
    These idiots were stupid not to really that Apple devices on display had store Apple ID logged in and can be traced using iCloud. Bottom line, they can't sell these devices anyway cuz once they're connected to internet, bam...activation lock triggers!
    You can trace as much as you want if they reach Africa like cars stolen on request from California. SO be careful with that judgment stupid as this is not be neccessarily some stupid bunch. They may know what they are doing like with gang car thefts in CA.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    sog35 said:
    Apple should hire a couple machine gunners for each store.

    If someone breaks in, mow them down. 
    Aah, the fertile mind of a 10 year old...
    edited January 2017 tyler82
  • Reply 5 of 12
    sog35 said:
    Apple should hire a couple machine gunners for each store.

    If someone breaks in, mow them down. 


    Yeah... the would work in anti-gun Republic of California quite well. Besides... what a great idea and actions adequate to crime.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 6 of 12
    fallenjt said:
    These idiots were stupid not to really that Apple devices on display had store Apple ID logged in and can be traced using iCloud. Bottom line, they can't sell these devices anyway cuz once they're connected to internet, bam...activation lock triggers!
    Wrong!  They can sell whatever they want to; it the person who purchases it that has the problem.

    mike1anantksundaram
  • Reply 7 of 12
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    fallenjt said:
    These idiots were stupid not to really that Apple devices on display had store Apple ID logged in and can be traced using iCloud. Bottom line, they can't sell these devices anyway cuz once they're connected to internet, bam...activation lock triggers!
    Sure they can sell them to unsuspecting marks. There’s a greedy sucker born every minute looking to get a deal. The Apple discussion forums are full of people who say they “found” an iPhone or “bought” one from Craigslist and asking how to get around the activation lock.
    edited January 2017 jony0
  • Reply 8 of 12
    Ultimately the losses are small. Theft hasn't closed any stores that I know of.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    sog35 said:
    Apple should hire a couple machine gunners for each store.

    If someone breaks in, mow them down. 


    I don't know about that, but their current security measures are inadequate. If all of the top products were locked up in a secure location in the back every night, it would discourage these dirtbags a bit.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 10 of 12
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    Apple really just needs better placed bollards. There's no excuse to have so much room on the sidewalk a car can still get through. You can have more then enough space for wheel chairs to get though while not having enough room for a car. Of course someone can walk to the front with a big sledge hammer and bust the glass and get in that way, but all the glass flying down may fall down onto you and kill you, or at least hurt your. Using a car offers protection from that. How about powered bollards. Down during business hours and them Up while closed. Then you keep the clean Apple look during business hours yet have protection of cars driving in at night. Hell a car drives into the store during the day for a smash and grab, someone hits a button and the bollards go right up trapping the car in or pushing it up in the air if it's still over one of them.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    jbdragon said:
    Apple really just needs better placed bollards. There's no excuse to have so much room on the sidewalk a car can still get through. You can have more then enough space for wheel chairs to get though while not having enough room for a car. Of course someone can walk to the front with a big sledge hammer and bust the glass and get in that way, but all the glass flying down may fall down onto you and kill you, or at least hurt your. Using a car offers protection from that. How about powered bollards. Down during business hours and them Up while closed. Then you keep the clean Apple look during business hours yet have protection of cars driving in at night. Hell a car drives into the store during the day for a smash and grab, someone hits a button and the bollards go right up trapping the car in or pushing it up in the air if it's still over one of them.
    Bollards makes you look like a fortress (when they're tight) and break the architecture of the store. Incorporating them in the pavement would be good. They don't need to be very high to work. Or they could just bolt some on  (those in front) at night and put an alarm if anyone tries unbolting them. Need Apple stores to have big power tools for that :-).
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