smash-and-grab
Latest
Daily Update for May 6, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
London's Covent Garden Apple Store hit by burglars
In what is the most high-profile Apple Store robbery to date, a gang of thugs carried out a smash-and-grab raid on London's Covent Garden Apple Store. The store, which opened fourteen months ago, is Apple's second flagship store. It was built in a remodeled 19th century building and features a glass roof over a courtyard that was originally designed for delivery of merchandise by horses. The Guardian reports that shortly before 1 AM a gang of seven masked thieves rode up to the Apple Store on mopeds and motorcycles and smashed one of the store's windows. They then proceeded to grab Apple devices including iPads, and then jumped back on their vehicles and sped away. Shortly after the burglary, police in the London neighborhood of Islington (about a 10 minute ride away from Covent Garden at that time of night) spotted one of the vehicles used in the raid and two men were arrested at the scene. Scotland Yard said that some stolen Apple devices were recovered from their possession. The police are asking anyone else who might have information about the burglary to contact the Metropolitan Police Service. [image credit: Rob Shoesmith]
Another smash and grab at the Crocker Park Apple Store in Westlake, OH
On Friday morning, a smash-and-grab robbery of yet another Apple Store took place at the Crocker Park Apple Store in Westlake, Ohio, an upscale suburb of Cleveland. Around 4:30 AM, three burglars smashed in the front window activating the burglar alarm as well as the store's security cameras, which caught it all on tape. The well-organized thieves were in and out in thirty seconds after stealing twenty-four notebooks and one iPod touch. The culprits, wearing all black, left no apparent trail, and so far, the Westlake police have no disclosed leads. This comes quickly on the heels of other such incidents. Just last month, the San Diego, CA store was hit resulting in one burglar being shot and killed by a security guard. Also in April, a thief was shot during a heist at the Chula Vista, Calif. store along with the Chestnut Street San Francisco store being hit without fatalities. Earlier, it was the Pittsburgh, Pa. store, which had been broken into twice. This follows a rash of break-ins at other Apple Stores and resellers throughout 2009-2010. In all, over twelve Apple Stores have been robbed. After the break, you can see the video as posted by WKYC News 3.
Another 'smash and grab' hits Portland Apple reseller
One sign of the continuing popularity of Apple's product line is the fact that some people will go to extraordinary (and illegal) measures to procure the products. That image at right? It's from a security camera video showing a full-size gray pickup truck with a diamond-plate toolbox in the back backing through the front wall of a store. TUAW has published a number of stories throughout 2010 talking about various burglaries, robberies, and "smash and grabs" targeting Apple Stores and other resellers. The victim this weekend was Portland, Oregon-based MacPac, which has been hit by destructive drive-through theft five other times. As reported by Portland TV station KGW, MacPac owner Randy Feldman and his staff had just finished renovating the displays in the store last Wednesday. The criminals got off with display MacBooks, iPads, and desktop machines, but Feldman says his main concern might be "losing an insurance company." [via MacObserver]
CCP Games drops more details on EVE's new mission arcs for pirate factions
We recently wrote a bit about the new PvE content coming to EVE Online in the Dominion expansion -- Epic Mission Arcs for the Angel Cartel and Guristas pirate factions where your speed will help you survive. Now CCP Games has dropped more info on these branching pirate missions; the Guristas arc is called "Smash and Grab" while the Angel Cartel arc is "Angel Sound". A dev blog written by CCP Jasonitas walks readers through the standings requirements -- if your Angel Cartel standings are horrible but you have decent standings with either the Minmatar or Amarr, you can still run the Angel arc. Likewise with the Guristas, your Caldari or Gallente faction standings will let you embark on the Guristas pirate arc. In some respects, these arcs will open up pirate faction mission running for many players, given that completion of an arc will impart a 30% standings gain towards that faction. Players have long wanted a way to repair their negative standings towards New Eden's pirate factions and this seems to be the first step towards that. Still, that standings gain won't benefit players who are particularly loathed by a given pirate faction unless the arcs can be repeated some months down the line as with standard Epic Mission Arcs.
