ipod-theft
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Texas Target stores hit rock bottom with iPod theft
Long ago, there was a time when people actually gave each other rocks as gifts; these rocks were welcomed and enjoyed by the recipients (why? We can't say. It was the '70s) and, as quickly as the trend started, it was gone. Gone, that is, everywhere but two Target stores in Fort Worth and Grand Prairie, TX, where the lithogift appears to be alive and well.The Star-Telegram reports that mother and daughter Melanie and Regan Ritter had an eerie experience of deja vu while shopping for Regan's 14th birthday present, a shiny new iPod(note to self: begin collecting empty bottles and green stamps for children's future gifts). After finding the iPod in stock at a Fort Worth Target store, Melanie bought it and delivered it on her daughter's birthday, and Regan opened the lovely shrink-wrapped "Designed by Apple in California" box to reveal... rocks. A collection of rocks, in fact, matching the approximate weight of the missing iPod. I believe the word you're looking for is "buzzkill."Mom Ritter did what any caring mother would do: marched back to Target and demanded a refund (no luck, she paid with a Target Card so store credit was all they would do) and subsequently went on a hunt for a new iPod for her little girl, preferably a rock-free model. The nearest Target with stock was in Grand Prairie, 20 miles east as the crow flies, so off she went. This time, she insisted that she be able to open the iPod box prior to purchase; the Target salesfolk said nope, she would have to buy it first. She purchased the iPod, then in full view of the Target staff, opened the box and found -- you guessed it -- more rocks.Target says it's investigating the incidents. Meanwhile, the Ritters ended up having to use their $350 Target store credit for more mundane, and rock-free, merchandise.[Picture is of the i-Stones iPod docks, not the actual rocks that were found in the box.]via MacNN
NY Daily News declares iPod Public Enemy #1
The NY Daily News is a sober organ, not given to rank hyperbole or overstatement like that other NYC tabloid pictured here, with my all-time favorite headline. (I'm kidding -- the News still has its moments, even if the Post is by far the nuttier paper.) That said, it's troubling to find a note of hysteria in two stories today about the violent side of iPod ownership.New York City was the scene of the tragic 2005 murder of a Brooklyn teenager in an iPod robbery, but since then the NYPD and transit officials have begun to crack down on iPod theft and it seemed that matters were improving. Not so, says the News. "New FBI stats indicate the teenage obsession with [iPods] has triggered a jump in robberies, including some resulting in murder," reads the story, headlined "Apple's iPod blamed for nationwide crime rise." That's not incendiary at all!
Dateline "exposes" iPod thieves via hidden camera
There's probably nothing quite as embarrassing as being ambushed on national television by Chris Hansen for stealing a measly iPod. Of course, NBC's crack team of journalists are just trying to expose the growing trend of iPod theft in the world... or kick up their ratings. In a bizarre and somewhat convoluted "hidden camera" scheme, Dateline nabs thieves at their own game by allowing them to steal new iPods bundled with a "special" install disc which secretly hands over the user's information to the news program. The venus-fly-trap-like plot unfolds as the crew leaves "unattended" iPods in high traffic areas, and is then shocked to see people walking off with them. With all due respect, Dateline, you were pretty much asking for it. If you'd like to know how it all ends, hit the read link for the six page transcript.
Reno Apple Store burglarized
The Summit Sierra Apple Store in Reno, NV was burglarized early Sunday morning. The thieves smashed a window with a large rock and took off with $7000 worth of unspecified computers and iPods. The store's surveillance cameras caught the act on tape, but the police are still looking for the two suspects - said to be Caucasian or Asian males in their teens or early twenties. Police are asking anyone with info to call the anonymous tips line at 775-322-4900.The Summit Sierra store is located right next to a JCrew. No word on whether the punks also stole a bunch of khakis and polo shirts...
39 iPods gone in 15 seconds
Stories about iPods getting ripped off in New York City are nothing new. Crowded subways, buses and Starbucks are breeding grounds for theft. But those of us who live in the Big Apple like to think that the suburbs are safe havens. Turns out we're deluding ourselves, as is proven by the fact that in Riverdale, Utah, three hoodlums (who happen to be from New York) made off with 39 iPods along with a few PS2 games from the local Target in a mere fifteen seconds! The caper itself was rather impressive, as the surveillance camera revealed. The thieves had a lookout in the aisle and a driver waiting outside in the getaway car. And somehow it seems they were able to smuggle their loot out in an oversized pair of pants! They were spotted 10 minutes later when they tried to pull the same thing in another Target a few miles away, but left empty-handed after not being able to break the secure iPod case before police arrived. A Target security guard managed to get their license plate and just a short while later they were caught by the cops heading toward the interstate. Police say the punks were planning to hit other Target destinations as well - they found a map of every Target store in Utah and Nevada in the car and similar maps of Arizona.Apparently Target is an easy target when it comes to high-priced toys. Perhaps they should consider the Targus iPod Lock?[via digg]
