$100,000 Worth of iPhone 5s Stolen in Japan
Thieves steal 200 iPhones prior to their launch on friday.
It would be quite an understatement to say people were excited for the recent iPhone 5 launch. With record breaking sales and lines starting eight days before release, Apple's latest phone is a hot commodity.
So hot, in fact, that several thieves in Japan have stolen over $100,000 worth of devices just hours before the product released to the public. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, approximately two hundred iPhone 5 devices were taken from retail stores in Osaka, Japan.
Three phone stores were hit in the early hours last Friday, with seventy-five iPhone 5s taken from two KDDI "au" brand retail stores and 116 devices stolen from a Softbank store.
Surprisingly, the robberies were anything but amateur, with the Softbank thieves stealing all 116 devices in less than four minutes. According to the report, the thieves broke into a locked back room at 4:24 a.m. and were out of the store by 4:28 a.m.
Japan wasn't the only place to fall victim to iPhone 5 burglaries. Approximately 250 handsets were also taken from an O2 store in London. All robberies are still under investigation, but it's unclear how or if pre-order customers are being compensated for the trouble.
These customers will have to wait. No, there is no compensation.
There, fixed.
These customers will have to wait. No, there is no compensation.
-"Looks like apple is gonna patent sue themsleves"- Horatio Cane - CSI YEHAAAAA
OTOH, true Apple drones might pay $2K for one; so this could be anywhere from 50 to 5000 iPhones stolen.
There, fixed.
Love to see that used in court. "But your honor, these devices are worthless to me, so technically I didn't steal anything...!"
Both are racing to the bottom of the intelligence chain...
Hey toms, add a "delete post" button ya?
so that's 4 iPhones, right?
they are a loss... to apple. They didn't feel it.
As much as I agree with you (I am personally allergic to "apples"), these thieves know that there are a bunch of morons who will pay whatever for a phone with that "almighty apple" symbol on it. I find that women specifically buy these things because they're "pretty". Thieves don't generally use what they steal, they fence it and iPhones will catch a hefty sum due to idiotic consumerism.
Personally, I wouldn't bat an eyelid if Apple goes the way of Steve Jobs, extinct.
Actually the thieves are the smart ones, you don't steal things that won't sell that would be stupid you steal tings that will sell and a smart thief knows that iPhones will sell. You don't have to like what you are selling you just have to peddle what will make you money.