Not even CRIMINALS want your tablets, Blighty - but if that's an iPhone you're waving...

Re: Stating the obvious

The reported iphone theft levels are somewhat above the prevailing market share of the device in each market. So the iPhone market share in the UK is circa 30%, in Germany circa 20%, but theft levels are in both cases around 10% higher.

What that might suggest is that iPhone users are more likely to hang out in locations where the crims conduct their trade, or are simply more careless in both making their phone ownership obvious to others ("Hallo! HALLO! I'm on the train! I SAID I'M ON THE TRAIN WITH MY NEW SHINEY IPHONE 5S), and more careless in looking out to avoid having their phone stolen.

You can argue from this that iPhone users have better social lives, but are a bit gormless. Or you could just argue that it reflects the market share in the demographic that hangs around nightclubs, and that anybody with a phone in a nightclub should expect to have it stolen.

Assuming devices are replaced like for like, the higher theft levels are a nice contributor to Apple's extravagant profits.

Re: Stating the obvious

"But Shirley is the phone is in ones pocket then the thief can't know the OS it's running."

Depends where the phone was nicked. I travel fairly regularly on the London Underground and often see people hanging around the above-ground station exits (checking texts etc as they suddenly have a signal). All a thief would need to do is watch a station entrance, pick someone, follow them and quietly take the phone when the opportunity presented itself. It would be difficult for the victim detect they are being followed at some of the busier stations (especially in the West End as the thief would just appear to be one of the thousands walking up the street). Something that the Police do regularly remind people of.

Re: Stating the obvious

German pickpockets will place your iphone back in your pocket, along with a flyer indicating 24 reasons why you should purchase an android next time..

Seriously though:

a) Phone theft is an opportunistic crime

b) iphone is vastly less popular in Germany

c) iphones are very popular amongst the kind of demographic in the UK that would do daft things like leave their mobile unattended in a bar

I don't think that last one is even theft, it is wealth redistribution by lack of intelligence.

What's the worst that could happen?

The thief taps you on the shoulder and hands back the phone he just took out of you pocket and in his heavy Eastern European accented voice he says.

"Sorry fella, but I hav to give you back phone, apology fella but zis phone no good piece of shit, you buy Apple next time yes?"

Re: Lots of stats, but...

Really? Just out of curiosity, what would such a pattern tell you?

Re: Lots of stats, but...

I would imagine that the thieves' ethnicities would be in similar proportion to those of the population at large.

Re: Lots of stats, but... @ I like crisps

Nail on the head, you have just touched on the 'don't you dare go there' debate.

Just like the Rochdale child grooming investigation there are those that shy away from saying it as it is just in case someone started screaming 'you racist' at them.

Rumour has it that much of this is down to Romanian gangs of pickpockets, there I have said it so go ahead and vilify me. The Labour run council in in collusion with other organisations in Rochdale hid the truth and I leave it to you to decide why. Personally. I thing it went a lot higher up the hierarchy than this.