Luckily, we haven't heard any fatal stories about iJackings lately, but if you own an iPod you're highly at risk of being iJacked. Dateline recently did a report on iJacking, so when Apple declined to work with them in tracing stolen iPods, they did so themselves. But is it in Apple's best interest to track lost or stolen iPods? Probably not. After all, lost iPods means more sales of new iPods.
One recent study featured in the New York Times, suggests there may be a link between the explosion of iPod sales and the rise of violent crime in recent years. According to a study by the Urban Institute, FBI statistics show violent crimes increased for the first time after 14 years in 2005, mostly due to robberies.
In this study, researchers noticed several things. First, there was a disproportionate increase in robberies than any other crime. There was also an increase of juvenile offenders who tend to see iPods as status symbols; and finally, they saw an increase in robberies particularly from 2004 to 2006 when iPods entered the mass market. More importantly, they say iPod owners appear to be the most susceptible to robberies because:
* iPods have no anti-theft protection
* iPods don't requires any subscription
* iPods are viewed as a status symbol
* iPod owners are less aware of their surroundings
* iPod owners are easy to identify via visible cords
There are many ways to protect yourself from being a victim. You've probably heard it all before, but here are several things you can do to protect yourself and your iPod. I've outlined them on this post, but here's the gist:
* Hide it from view
* Ditch the white earbuds
* Register your iPod with Apple
* Mark or engrave your iPod
Stay safe out there, and remember to take the necessary precautions to avoid being iJacked. Just another reason to get an iPhone right. That one at least requires a subscription.
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