"To catch an I-Jacker" on Dateline...

[kiwidiva]

Anybody see Dateline's show on tracking people who steal I-pods?

If you missed it you can see clips here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/

It was very interesting! As someone who is already on her second I-pod thanks to my own stupidity and other people's dishonesty, I really do think Apple could do more for those of us who either lose or have our I-pods stolen...

My husband is on his THIRD I-pod! After he lost his first, I sent him a new one while he was serving in Iraq and someone cut open the box and stole the I-pod (and nothing else!) I couldn't believe it! Luckily, the mail was insured and we were reimbursed for the cost of the I-pod and I was able to buy him another one.

I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" of the Stars & Stripes after my husband's room mate in Iraq also had his I-pod stolen out of the mail. There were quite a few letters after mine from others who had similar experiences and a few months after that, a story about a worker in the Military Postal Service who was caught stealing from people's mail. Not sure if he was the culprit in my husband's case but I felt good about it... no help from Apple though...

[buzz1941]

Re: "To catch an I-Jacker" on Dateline...

I would think that such devices might have something like Computrace Lojack built in as part of the registration software. Apple should include such tracing software as part of the system...

[tutusue]

Re: "To catch an I-Jacker" on Dateline...

I watched the show and thanked my lucky stars that neither of my iPods have been stolen. I think the gentleman who was interviewed and mentioned the idea of incorporating tracing software for those who buy AppleCare was on to a good idea. Ideally all iPods should have tracing software but, barring that improbability, adding it to AppleCare makes some sense to me!

[kiwidiva]

Re: "To catch an I-Jacker" on Dateline...

The point they kept making in the story is that Apple already logs people's information when they register their I-pods and when they buy songs or videos from I-tunes. That's how the Dateline guys tracked the people who "stole" or "found" the I-pods they left out as bait.

Apple already has the technology but according to them, they are just overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who lose or have their I-pods stolen. Yes, it would be a HUGE database but they could make an effort.

Some users are taking matters into their own hands...
http://www.mystolenipod.com/

[tutusue]

Re: "To catch an I-Jacker" on Dateline...

The point they kept making in the story is that Apple already logs people's information when they register their I-pods and when they buy songs or videos from I-tunes. That's how the Dateline guys tracked the people who "stole" or "found" the I-pods they left out as bait.

The 'baited' iPods, when registered, also had that info forwarded to Dateline somehow. But, yes, the registration info is enough to work with.

Apple already has the technology but according to them, they are just overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who lose or have their I-pods stolen. Yes, it would be a HUGE database but they could make an effort.

That's why I think it makes sense to add it to AppleCare. Additional income from AC should be able to provide additional help, either directly or via an outsourced service, for Apple to trace the stolen iPods. It was interesting to see the culprits reactions to seeing themselves caught on tape! Not to mention the woman who received one of the baited iPods as a gift from her husband!

Replacing lost and stolen iPods has got to be very lucrative for Apple.