Is it worth stealing an iPhone anymore?

In what was a not particularly inspiring launch of new products and Apple devices on September 9, one thing went relatively unnoticed, although from my point of view it points to a very interesting trend: the inclusion in iOS 18 of the Activation Lock not only to the terminal, but to its most important parts.

The theft of consumer electronics devices in general and iPhones in particular has always been a concern. Few feelings of helplessness are comparable to that of suddenly losing your smartphone: all theft is traumatic, and even more so if it involves violence, but suddenly losing the very means to call for help is particularly distressing.

Aware of this, Apple has tried over time to implement measures that reduce the incentive to steal an iPhone. The first attempt was the launch of “Find my”, an application that allows, from any other Apple device or from the web, to geographically locate the stolen device, which can potentially create problems for the thief.

But the use of Find My can lead to some problems: on many occasions, the police refuse to take action simply because somebody tells them that they know for a fact that their stolen device is in a certain place; while the idea of showing up to look for it wherever it is seems anything but advisable. In addition, thieves quickly learned to turn off the terminal to…