Why Cops and Prosecutors Are Begging iPhone Users to Upgrade to iOS 7
The new operating system might reduce iPhone thefts.
New York subway riders got an interesting surprise on Saturday night: NYPD officers were handing out fliers at various stops encouraging iPhone users to upgrade their devices to iOS 7, the new operating system Apple released last week.
NYPD officers could also be seen outside Apple stores and on the Park Slope Parents Facebook page. The NYPD might be doing more to sell New Yorkers on Apple's new operating system than Apple itself, and for good reason: Activation Lock, the new iOS7 security feature, waslobbied for by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. He says the feature will "reduce the incentive to steal by lowering the value of stolen devices."
Macworld explains Activation Lock works:
With Activation Lock enabled, someone who’s found or stolen your device can’t disable Find My [iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch] on the device without knowing both your Apple ID and that Apple ID’s account password. The person with your lost device can’t erase data on the device, either. And best of all, if you designate your device as being lost, whoever is in possession of it can’t restore or reactivate it—the phone displays only a phone number and a custom message about contacting you.
Basically, Activation Lock makes your iPhone worthless to a thief who might attempt to resell it.