Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is incredibly protective of its user base. It only wants its users to install applications from its own store on its devices, and it wants user experience across its devices to be as controlled and smooth as possible. In an article in the New York Times today, the question about whether or not the firm needs to do more to protect its users arose.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone thefts are on the rise in New York and across the country. Because of how iconic the product is, it’s an attractive item for theft, as its value is assured. The New York Times implies that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) should do more to prevent these thefts.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) makes a profit off of the theft of iPhones. There is no disputing that. Apple customers are more likely to buy another Apple product, and if a user’s iPhone gets stolen, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will more than likely reap rewards from the theft, as do the carriers selling the phones.
There have been some efforts from Cupertino to help customers prevent iPhone thefts. There is an application called Find My iPhone, which is able to locate a user’s phone, but only when it is powered on and connected to the internet. Users are also able to remotely delete personal information from the smart phone using the application.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) can’t do anything to make their phones physically more difficult to steal, unlike efforts made by auto companies in the 1980s and 1990s. The company can only help to prevent thefts using software, and by helping law enforcement capture those responsible.
In order to do anything software related, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would need the phone to be connected to a data connection. Right now it’s doing about all it can in order to ensure it can help users who have had their phones stolen. Any further moves might involve invasion of privacy, and more tools that hackers could use to disrupt smart phones.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is not responsible for increasing smart phone thefts. For instance, where an external factor is a cost of a product to society, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is responsible for pollution. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is not responsible for theft.
