The crime is so common that it’s even been given a name: Apple picking. So what exactly is Apple picking? It is the theft of an Apple iPhone. And it is such a huge problem that big-city prosecutors (including those from New York and San Francisco) have been asking Apple for kill switch that would render a stolen phone useless. According to the Federal Communications Commission, almost 1 in 3 robberies nationwide involves the theft of a mobile phone (this includes all brands, not just Apple.)
Apparently Apple has been listening and this week they has announced a set of features that should help. Starting with the next iOS release (iOS 7) a user will have to enter their Apple account username and password to disable the Find my iPhone app (which sends GPS location data that can viewed by the account holder in any browser.) The Apple credentials would also be required in order to wipe a phone clean of all its data.
