Why Burglars Took Everything Except for This Redditor’s Apple Devices

Have a house full of Apple products and devices? Some thieves may apparently think twice before stealing any of it.

To be clear, it is not impossible for Apple devices to be stolen. But a recent Reddit post suggests that the company’s reputation for strong encryption and device tracking features may be a deterrent against theft.

Redditor CaptainDoStuff recently wrote on the Apple subreddit that their house had been broken into. The thieves had apparently pilfered a range of products, including their wife’s HP laptop, a television, a DSLR camera, and other electronics.

But, interestingly, CaptainDoStuff’s 15-inch MacBook Pro was left. And it’s not that the burglars didn’t notice it.

According to the Redditor, the MacBook Pro was taken out of its computer bag and left on the desk — alongside a similarly untouched iPad and Apple TV.

CaptainDoStuff wrote that there are two possible options that came to mind: either the thieves hate Apple, or systems like iCloud and Find My Mac dissuaded the burglars from taking the Apple products.

Again, we’re not saying your Apple devices are automatically theft-proof. You should still take precautions against burglary and theft. But, as CaptainDoStuff notes, it’s an interesting situation for sure.

“Either way, I’m amused and amazed at the same time,” the Redditor wrote.

Apple’s Protection Against Theft

We’ve previously covered how Apple products are secured by mechanisms like Find My iPhone and Activation Lock. Since these systems were introduced to devices like iPhones, there has been a discernible drop in iPhone theft.

Apple isn’t done, either. Earlier this year, the company debuted a new Find My app that could help users track devices like Macs even if they’re offline. (You can learn more about that feature here.)

In other words, a locked iPhone may be a useless target to a thief if they aren’t able to bypass the encryption on it. Just think about the fact that even government agencies have a hard time breaking into iPhones.

The strong security of Apple products has even resulted in thieves taking more drastic measures when stealing them — such as specifically demanding victims sign out of Find My iPhone and iCloud during a robbery.