We reported last week that Apple was removing the security tethers from its iPhone displays in the company’s retail stores. 9to5Mac’s Ben Lovejoy has shared the reasons why those iPhones no longer feel the need to “be tied down.”
One security feature on the current display models of both iOS devices and Macs is designed to instantly render them useless if someone removes them from the store.
Lovejoy says his sources tell him the current special images loaded on iOS demo devices include a “kill switch,” that disables them if they move outside the range of the store’s Wi-Fi signal. This removes the need for Apple employees to manually disable the devices via “Find My iPhone.”
Not all of the devices have the same image installed, as devices used in workshops are flashed with a different image than those used in displays. However, the workshop devices still have the same “kill switch” enabled.
While CNET’s original report about the removal of tethers from iPhones mentioned there were no visible security cameras in the remodeled Regent Street store, Lovejoy’s source assure him they are indeed there.
There are HD security cameras scattered around the store – they are just hard to spot.
So, as we’ve mentioned before, just because there’s no tethers on the iPhones on display doesn’t mean they’re free. Their attachment to the Apple Store simply is more of a virtual bit of bondage than any visible shade of grey.
