A half a minute was all it took for a group of possibly armed robbers to steal thousands of dollars in Apple merchandise.
The robbery went down Wednesday at an Apple store in Marlton, N.J. At 2 a.m., five suspects smashed the store window with a blunt object and scattered in all directions, according to an ABC News affiliate report. A security guard was patrolling inside, but one of the thieves gestured that they had a handgun.
The five suspects proceeded to snag 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and nine iPod Touches. That works out to a haul of at least $31,700, and probably more (no service contract required on the iPhones, either!).
Though the entire incident was caught on video tape, the suspects' appearance was well hidden. All of them were wearing bandannas or some other kind of covering around their faces. The video is actually impressive to watch, as the thieves storm into the store and move through table after table of merchandise, piling laptops into their arms.
The layout of the Apple Store is partly to blame for the ease with which this robbery took place. To create an open, hands-on environment, Apple's products are kept on tables in the center of the store, unencumbered by any barriers from the shopper. In addition, the store's floor-to-ceiling glass windows create an inviting atmosphere -- for thieves as well as customers, apparently.
Unless this incident inspires others, or results in a daytime robbery that puts customers' lives in danger, I don't see Apple changing store layout or policy. Still, it might be wise to at least store the products away when the day is done. If a band of robbers can gather up most of the merchandise in 31 seconds, it can't take the Geniuses that much longer.
