Thieves last night stole an unknown number of MacBooks in a smash-and-grab theft at the Apple Store located in the Southpoint Mall in Durham, North Carolina. The MacBook units reportedly were display models situated in the front section of the store.

southpoint-break-in
The Apple Store is part of The Streets at Southpoint, a shopping destination that includes both an indoor mall and an outdoor shopping pavilion. The Apple store is located in an outdoor section of the complex, making it an easier target for an overnight theft. The store is currently closed following the break-in.

Smash-and-grab robberies are not uncommon at Apple retail stores, which often are built with glass panels to showcase the interior of the store. In December of last year, the new Haarlem store was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery shortly after it opened. Only a small amount of merchandise was stolen in that break-in.

Top Rated Comments

SilentPanda Avatar
141 months ago
in b4 "they should have used sapphire glass" jokes

Posting that is just admitting you have a premise for a joke but can't flesh out the actual contents that would make it funny.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
141 months ago
The crooks created an Apple Logo out of the broken glass.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KazKam Avatar
141 months ago
Apple chooses to ignore the concept "Crime Prevention by Design" during store construction. If a business designs its store layout in such a way as to make it easy for B&E artist to steal, then the company can't complain if victimized. Glass is pretty but does little to stop a determine criminal. :p
A lot of people here seem to be under several delusions when it comes to glass storefronts.

First, this is not a problem even closely exclusive to Apple stores. Most Apple stores are in malls. Show me a store in a mall, indoor or outdoor, that DOESN'T have at least a partial wall of glass or gigantic windows in the front. There's a reason it's called window shopping, folks. The percentage of glass makes no difference to the "ease" of breaking in. Is your house more likely to be broken into if it has 20 windows instead of 10? No. If it has one, it can be broken in the same way.

Second, breaking glass is not always as easy as you think it might be. Glass, just like any other material has strengths and weaknesses, and like any other material requires the right tools and technique to break it. Also, the kind of glass used plays a huge part. Some glass is damn near unbreakable (http://youtu.be/x_CiLZY-HGw?t=3m13s).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
141 months ago
Unfortunately, the "geniuses" forgot to install the Find My iPhone app.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sunday Ironfoot Avatar
141 months ago
in b4 "they should have used sapphire glass" jokes
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CaryMacGuy Avatar
141 months ago
Durham is a little sketch at times...thats why I prefer the nearby Crabtree Valley location.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
maxresdefault

Here's the First Real-World Look at Apple's CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:52 am PDT by
The first videos of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience are now available, providing a never-before-seen look at the long-anticipated iPhone-linked infotainment software. British automaker Aston Martin today shared the first video of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience in-action, followed by a detailed walk-through of the CarPlay Ultra system on Top Gear's YouTube channel, which provides the...