Oliver Haslam on January 12, 2022, 12:22 am

Latest Apple Patent Shows Anti-Theft Contraptions Already In Use In Some Apple Stores

Apple is reportedly working on new security measures that could help its retail stores deal with the number of smash-and-grab thefts that they have to deal with. The measures are outlined in a new patent that shows how iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches could be secured to prevent them from being stolen.

First discovered by Patently Apple, the systems have been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and would involve retainer body and display stems being attached to the infamous large wooden tables found in Apple Stores.

Embodiments include a product retainer and a display stem that, together, may present a displayed product to a customer. The retainer may, for example, include a bracket that wraps around opposing sides of a displayed product in order to secure the bracket to the displayed product.

The retainer may further include a retainer body that may be coupled to the bracket. The retainer may have a smooth, clean appearance without any fasteners of the retainer being visibly or physically obtrusive to the customer.

It’s also mentioned that magnets could be used to ensure that devices rotate in a specified way to make sure they are always facing in the right direction.

Notably, it seems that some Apple Stores are already making use of similar security systems, including those designed to keep the aforementioned iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches safe.

Apple has long had to deal with a large number of thefts of products because of the way it makes them so easily accessible in stores. These mechanisms should help to cut down on the number of thefts, even if it doesn’t eliminate them.