To The Dismay of Thieves Across Vietnam, Apple Deactivates Wiped iPhones Running iOS7

Last night over here in Asia, we watched with bated breath on live blogs and Apple’s own live stream as Tim Cook et al unveiled a number of new updates to Mac OSX and iOS and a sleek new Mac Pro and Macbook Air. And as Phil Schiller delivered the line he’s probably been practicing for weeks and months: “Can’t innovate anymore, my ass,” we get the feeling that Apple is still willing to take a few risks. It was certainly more spectacular than last year’s lukewarm WWDC.

But amidst the clamor and flat design fanfare, one new feature announcement will strike fear into the hearts of iPhone thieves across Asia, and especially Vietnam. It can all be boiled down to this one statement from Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering: “if it’s been stolen, with Activation lock, if a thief tries to turn off the phone or wipe the device entirely, they won’t be able to re-activate it.”

In Vietnam, I know at least five people who have had their iPhone’s stolen on the street. In fact, as the video below reveals, people have literally had their iOS devices stolen right out of the comfort of their favorite coffeeshops.

Even locking your iPhone with a passcode isn’t enough to keep it safe (but at least your data will be safe). That’s mainly because these wily iPhone thieves always wipe the iPhone clean and reboot from nothing. Clearly, Apple is aware. With iOS’s newest update set to hit iPhones this fall, thieves will no longer be able to pull this off. Suffice it to say, almost every iPhone user across Vietnam will be updating to iOS7 just for this. I can’t wait to see what iPhone thieves come up with next (not to my iPhone, of course).