Originally Posted by
Sgooter So he's now the proud owner of some high-tech but totally useless Apple devices?
As it stands right now, yes.
I would like to believe that his Apple devices are registered with Apple, and by visiting an Apple store and showing appropriate ID, the original boxes, purchase receipts, etc. an Apple store rep/manager can verify his ownership and then have the Apple mothership do a factory reset/wipe on his devices. Am I just dreaming?
If I broke into your home, stole your iPhone and then stole the paperwork associated with it and then drove to the Apple Store with the fake ID that my friend at the DMV hooked me up with to have them remove the iCloud activation lock so that the device can then become mine, how would that benefit "you"? It wouldn't. You would swear up and down that Apple didn't do enough to prevent thieves from taking over your device. The retrieval process is there for a reason.