Following Apple's lead, a system for shutting down and wiping the contents of a handset will soon be standard on all phones. The idea is that when the kill switch is activated, a handset becomes worthless. In this regard, Apple has been a pioneer in adding features and settings to all of its products -- from notebooks to tablets -- that help reduce the impact if a device is misplaced or stolen. Between January and May 2014, theft of Apple devices dropped by 17 percent, while in San Francisco iPhone thefts dropped by 38 percent in the first six months after Apple launched the feature in September 2013.



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