One thing you can be sure of during an Apple event is that it will generate immense quantities of discourse among CNET's seasoned nerds -- and no, we don't always agree with one another.
Is the iPhone Air totally pointless and uncalled for, or the best design innovation since very thinly sliced bread? Both can be true, depending on whom you ask.
Watch this: Everything Announced at Apple's iPhone 17 Event in 7 Minutes 07:18
Among the many announcements on Tuesday that sparked conflicting opinions was a crossbody strap for the iPhone. After a back-and-forth in Slack, my colleague Zach McAuliffe and I have decided to put forth our respective viewpoints and allow you to be the judge.
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Great idea: Katie Collins, Principal Writer
Have you ever been walking down the street to meet your friend, navigating using Google maps and texting your pal to let them know you're running late, when all of sudden: bam! A dude on a moped has whizzed past at high speed and removed your phone from your hand before you've even had a chance to realize what's happened?
In London, this style of phone theft is a daily occurrence, and while it's never happened to me personally, every time I step foot on the streets of the British capital, I'm immediately wary and vigilant.
Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that survey data from American insurance company SquareTrade showed that 39% of all European phone theft take place in the UK, and that 42% of British phone thefts occur in London. So common is it for your phone to be snatched by someone on a bike or moped that London's Metropolitan Police issue special prevention guidance, featuring advice such as: "[when using your phone,] stand away from the roadside, close to a building or wall, so no one can come up behind you."
I get that a crossbody is not a failsafe method to prevent iPhone theft. I would never advise someone to walk around a city in a state of blissful ignorance while their phone flaps hands-free against their body. But I do endorse it as a way to fend off opportunists on two wheels.
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