The apple of Apple's eye -- iPod -- may now be the delight of many a mugger; according to a US-based study that says iPods may put you at greater risk of "being mugged".

The study titled "Is there an iCrime Wave" by John Roman and Aaron Chalfin, is part of a broader research on safer communities conducted by the Urban Institute's Justice Police Center based out of Washington DC.

The authors of the study claim that the sudden surge in the incidence of violent crimes including homicides and robberies in the US in 2005-06 after a lull of nearly 14 years (as indicated by FBI statistics) led them to research possible causes of this rise.

In the course of their study, the researchers attempted to answer questions like: "has robbery increased at a greater rate than other property crimes?", "are young robbers responsible for these new robberies?", and "has robbery increased as iPod sales have increased?". Apart from iPods and other MP3 players, the researchers also tested alternative causes for the surge in crime. However, none other than the iPod could possibly explain the rise in crime in 2005-06.

The study threw up some interesting facts: by Spring of 2004, Apple had sold 3.7 million iPods, and by end 2005 more than 42.3 million. By end 2006, the company had sold nearly 90 million iPods (more than double).

The researchers concluded that iPods are "criminogenic" or crime creating. First, they contain no anti-theft protection. Second, unlike cell phones, there's no subscription associated with them, so robbers can continue using them freely. Third, people might steal them only for their good looks, not so much for the purpose of reselling them. Fourth, they tend to take over two important human senses: of sight and sound as they distract owners from their tasks, making them soft targets for would-be offenders.

Whether we agree with the study or not, it can be accessed at:
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411552_icrime_wave.pdf.

In the meantime, we would advise you not to go iPodding down a dangerous street lest you get mugged...