A ”smart” thief will just garbage hunt through the bins of retailers, find legitimate boxes, fill those legitimate boxes with junk (or a rock), then reapply the fastening tapes.
A potential victim won’t look twice at an unopened box. They will be blinded by the whatever % off from retail cost.
It’s a nice security feature but easily defeated.
As a buyer of used phones I always open the box, check the contents, and cross check the IMEI for any carrier locks. Also check if it’s iCloud locked.
I think if Steve was still CEO. Apple might have been able to push out a “disruptor”. But unfortunately Tim Cook took the reins and the program was essentially dead on arrival. The short EV hype brought it back from the dead but ultimately suffered the same fate.
Tim Cook is better than most CEOs but he’s definitely not a Steve Jobs-type.