Terry Prone: Help! I can see where my lost iPad is — but that's not going to get it back

Hello, United Airlines: Yes I see my iPad's location. But without it, I am locked out of my passwords and the manuscripts for two books. Please...

Almost 500 United Airlines flights go in and out of Newark every day: If just one idiot like me leaves belongings behind, that’s 500 items the airline's lost and found people have to deal with.

The worst thing is being able to see it, courtesy of technology that promises to find your device. The technology is like one of those microchips inserted in your cat so that if it is faithless and someone finds it somewhere it shouldn’t be, they can have the chip read by a vet and get you contacted to come fetch your feline. Simple. Emotionally rewarding.

The equivalent technology for iPads and other wandering devices may be simple, but it isn’t, in my experience, emotionally rewarding.