Apple Store Looters Won't Be Able To Use Or Pawn Stolen Gadgets

Folks who looted the Apple Store at The Grove are in for a rude awakening ... they won't be able to use or pawn the stolen gadgets, thanks to some tech foresight and amateur thievery.

Here's the deal ... while looters probably thought they were getting away with grabbing an expensive toy off the showroom shelves at the Apple Store, they basically ended up with paperweights.

Our sources tell us ... the phones and laptops stolen from the Apple Store are demos, and they come equipped with special programs that prevent the products from being reset to factory settings, rendering them almost useless.

The looters are already figuring it out ... looted phones are displaying messages that read, "This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted."

We're told the looters, who ransacked the popular outdoor shopping mall over the weekend, were unable to break into the Apple Store's highly-secured area, where the goods for sale are kept.

It's good news for Apple ... our sources say the recent looting at Apple Stores across the country, which includes at least two Apple Stores in L.A., is not as bad as it looked at first glance.