'Earbuds' are a beacon for iPod thieves

The conspicuous white headphones of the popular iPod are a giveaway to muggers that wearers are carrying the expensive music player, police warned last night.

Owners of the music player - which can cost up to £400 - were urged by police to use less stylish earpieces in a bid to deter thieves from targeting their machines.

The street-walking music lovers were also advised to keep the device hidden well inside their jackets.

But Apple, which has sold more than 2million iPods, refused to change the colour of its distinctive 'earbuds' - saying customers would prefer to be robbed than wear something less trendy.

One iPod victim said a mugger spotted him wearing the earpiece, pulled a knife out and yelled: 'Well hand it over then. He must have known I was wearing an iPod because of the white headphones.'

Stores can barely keep up with demand for the portable music player, which allows fans to download and carry around their own choice of thousands of tracks.

Harrowing tales of street muggings are being exchanged on websites by iPod users. Police now recommend that owners, who include David Beckham, use less stylish colour headphones to disguise that they are carrying a valuable piece of technology.

'People need to use common sense, have their iPods security marked and keep them inside their jackets,' said a spokesman for West Midlands Police Safer Streets anti-robbery initiative. 'They shouldn't carry them around in their hands because a lot of robberies like these are snatches.'

With a capacity of up to 10,000 songs, the iPod - the size of a pack of cards - can store most CD collections several times over. Not since Sony launched the Walkman in 1979 has a portable music player enjoyed such popularity.