True. Nevertheless, I still don't know the serial November of even my laptops, let alone my cell phones.
And I sure as heck have never noted the serial # of any banknote I have owned. It doesn't spend enough time with me for me to bother noting down the serial number of bank notes I use.
If I drop a banknote on the street while taking something from my pocket(and I have), I know I'll never see the money again(and I don't), and whoever finds it, is probably going to keep it.
Yes, but if you dropped your $3,000 laptop on the street while taking something from your briefcase, are you seriously suggesting that you'd also never expect to see it again? Wouldn't you think that someone would have turned it in to the local police department if they were unable to find or reach you, rather than selling it to someone who would then dismantle it?
What's more, unlike $5 bills, cell phones are registered to a cellular network which is capable of identifying their general location, if not their exact GPS location.