- A stolen device that is 100% brick has zero value, so there is no incentive to steal it.
- A stolen device that can be used with some limitations can be sold for a higher price, so there is a much higher incentive to steal it.
Call me petty all you want, but if you steal my Mac I'd much prefer it to end up in a landfill rather than have the thief make money from it. If they can't sell them, they'll stop stealing them at some point.