personally i hope it does brick every single unlocked phone.
apple hasn't left out any country. everyone is just too damn impatient to wait until they knock out a deal. after all the disputes with cisco with the IPHONE it slowed the process down, but from a source: canada and japan are in the works right now, and there's known use of iphones being tested in australia.
you complain that it's not right that the phone isn't unlocked isn't the issue. i know there's some phones on O2 that i had my eye on but never bitched that i couldn't get it because it was locked into the O2 network. if everyone was complaining about that one phone and how they wanted it so bad, i'm sure O2 users would say "well too damn bad". whatever. i got over it. get over it.
eveyone complains about the iPhone, yet they want it. i see no logic in this. oh well.
The Blackberry has an available international roaming plan whereby all data is free for an extra $10-20 per month. Not sure about the Treo.
BTW, just turning off mail didn't seem to work, and the bigger gripe on data was that when connected to a WiFi access point it would opt for Edge instead of the WiFi link.
Thanks. I'm going to ask some folks I know with the Blackberry. Its just that everyone I know with one is a corporate, non-paying sub and they obviously don't care.
Outrageous international roaming/data charges are an issue for globetrekers, agreed. Just curious, is it the same for owners of Blackberries, Q and Treo's. Any ATT blackberry owners that travel abroad?
I have used smart phones for years; I have owned a HP iPaq, a Treo, several Nokia's, a Samsung Blackjack, ALL of them I was able to unlock for travels overseas or when I switched service providers. All I had to do was ask the provider for the unlock code and I received it in an email in a few days. I did not have to ask the phone makers for anything to do this so why should I not be able to do the same thing with the iPhone ???...If I buy one and pay FULL PRICE for it like I would if I went to any other Phone Maker (who by the way will sell a phone unlocked) then why Should I agree to let them tell me whom I can and can't use it with, I understand that their may be a chance that not ALL the functions will work due to the service provider not having that function on their network but all the basic functions will work once I place a SIM into the phone (Like making calls).
I have had AT&T, Cingular, and T-Mobile (all of witch are GSM service providers) I was required to meet some requirements for the companies to unlock the phones, but once I meet the requirements I was able to have my phone unlocked, or if I bought a phone that was unlocked to begin with all I had to do was insert my SIM in the phone.
I had to set up the phones to work with the service providers setting to enable services like MMS, E-Mail, Wap, and Internet, the service providers were more then happy to assist me with the settings (they were able to get me to use services that I paid extra for i.e. data services) to them this meant more money for them as I was using more services, they did not care if I was using a phone from them or from anyone else the more services that I used the more money they were going to get on a monthly fee.
I was able to travel to other locations and use a Prepaid SIM and was able to make calls on the local carrier and avoid international charges (by the way range from 1.99 - 8.99 per min) and data charges that ranging from $0.001 to $0.015 KB or more and that does not even cover SMS or MMS charges that are billed at an international rate.
So if it is so wrong for a person to want to use any phone that they want to OWN on any NETWORK that is available to them, in an area for a price that they agree to pay (prepaid or Post Paid) then why am I and so many other people able to call a service provider and get phones unlocked or buy them from the phone makers that way for use either in the US or Overseas with little or no hassle from the service providers or the phone makers (except for the iPhone that is).
1- When will we see class action lawsuits from iPhone owners who do not accept that Apple is denying their right of ownership over the iPhones they paid so dearly?
That's ridiculous! Why aren't you calling for lawsuits against all phone manufacturers? They all do that. Every phone company offers some phones that are exclusive to them.
2- When will U.S. antitrust authorities open an investigation on the abuse of monopoly from Apple in denying the right to choose a cell phone service to iPhone owners?[/quote]
Same answer as above.
Quote:
iPhones are bought, not rented, and owners can choose any cell phone service provider they want.
By the way, willfull destruction of property, or willfull damage to iPhones by Apple, is an actionable wrong that can be prosecuted, especially with iPhone owners class action lawsuits for damages.
This is really silly. no one forced anyone to buy what they knew was a locked phone.
I wouldn't say these are "GOOD" reasons. As for the visual voicemail, who really gives a ****. People would MUCH rather have an Unlocked worldwide-capable phone. This is really a bunch of bull**** that Jobs locked out frequent travelers from swapping SIM cards.
And all for more $$$ from the cell companies. You guys are starting to ACT LIKE MICROSOFT!!
STEVE: THE WORLD IS GETTING SMALLER. HOW DID YOUR IPHONE WORK WHEN YOU WERE AT THE LAUNCH EVENTS IN THE UK, FRANCE, AND GERMANY? How were those extraordinary roaming charges? or didn't you have to pay? Well either way no one of use gets free phone service nor are we rich to pay the outlandish roaming charges.
I think the SIM lockdown was the worst product strategy decision Apple has made in YEARS!
New stratagy for hackers: partner with green peace
Apple should, upon hack detection, set all firmware to a pre-modification state...make it like new, not brick it and doom it to an early and unnecessary trip to the landfill...
I dont like greenpeace, but I hate cell industry screw jobs even more.
If the firmware is fracked from the point of a firmware upgrade, then it's not Apple's fault.
This is no different than Apple telling us to disconnect third party drives, scanners, etc when performing an upgrade, except firmware is much more susceptible to error.
All this talk about "Bricking" an iPhone sounds far fetched to me. There's no way to "irreparably damage" an iPhone without physically breaking something. I doubt Apple has a hidden self destruct chip in the thing.
If it was bricked, which I doubt will happen, I'm sure someone will be able to crack into it again. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a software or firmware update can do any irreparable damage to the thing, it's all FUD.
Are you mad? If the company i work for sees a customer using our product in a way we havn't thought of, mentioned, or designed the product for, we dont take it away, we add it to the list of things that the next rev of that unit should be able to do out of the box!
You're talking about something entirely different. People aren't finding new uses for the same product, they are essentially changing/breaking the product to create a different product that suits there needs. It would be life if you took a broom, chopped of the sweeping part, and used it as a hiking stick. Can you honestly expect that your new hiking stick would be covered under warranty for the broom? But software is so much more complex than that example.
And how many products like cleaning products, etc does it say on the bottle, "It is illegal for you to use this product in any way other than intended/directed."
By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions set by the manufacturer. If you don't agree to the terms and conditions, you must choose not to use the product, or you are legally at fault.
Why bother, to go to T-Mobile and lose visual voicemail and still pay about the same plan fees? Doesn't make sense at all. ATT's Unity Plan is the bomb.
Maybe because 95% of the world's population lives outside the United States???
So does Apple's stance on modifying the iPhone imply that Volkswagen will not honor its warranty on my Golf because I removed the doors and replaced it with Lamborghini-style doors; that I remove the hood and replaced it with a eagle-emblazoned hood, ala a 76 Camaro; that I removed the engine and put in a 6.0-liter Dodge Hemi motor in its stead?
If so, why won't Volkswagen cover my modded car? Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaahhhhhhhhhha!!!! I want $200 back!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA! THEY UPDATED THE GOLF 2 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT MINE, I WANT SOME COMPENSATION! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
I call bs to some of these comments saying Apple is completely justified bricking the unlocked iphones.
I would bet the farm there are either Apple and/or AT&T employees posting to this story. I once worked at an ad agency that had a mac-related company as a client and our boss forced us all to post 'damage control' on a regular basis. I quit shortly after this took place.
For the record, I own 4 macs, and 3 ipods. I have previously owned an additonal 4 macs and 2 ipods. I have helped / persuade no less than 5 friends of buying an ipod and bought my future mother in law an ibook. I am pretty much a mac zealot...
but I think the locked iphone deal is bum deal. Almost all the arguments I've seen posted here why the iphone 'needed' to be locked I call bs.
visaul voicemail? hardly compelling, sounds only useful to super busy CEOs like Steve who want to dodge a certain amount of voicemail. if you only get 3-5 voicemails a day, do you need visual voicemail?
if i lived in the u.s. i would sign an at&t contract b/c i've heard mostly good things but being in the uk now i don't want O2, i know too much about them... the point is everytime apple chooses an exclusive carrier in a new country they immediately alieanate a certain amount of the country's population.
I can't see how an unlocked gsm phone could be blackballed by the mobile industry? If there is any truth to this argument and someone knows, then spell it out to us.
why in the world should a company be responsible for making sure a hack continues to work when they update their software?
are you people retarded?
i fully endorse hacking, modifying, working ways around manufacturer limitations, but i in no way expect (or like some of you people demand) full support from the manufacturer. when i screw with it, everything from that point on is ONLY MY RESPONSIBILITY.
Apple is simply giving fair warning, so you people that unlocked the phone, don't update the iphone anymore and stop complaining that the company isn't spending money to support the hacks.
...i feel like i am taking crazy pills... take responsibility for your actions people!
2- When will U.S. antitrust authorities open an investigation on the abuse of monopoly from Apple in denying the right to choose a cell phone service to iPhone owners?
It would be a monopoly only if Apple were the only source of any sort of cellular telephones in the U.S. In fact, it is quite the opposite - the vast majority of cellular telephones in the U.S. today were not manufactured by Apple.
I can't see how an unlocked gsm phone could be blackballed by the mobile industry? If there is any truth to this argument and someone knows, then spell it out to us.
I don't think the report was that the GSM phone would be blacklisted by the mobile industry.
Rather, I believe the implication was that Apple might choose to record the serial number of any unlocked iPhones it comes in contact with, and subsequently refuse to provide maintenance service for that iPhone for the remainder of its lifetime, regardless of any attempts by the owner to re-lock it.
Perfectly within their rights in the United States currently, I suppose.
There's a difference between "You're breaking the law; you're legally obliged to never use the iPhone with anybody other than AT&T." (patently false), and "You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, so we won't hold up ours." (absolutely reasonable)
I'm still looking forward to seeing Apple's official response in the UK, where it's my understanding that (unless they officially acknowledge that it is "subsidized") the service provider is legally obliged to sell an "official" unlock mechanism to any customer who requests it, at any time.
(If it is subsidized, my understanding is that the legal obligation to furnish an unlock service only comes into force after the initial contract term runs out.)
You're talking about something entirely different. People aren't finding new uses for the same product, they are essentially changing/breaking the product to create a different product that suits there needs. It would be life if you took a broom, chopped of the sweeping part, and used it as a hiking stick. Can you honestly expect that your new hiking stick would be covered under warranty for the broom? But software is so much more complex than that example.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
Quote:
And how many products like cleaning products, etc does it say on the bottle, "It is illegal for you to use this product in any way other than intended/directed."
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
Quote:
By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions set by the manufacturer. If you don't agree to the terms and conditions, you must choose not to use the product, or you are legally at fault.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
All this talk about "Bricking" an iPhone sounds far fetched to me. There's no way to "irreparably damage" an iPhone without physically breaking something. I doubt Apple has a hidden self destruct chip in the thing.
If it was bricked, which I doubt will happen, I'm sure someone will be able to crack into it again. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a software or firmware update can do any irreparable damage to the thing, it's all FUD.
Depends on what is meant by 'irreparable'. In an absolute sense your probably correct BUT to fix any number of problems you would have to have additional equipment that would have access to the memory without a functioning phone.
For example type 'sudo rm -rf *' at your root directory (you can do this on the phone with the current hack) and then try to recover your system WITHOUT a CD/DVD or external disk Not going to happen. These things don't exists for the iPhone (outside of the development labs) I would NOT expect the Apple Stores to have these type of facilities, nor would I expect them to cover this a warranty issue.
A user induced change could accomplish the same type of no-recovery situation by breaking the communications with iTunes after the upgrade, for example. So Apple's concerns are very real.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
At the time of purchase of an iPhone, according to the agreement, it may only be used on AT&T networks. Regardless, Apple has not taken measure to prevent people from using "unlokced" iPhones on other network -- they just stated that they will not condone such actions, and as such, they are not responsable for any incomatibilities users experience due to updates, etc. It's ridiculous for people who unlock the iPhone to expect Apple will support the iPhone.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
Talk about nonsensable comparisons!
No. this is more like trying to make your car work on water, rather than on land, and you had to mod it to do so, then it sank.
Quote:
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
No one is saying that the law is being broken.
Quote:
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
while there is no such thing as requiring the customer to pay damages, the rest of that it correct.
Look at what it says in my camera manual:
"Do not make any changes or modifications to the equipment unless otherwise specified in the manual. If such changes or modifications should be made, you could be required to stop operation of the equipment."
This isn't even saying that it might not work. Canon might REQUIRE you to stop using it! There are two pages about danger from modifications or improper use, but this one is different.
Comments
apple hasn't left out any country. everyone is just too damn impatient to wait until they knock out a deal. after all the disputes with cisco with the IPHONE it slowed the process down, but from a source: canada and japan are in the works right now, and there's known use of iphones being tested in australia.
you complain that it's not right that the phone isn't unlocked isn't the issue. i know there's some phones on O2 that i had my eye on but never bitched that i couldn't get it because it was locked into the O2 network. if everyone was complaining about that one phone and how they wanted it so bad, i'm sure O2 users would say "well too damn bad". whatever. i got over it. get over it.
eveyone complains about the iPhone, yet they want it. i see no logic in this. oh well.
The Blackberry has an available international roaming plan whereby all data is free for an extra $10-20 per month. Not sure about the Treo.
BTW, just turning off mail didn't seem to work, and the bigger gripe on data was that when connected to a WiFi access point it would opt for Edge instead of the WiFi link.
Thanks. I'm going to ask some folks I know with the Blackberry. Its just that everyone I know with one is a corporate, non-paying sub and they obviously don't care.
Outrageous international roaming/data charges are an issue for globetrekers, agreed. Just curious, is it the same for owners of Blackberries, Q and Treo's. Any ATT blackberry owners that travel abroad?
I have used smart phones for years; I have owned a HP iPaq, a Treo, several Nokia's, a Samsung Blackjack, ALL of them I was able to unlock for travels overseas or when I switched service providers. All I had to do was ask the provider for the unlock code and I received it in an email in a few days. I did not have to ask the phone makers for anything to do this so why should I not be able to do the same thing with the iPhone ???...If I buy one and pay FULL PRICE for it like I would if I went to any other Phone Maker (who by the way will sell a phone unlocked) then why Should I agree to let them tell me whom I can and can't use it with, I understand that their may be a chance that not ALL the functions will work due to the service provider not having that function on their network but all the basic functions will work once I place a SIM into the phone (Like making calls).
I have had AT&T, Cingular, and T-Mobile (all of witch are GSM service providers) I was required to meet some requirements for the companies to unlock the phones, but once I meet the requirements I was able to have my phone unlocked, or if I bought a phone that was unlocked to begin with all I had to do was insert my SIM in the phone.
I had to set up the phones to work with the service providers setting to enable services like MMS, E-Mail, Wap, and Internet, the service providers were more then happy to assist me with the settings (they were able to get me to use services that I paid extra for i.e. data services) to them this meant more money for them as I was using more services, they did not care if I was using a phone from them or from anyone else the more services that I used the more money they were going to get on a monthly fee.
I was able to travel to other locations and use a Prepaid SIM and was able to make calls on the local carrier and avoid international charges (by the way range from 1.99 - 8.99 per min) and data charges that ranging from $0.001 to $0.015 KB or more and that does not even cover SMS or MMS charges that are billed at an international rate.
So if it is so wrong for a person to want to use any phone that they want to OWN on any NETWORK that is available to them, in an area for a price that they agree to pay (prepaid or Post Paid) then why am I and so many other people able to call a service provider and get phones unlocked or buy them from the phone makers that way for use either in the US or Overseas with little or no hassle from the service providers or the phone makers (except for the iPhone that is).
Two questions:
1- When will we see class action lawsuits from iPhone owners who do not accept that Apple is denying their right of ownership over the iPhones they paid so dearly?
That's ridiculous! Why aren't you calling for lawsuits against all phone manufacturers? They all do that. Every phone company offers some phones that are exclusive to them.
2- When will U.S. antitrust authorities open an investigation on the abuse of monopoly from Apple in denying the right to choose a cell phone service to iPhone owners?[/quote]
Same answer as above.
iPhones are bought, not rented, and owners can choose any cell phone service provider they want.
By the way, willfull destruction of property, or willfull damage to iPhones by Apple, is an actionable wrong that can be prosecuted, especially with iPhone owners class action lawsuits for damages.
This is really silly. no one forced anyone to buy what they knew was a locked phone.
I wouldn't say these are "GOOD" reasons. As for the visual voicemail, who really gives a ****. People would MUCH rather have an Unlocked worldwide-capable phone. This is really a bunch of bull**** that Jobs locked out frequent travelers from swapping SIM cards.
And all for more $$$ from the cell companies. You guys are starting to ACT LIKE MICROSOFT!!
STEVE: THE WORLD IS GETTING SMALLER. HOW DID YOUR IPHONE WORK WHEN YOU WERE AT THE LAUNCH EVENTS IN THE UK, FRANCE, AND GERMANY? How were those extraordinary roaming charges? or didn't you have to pay? Well either way no one of use gets free phone service nor are we rich to pay the outlandish roaming charges.
I think the SIM lockdown was the worst product strategy decision Apple has made in YEARS!
You may not like it, but they are good reasons.
New stratagy for hackers: partner with green peace
Apple should, upon hack detection, set all firmware to a pre-modification state...make it like new, not brick it and doom it to an early and unnecessary trip to the landfill...
I dont like greenpeace, but I hate cell industry screw jobs even more.
If the firmware is fracked from the point of a firmware upgrade, then it's not Apple's fault.
This is no different than Apple telling us to disconnect third party drives, scanners, etc when performing an upgrade, except firmware is much more susceptible to error.
Remenber the Firewire problems during upgrades?
If it was bricked, which I doubt will happen, I'm sure someone will be able to crack into it again. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a software or firmware update can do any irreparable damage to the thing, it's all FUD.
Are you mad? If the company i work for sees a customer using our product in a way we havn't thought of, mentioned, or designed the product for, we dont take it away, we add it to the list of things that the next rev of that unit should be able to do out of the box!
You're talking about something entirely different. People aren't finding new uses for the same product, they are essentially changing/breaking the product to create a different product that suits there needs. It would be life if you took a broom, chopped of the sweeping part, and used it as a hiking stick. Can you honestly expect that your new hiking stick would be covered under warranty for the broom? But software is so much more complex than that example.
And how many products like cleaning products, etc does it say on the bottle, "It is illegal for you to use this product in any way other than intended/directed."
By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions set by the manufacturer. If you don't agree to the terms and conditions, you must choose not to use the product, or you are legally at fault.
we are arguing about or rights and how the goverment should get involved and how this is against the constitution blah blah blah...
and this is all over
A CELLPHONE!
(i have one and have hacked it and just got to touch as well so im "on the bandwagon of apple fanatics" as well)
when it comes down to world issues, this is so unimportant.
I love how we can make such a big deal over such a small thing. I guess that shows our love for Apple.
(think about how many people would have the iphone if it was open to everyone! it would be outragious how many people would get it.)
Why bother, to go to T-Mobile and lose visual voicemail and still pay about the same plan fees? Doesn't make sense at all. ATT's Unity Plan is the bomb.
Maybe because 95% of the world's population lives outside the United States???
So does Apple's stance on modifying the iPhone imply that Volkswagen will not honor its warranty on my Golf because I removed the doors and replaced it with Lamborghini-style doors; that I remove the hood and replaced it with a eagle-emblazoned hood, ala a 76 Camaro; that I removed the engine and put in a 6.0-liter Dodge Hemi motor in its stead?
If so, why won't Volkswagen cover my modded car? Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaahhhhhhhhhha!!!! I want $200 back!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA! THEY UPDATED THE GOLF 2 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT MINE, I WANT SOME COMPENSATION! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Poor Golf.
I would bet the farm there are either Apple and/or AT&T employees posting to this story. I once worked at an ad agency that had a mac-related company as a client and our boss forced us all to post 'damage control' on a regular basis. I quit shortly after this took place.
For the record, I own 4 macs, and 3 ipods. I have previously owned an additonal 4 macs and 2 ipods. I have helped / persuade no less than 5 friends of buying an ipod and bought my future mother in law an ibook. I am pretty much a mac zealot...
but I think the locked iphone deal is bum deal. Almost all the arguments I've seen posted here why the iphone 'needed' to be locked I call bs.
visaul voicemail? hardly compelling, sounds only useful to super busy CEOs like Steve who want to dodge a certain amount of voicemail. if you only get 3-5 voicemails a day, do you need visual voicemail?
if i lived in the u.s. i would sign an at&t contract b/c i've heard mostly good things but being in the uk now i don't want O2, i know too much about them... the point is everytime apple chooses an exclusive carrier in a new country they immediately alieanate a certain amount of the country's population.
I can't see how an unlocked gsm phone could be blackballed by the mobile industry? If there is any truth to this argument and someone knows, then spell it out to us.
are you people retarded?
i fully endorse hacking, modifying, working ways around manufacturer limitations, but i in no way expect (or like some of you people demand) full support from the manufacturer. when i screw with it, everything from that point on is ONLY MY RESPONSIBILITY.
Apple is simply giving fair warning, so you people that unlocked the phone, don't update the iphone anymore and stop complaining that the company isn't spending money to support the hacks.
...i feel like i am taking crazy pills... take responsibility for your actions people!
Two questions:
[ ... ]
2- When will U.S. antitrust authorities open an investigation on the abuse of monopoly from Apple in denying the right to choose a cell phone service to iPhone owners?
It would be a monopoly only if Apple were the only source of any sort of cellular telephones in the U.S. In fact, it is quite the opposite - the vast majority of cellular telephones in the U.S. today were not manufactured by Apple.
I can't see how an unlocked gsm phone could be blackballed by the mobile industry? If there is any truth to this argument and someone knows, then spell it out to us.
I don't think the report was that the GSM phone would be blacklisted by the mobile industry.
Rather, I believe the implication was that Apple might choose to record the serial number of any unlocked iPhones it comes in contact with, and subsequently refuse to provide maintenance service for that iPhone for the remainder of its lifetime, regardless of any attempts by the owner to re-lock it.
Perfectly within their rights in the United States currently, I suppose.
There's a difference between "You're breaking the law; you're legally obliged to never use the iPhone with anybody other than AT&T." (patently false), and "You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, so we won't hold up ours." (absolutely reasonable)
I'm still looking forward to seeing Apple's official response in the UK, where it's my understanding that (unless they officially acknowledge that it is "subsidized") the service provider is legally obliged to sell an "official" unlock mechanism to any customer who requests it, at any time.
(If it is subsidized, my understanding is that the legal obligation to furnish an unlock service only comes into force after the initial contract term runs out.)
You're talking about something entirely different. People aren't finding new uses for the same product, they are essentially changing/breaking the product to create a different product that suits there needs. It would be life if you took a broom, chopped of the sweeping part, and used it as a hiking stick. Can you honestly expect that your new hiking stick would be covered under warranty for the broom? But software is so much more complex than that example.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
And how many products like cleaning products, etc does it say on the bottle, "It is illegal for you to use this product in any way other than intended/directed."
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions set by the manufacturer. If you don't agree to the terms and conditions, you must choose not to use the product, or you are legally at fault.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
All this talk about "Bricking" an iPhone sounds far fetched to me. There's no way to "irreparably damage" an iPhone without physically breaking something. I doubt Apple has a hidden self destruct chip in the thing.
If it was bricked, which I doubt will happen, I'm sure someone will be able to crack into it again. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a software or firmware update can do any irreparable damage to the thing, it's all FUD.
Depends on what is meant by 'irreparable'. In an absolute sense your probably correct BUT to fix any number of problems you would have to have additional equipment that would have access to the memory without a functioning phone.
For example type 'sudo rm -rf *' at your root directory (you can do this on the phone with the current hack) and then try to recover your system WITHOUT a CD/DVD or external disk
A user induced change could accomplish the same type of no-recovery situation by breaking the communications with iTunes after the upgrade, for example. So Apple's concerns are very real.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
At the time of purchase of an iPhone, according to the agreement, it may only be used on AT&T networks. Regardless, Apple has not taken measure to prevent people from using "unlokced" iPhones on other network -- they just stated that they will not condone such actions, and as such, they are not responsable for any incomatibilities users experience due to updates, etc. It's ridiculous for people who unlock the iPhone to expect Apple will support the iPhone.
We're not talking about taking a broom and using it as a walking stick.
We're talking about taking a kitchen broom and using it in the living room.
Talk about nonsensable comparisons!
No. this is more like trying to make your car work on water, rather than on land, and you had to mod it to do so, then it sank.
In either case, you're certainly not suggesting that we're breaking the law by taking that broom out of the kitchen, are you?
No one is saying that the law is being broken.
Usually those cleaning products have markings like that because they contain hazardous materials, and the government has environmental protection laws prohibiting certain risky uses. It's not the manufacturer placing those restrictions on you; it's the government.
By affixing the label, though, the manufacturer is indemnifying itself against any allegations that it was complicit in your illegal activity.
I disagree with this statement as you've phrased it.
If you rephrase it slightly, I might be inclined to agree:
"By purchasing and using the iPhone (or any product), you are automatically agreeing to the terms and conditions communicated to you by the manufacturer at the time of sale. If you fail to live up to your obligations under those terms and conditions, the manufacturer it no longer required to meet its obligations either. You may also be required to pay certain damages. As well, the manufacturer is not at fault for anything that goes wrong as a consequence of its unintended use."
while there is no such thing as requiring the customer to pay damages, the rest of that it correct.
Look at what it says in my camera manual:
"Do not make any changes or modifications to the equipment unless otherwise specified in the manual. If such changes or modifications should be made, you could be required to stop operation of the equipment."
This isn't even saying that it might not work. Canon might REQUIRE you to stop using it! There are two pages about danger from modifications or improper use, but this one is different.