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Apple Bans iFixit Developer Account and Removes App After Apple TV Teardown

We all make mistakes as humans. They made one, okay, now let's be gracious and not gloat gratuitously, move on, big deal. They'll learn and move forward, this thread is a sensationalist's dream. Grow up folks, look in the mirror first before casting stones.
 
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i love people who think apple owes them something because they are a multi-billion dollar company. they don't owe you anything. they don't owe you 32gb on their cheapest model. they don't owe ifixit a free pass for breaking a NDA. if you don't like it, don't buy their products. I don't see why their revenue stream has any bearing on how generous they should be.

now onto how this can hurt apple. quite easily, if ifixit opens up the product and finds that it's not really fixable, that'll be bad press in a time when no press is allowed. which gives ifixit the monopoly on influencing public opinion which can hurt sales.

there, it's that simple.
 
Sorry but have to side with Apple on this one. When I saw the tear down I was pretty surprised. They just can't resist, but yeah bad idea.
 
Lots of folks here defending Apple due to "terms and conditions". As if those terms and conditions make sense? Personally, I don't think they make sense. What is Apple protecting that won't eventually be open anyway? This corporate big brother mentality is sick in the head. If anything is being ruined it's due to that stupidity.
 
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Don't forget, ifixit did it for commercial gains. No sympathy at all for their gross action.
 
There were a limited number of units awarded by lottery so that developers could prepare their apps for launch day.

iFixIt's teardown means one less developer who has the device for testing. They were also flagrant about their breaking the rules for their own gain.
 
snowmoon said:
There were a limited number of units awarded by lottery so that developers could prepare their apps for launch day.

iFixIt's teardown means one less developer who has the device for testing.
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Big deal. Apple will just send another one, I think they have a source that can get hold of one or two ;)
 
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So you saying that iFixit should not have to actually obey the agreement they made ?

If they did not like the agreement, then they should have said NO.

I guess I prefer people/companies who's word is their bond, that they can be trusted to keep to their promises.
 
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It's good to see 99% of people backing Apple over this.

I was half-expecting a flood of posts criticising Apple for nefariously silencing such a good and decent group of people. I really hate what iFixIt does and I am glad Apple has booted them out.
 
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Why did Apple send them a preproduction unit anyway? It doesn't take a Genius to know iFixIt isn't in the business of developing Apps.
 
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Bryan Bowler said:
For those of you defending iFixIt, they have no ground to stand on. The new Apple TVs were being provided for Developers to develop apps and not other things like what iFixIt was doing. iFixIt was clearly wrong in their actions and I'm glad Apple has a disciplinary structure in-place for those that clearly violate the NDA agreements that they willingly agree too ahead of time.

Well done Apple. Shame on you iFixIt.
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This is the best publicity iFixit could hope for, hell, they couldn't get better exposure if they paid money for it. We will probably hear next week they've been acquired by some content-starved media company for a $B or two. :cool:
 
Narg said:
Lots of folks here defending Apple due to "terms and conditions". As if those terms and conditions make sense? Personally, I don't think they make sense. What is Apple protecting that won't eventually be open anyway? This corporate big brother mentality is sick in the head. If anything is being ruined it's due to that stupidity.
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If you don't like the terms and conditions, don't agree to them. Nothing more to it. Don't give your rights away and complain that you don't have rights- that's a true statement whether you're talking about either business or politics.

This isn't a case of Apple finding some obscure loophole to sue iFixit, it's a moderate punishment for an extremely obvious violation of an NDA that anybody could understand. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter if you or anybody else thinks the restrictions don't make sense. You sign, you agree to them.

That's the way our legal system works... contracts have to mean something.
 
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I love IFixit...

And because of their mission, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

The app was nothing to cry over, so nothing is lost here.
 
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sir1963nz said:
So you saying that iFixit should not have to actually obey the agreement they made ?

If they did not like the agreement, then they should have said NO.

I guess I prefer people/companies who's word is their bond, that they can be trusted to keep to their promises.
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Yes precisely. In "the old days" people - on the whole - had this notion of HONOUR, and your word was your bond, nothing more was needed. These days? Pah, are you joking? No one cares how they back stab one another and abuse trust. You break that trust, expect to be punished (another concept which seems elusive in this despicable "anything goes" day and age.)

We are ALL adults, and if we go against our word of honour - something that is more precious than gold (or should be), then, as adults, expect the repercussions... because we're adults, so face up to life and take it on the chin! Aside from legalism, one should be FAR more concerned about being dishonourable (and possibly dishonest) and find a way to make amends as a way of apologising for going against their word. Legal schmegal, DO THE *RIGHT* THING, IT MAKES LIFE SO MUCH NICER. :)
 
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Tubamajuba said:
If you don't like the terms and conditions, don't agree to them. Nothing more to it.
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No kidding, it's an +extremely+ simple concept.

I sign NDAs all the time, I'm aware of the consequences in advance and I can _choose_ not to enter into the agreement. It was a special developer's NDA to allow early possession - don't want to follow it? Don't sign up for the early access program. Buy one later when they're available through the regular consumer channel.
 
Felix01 said:
Why did Apple send them a preproduction unit anyway? It doesn't take a Genius to know iFixIt isn't in the business of developing Apps.
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They had a developer account with an app in the store. They were lucky to have scored in the lottery. Apple was being fair. It's ifixit who broke their side of the NDA.
 
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Eh, iFixit got a slap on the wrist. It's not like Gizmodo where they didn't even get keynote invites for a long time (apparently?) after they got that iPhone 4 that was left by an engineer. iFixit probably won't get invites either, but they aren't a news related site where something like that disrupts their business.

And people aren't going to stop looking at their instructions over this.

And it'll be easy enough for them to just mobilize their website and have people bookmark it in Safari if they haven't already.

They deserved it. I'm not going to say that there weren't other "developers" who bought these test units just to have one before anyone else, and who are also disregarding the NDA and posting videos and the like, because there most likely is. But this is a website with an Alexa global rank of 3,000 we're talking about, and they aren't the guy who just wants more YouTube subscribers to his crappy channel.
 
I was thinking well maybe they were hoping for a slap on the wrist at best since they're so well known for fixing idevices. But when they bust out with, "We weighed the risks, blithely tossed those risks over our shoulder, and tore down the Apple TV anyway,".... aww C'Mon Son!! lol smh.

Talking about burning a bridge! And with the largest, most profitable company in the market to :eek:.

They should come out with a urinalysis result printout and show Apple that someone was on bath salts or something!
 
If you read the entire thread you can definitely see the point where iFixit called out the troops and said "We're losing the battle, get out to MacRumors and defend us". Seriously.

The sad part is I can imagine how useful an iFixit app would have been on the AppleTV. Big screen, easy to pause, probably not the device you are trying to fix.
 
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Such a weird thing to do, whocares if people see the insides? Apple TV is about the Software, the hardware is irrelevant. So funny how people are defending Apple... like whocares? They don't care about you, why kiss their arse?

They tore it down, Apple banned them... oh well.
 
scaramoosh said:
Such a weird thing to do, whocares if people see the insides? Apple TV is about the Software, the hardware is irrelevant.
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Not to people for whom proprietary hardware = IP = sales of said hardware.

Do you do the fandango? :p
 
zorinlynx said:
They didn't do anything that hurts Apple. They received a developer unit, then posted a teardown. They likely reassembled it and it probably still works fine, so I doubt they "destroyed" something they were given for free to show the teardown.

If this had been a free pre-release iPhone and they had filmed drop tests and other obvious things to show they only got it to destroy it and not to use it for development, that would be different. But all they did was take it apart and snap some photos.

I believe strongly in the mantra of "If an activity doesn't hurt anyone, it shouldn't be disallowed."
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"Doesn't hurt anyone"? Really, so you think R&D costs and time investment is nothing? Funny odd person.
 
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uid15 said:
Not to people for whom proprietary hardware = IP = sales of said hardware.

Do you do the fandango? :p
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Thing, these chinese companies making it for them are probably already cloning it. That doesn't mean they'll get the content, it's all about the deals Apple makes with all the studios.

I just don't see why Apple care so much really, it's not going to have any impact on it.


Tbh though the new Chromecast will do more damage to Apple TVs sales than this, that thing is what I wish'd Apple TV was. I want my phone as the remote, I don't see why we need this box that'll get dated? The only thing wrong with Chromecast was the speed, but if that's fixed then it's perfect and cheap.
 
D.T. said:
No kidding, it's an +extremely+ simple concept.

I sign NDAs all the time, I'm aware of the consequences in advance and I can _choose_ not to enter into the agreement. It was a special developer's NDA to allow early possession - don't want to follow it? Don't sign up for the early access program. Buy one later when they're available through the regular consumer channel.
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Thank you! So true, and a concept that should be pretty obvious for everyone, regardless of how much they hate Apple.
 
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