Apple Disabling iOS 5 Beta Installs and Developer Accounts Over Sales of Device Slots?

[chrono1081]

Have you been to a courtroom lately? The law doesn't actually matter anymore. The announcer... err, judge, shouts "May the best lawyer win!" and it proceeds from there.

Which is why you have people paying up millions of dollars for downloading a couple of songs.

Isn't that the truth!

If Apple wanted to punish people breaking NDAs, they could've started enforcing them years ago when the first mass beta sales started.

Instead, they looked the other way for a long time because the number of "developers" increased and they could brag about that number.

It seems more likely that Apple has suddenly started enforcement because they're getting too many support posts / calls / visits from clueless people using the betas.

Although I doubt they'd look the other way to increase dev numbers (I could be wrong but I recall them only announcing apps in the app store numbers), I complete agree about the support calls. There are people (two friends of a friend) I met into who actually think iOS 5 is out and get angry about its bugginess. I explained that it was a beta but they told me I was wrong

When Apple's stock drops back below $50, this will be the reason. People are becoming fed up with the turtlenecked overlord's control crap - the sooner that he's out of the picture, the better for Apple.

You should look at history, its Steve who brought Apple back from almost near destruction. Not to mention why all the unwarranted hate? Apple cracked down on people doing something against the rules and your mad at it? Not to mention Steve may not even have a say in that. Shareholders may have been the ones recommending this.

Why not get mad at Microsoft for requiring CD keys with their OS, or get mad at Google for allowing your information to be sold to offer you free services, or many number of other companies doing something similar.

 

[beg_ne]

When Apple's stock drops back below $50, this will be the reason. People are becoming fed up with the turtlenecked overlord's control crap - the sooner that he's out of the picture, the better for Apple.

Wow, well thank god the situation didn't turn out to be something like old iOS 5 betas expiring causing this latest "crisis" or your rant might sound more a little delusional and be really awkward for you!

 

[Jamie0003]

What is so hard about playing by Apple's rules?

From JailBreaking to Slot Selling, why can't some people just play the way you're supposed to?

I love how people agree to the rules in order to download developer software, or activate their i-device, and then moan & groan when they are punished for not following the rules they agreed to!

I play by Apple's rules (and also don't use torrents or Napster-ish programs) and I absolutely LOVE my Apple devices and digital lifestyle.

If you don't want to play by the rules, or if iOS doesn't provide you with what you need (tethering, file system, notifications, etc.) Go elsewhere!

Please!

iOS has all of those features, apart from file system access...

 

[gnagy]

I just had to respond to this because it is so ridiculously wrong it makes my head hurt. One is an agreement and the other is a LAW. If I break my cellphone contract or the lease on my apartment I'm not going to jail unless somehow I violate the laws of the land. i.e. I don't vacate my apartment upon terminating my lease, therefore I'm trespassing.

By that reasoning, I'm assuming it's ok with you if your wife/gf cheats on you. Since she'd just be breaking an agreement.

I never said you would go to jail for breaking the NDA. I just said it's not very nice, and that you can get sued for it. Kinda like how nobody goes to jail for sleeping around, but they might get a divorce.

 

[AidenShaw]

Wow, well thank god the situation didn't turn out to be something like old iOS 5 betas expiring causing this latest "crisis" or your rant might sound more a little delusional and be really awkward for you!

Please look at my post in the context of the post to which I was replying.

By that reasoning, I'm assuming it's ok with you if your wife/gf cheats on you.

Don't forget husband/bf - Apple is an equal opportunity employer (and Apple employs women as well, in case you didn't realize that).

And bf/gf are simple agreements, wife/husband/RDP involve legal documents registered with the state.

 

[Prodo123]

If that is how you identify with yourself, I think that a banned UDID is the last thing you should worry about.

No, it's more like I'm the neighborhood techie and they expect answers from me...wtf the best I can do is give them bug reports from a beta >.<

 

[gnagy]

No, it's more like I'm the neighborhood techie and they expect answers from me...wtf the best I can do is give them bug reports from a beta >.<

Instead of giving bug reports to neighbors you should be sending bug reports to Apple. Since Apple is the only one that can fix the bugs.

 

[Prodo123]

Instead of giving bug reports to neighbors you should be sending bug reports to Apple. Since Apple is the only one that can fix the bugs.

And get my account banned/phone locked? No way.

 

[CFreymarc]

This should have been done ages ago.

I think it took so long for Apple to establish a procedure to have only true positives on sold UUIDs. Some were as naive to list them for sale on auction sites.

But yes, you make money from apps, services, subscriptions and hardware not passing on confidential data. These guys should be glad they are not getting sued ... yet.

 

[CFreymarc]

No, it's more like I'm the neighborhood techie and they expect answers from me...wtf the best I can do is give them bug reports from a beta >.<

How? Grow up, get a developer account and run with the big dogs!

 

[cwwilson]

I always thought it was silly to try to get into the dev slots just to have a iOS version early. I mean, yeah it sucks to wait but it'll be well worth it when it comes so just stay on 4.2/4.3 and continue to enjoy a stable and smooth experience. 5.0 will be out before you know it, but I guess some people can't help themselves. Just remember though, playing with fire is dangerous. And I guess now we're finding that out.

 

[haruhiko]

It seems that iOS 5 beta 5 is due for release today?

 

[Prodo123]

How? Grow up, get a developer account and run with the big dogs!

I'm a noob coder.
I'm a pro Photoshopper & other stuff.
I would get a dev account if I could code (I should learn, coding is fun)

 

[pmau]

Yes, they should change it

MacRumors needs to update this article as its terribly misleading.

Who did vote this down? He's spot on.

Beta's have expired in the past. It's not a new behavior and certainly not a change in Apple's policy.

Developer's might have received e-mail from Apple, but no one actually has prove for that. I couldn't find any blog quoting such e-mail.

I agree with those that say it's a step that Apple should have done long ago.

 

[EBSkater]

Fine line or not... You make it sound like I've stolen 10 billion pounds from a bank and stabbed innocent people on the way.

Consider your point received and accepted. I'm a thief and a bad bad person. I'm going to leave now, and probably cry myself to sleep (while browsing on my iPhone, currently running iOS 5).

Do we not remember the whole story of the police raiding that writer/editor/whatever he was for Gizmodo?

Unreleased stuff, whether virtual (iOS 5 betas) or physical (iPhone 4 prototype) is still illegal to be distributed by anyone except the company itself.

Remember when Martha Stewart was convicted of insider trading and the whole fiasco with Enron?

If you're using knowledge that is not privy to the public for your own gain, then it's very much frowned upon, regardless of if you've done anything violent or not.

 

[EBSkater]

And what if they did not read the NDA agreement?

They still agreed to it.

 

[EBSkater]

I'll try to list everything the fee grants you access to, to put it into perspective for the less moral:

• Put apps on the app store (for iOS devs)
• Download beta versions of iOS (for iOS devs)
• Download beta versions of Xcode
• Download beta versions of Mac OS X (for mac devs)

That's what the $99 gives. If you do any of these things (and whatever else I forgot to mention), without paying $99 a year, then it's theft. I know it isn't a lot of money, but that doesn't change the facts.

Two separate costs. $99 gives me access to one OR the other. So for both, I need $198. Just clarifying for those who may think that $99 buys you into both.

 

[EBSkater]

A dev providing a UDID slot is/is not providing access to the confidential information.

So if I give a violent criminal a gun, but no bullets, then I'm fine.
Doesn't matter if he loads that gun with bullets he got elsewhere, and uses it.

This is good, and puts my mind at ease. Thank you.

 

[ct2k7]

Who did vote this down? He's spot on.

Beta's have expired in the past. It's not a new behavior and certainly not a change in Apple's policy.

Developer's might have received e-mail from Apple, but no one actually has prove for that. I couldn't find any blog quoting such e-mail.

I agree with those that say it's a step that Apple should have done long ago.

Dear <name>:

It has come to our attention that you have offered access to the
pre-release iOS 5 beta software for sale through the Internet on <www.domain.com>. Your actions constitute a breach of your obligations
under both the iOS Developer Program License Agreement (the “iDP
Agreement”) and the Registered Apple Developer Agreement (the
“Registered Developer Agreement”) and this letter serves as notice of
termination of these agreements between you and Apple, effective
immediately.

Pursuant to Section 2.1 of the iDP Agreement, you may only “Install one
(1) copy of the Apple OS and a Provisioning Profile on each of Your
Authorized Test Devices, up to the number of Authorized Test Devices
that You have registered and acquired licenses for, to be used
internally by You or Your Authorized Developers for the Sole purpose of
developing and testing your Applications.” The term “Authorized
Developers” refers to individuals who are members of your organization
that have Registered Apple Developer accounts and who have a need to
know or use the pre-release iOS to assist You with testing and
development of you applications. Further, those individuals must have
confidentially agreements with you that obligate them to maintain
Apples’s confidential information. Offering the pre-release iOS 5 beta
software to members of the general public is not only a violation of
your obligation of the license restrictions of the iDP Agreement, but
also a violation of your obligation to protect the confidentiality of
pre-release software in accordance with Section 10 (Confidentiality).

Pursuant to Section 12.3 of the iDP Agreement and Section 8 of the
Registered Developer Agreement, please immediately destroy all Apple
Confidential Information that is in your possession or control and note
your additional obligations upon termination.

This letter is not intended to be a complete statement of facts
regarding this matter, and nothing in this letter should be construed as
a waiver of any right or remedies Apple may have, all of which are
hereby reserved. Finally, please note that we will deny your
reapplication to the iOS Developer Program for at least a year
considering the nature of your acts.

Sincerely, Apple

 

[EBSkater]

Have two question.

First question if they do shutdown people who payed the $6-7 UDID Reg. Would I be able to buy a Dev. account and just register it then, I've been wanting to get into making apps.

Second question I would be able to downgrade to 4.3.5 right whatever.

1) Yes, this would keep your device from deactivating.
2) If you have to ask this question, don't install a beta or buy into the program. It seems that you don't even know how to search on Google.

 

[noloafing]

Totally happened to me.

I was watching Captain America and I went to check the time and my phone was at the initial set up screen. I was like wtf? I went home and tried for 4 hours to either upgrade betas or revert to 4.2.10 (I'm on verizon) and had no luck with it. I tried everything I could find to do, but to no avail. My phone was officially stuck in DFU. fortunately I have Geek Squad Black Tie Protection on it (I work at Best Buy) and I was able to get my phone switched out today for a new one for free due to some "accidental" physical damage that happened to it. Yes, I had to literally break my phone physically in order to acquire a new one.

I was actually kind of relieved when I found out it was all Apple's doing because now I know there was nothing I could do about it.

 

[EBSkater]

i know man, i understand what happened im not crying about it now, i figured it out. I just would have wanted an email or something after i was refunded.

So if you return something to the grocery store and get a refund, you expect that it's okay to just continue to use it?

 

[EBSkater]

My phone was officially stuck in DFU.

I was actually kind of relieved when I found out it was all Apple's doing because now I know there was nothing I could do about it.

If you can't figure out how to get your device out of DFU mode, then you shouldn't be installing betas. I've never come across a "bricked" device that DFU mode couldn't fix, even if I was using other tools and software to help it along.

 

[pmau]

Dear <name>:

...

Sincerely, Apple

Thank you for sharing.

 

[nibbet]

I would say: yes. But I'm sure they will not use their own devices for makeing a story but have some other fuzzy pictures on hand. Protection of their source will help. Advantage for news companies; doesn't apply for developer.

But does the news company know there is a NDA violate some law by using coercion or something to provide trade secrets.