Apple's anti-jailbreaking announcement may inspire my whole family to jailbreak

[bollweevil]

Apple's recent announcement that jailbreaking iPhones is illegal may have unintended consequences. The announcement sparked a discussion in my family, and I found that jailbreaking is much safer and much cooler than it used to be when I bought the phone.

It looks like all three iPhones in my family are about to be jailbroken. None of them were jailbroken before this announcement. The announcement annoyed and/or educated various members of my family, but the universal end-effect was to encourage jailbreaking.

This is kind of like when the 10-o'clock News describes a new recreational drug that all the kids are using, and it just inspires people to try it. Look how cool those drug users are, and look how much fun they're having. Now notice how annoying the "concerned community leader" is, and how she is blatantly exaggerating the dangers of the drug. Remember when she made your elementary school cancel the field trip? Don't you hate her? You should try the drugs just to tick her off.

 

[Mr. Giver '94]

Funny I was thinking the same thing!

 

[synagence]

Hardly a shocking annoucement....
Apple will use whatever tools it has available to protect their IP and platform.

I would have been surprised if they had done anything other than vigorously defend the iphones technology, os and security.

 

[9822679]

really another jailbreak thread


-____-

do it if you want, don't do it if you don't want to

People just loooove drama in their lives

Happy v-day guys

 

[4hundred4tyfour]

Anyone got a link to this 'announcement'?

 

[scaredpoet]

It wasn't even an announcement.

It was some statement to some committee that basically said the act of cracking the encryption of certain parts of the OS image, in order to create the software that jailbreaks the iPhone violates the DMCA. And basically, yeah, they're kinda right on that one.

Jailbreaking your iPhone in itself is not illegal. So relax. You're not being a rebel or sticking it to The Man by jailbreaking. Apple isn't going to even care. Unless of course, you hand them a jailbroken iPhone and complain it keeps crashing on you, and demand they fix it. That would be a kinda dumb move.

 

[Takeurtime]

really another jailbreak thread


-____-

do it if you want, don't do it if you don't want to

People just loooove drama in their lives

Happy v-day guys

If you are really a doctor, don't you have a patient to look after?!
If you knew it was "another" thread, why did you bother to click on it?
Did you get a rush after you posted that? You too have to understand that not everyone reads threads DAILY and every hour like you to know what has and has not been posted. Got it??

 

[Auzburner]

Yesterday, the day of the announcement I went and jailbroke my 3G for the first time. All for Cycorer and PDAnet. Both work great and I feel it was worth it... Based on my usage of those will be the determining factor on wether or not I keep my iPhone jailbroken.

 

[iWantiPhone]

such a rebel...

 

[ruinfx]

such a rebel...

lol beat me to it

 

[RTiii320]

just trying the drugs to tick her off! haha

Yeah if you feel you have read up on it enough and think that its the right decision for you then go ahead, nobody here should stop you.

 

[bollweevil]

Someone asked for Apple's statement saying jailbreaking is illegal - here is the PDF.

I'm not congratulating myself for being a rebel, and I am not advocating that other people jailbreak their iPhones. I am simply trying to point out how extremely ironic it is that three iPhones in my house just got jailbroken because of Apple's announcement, which was designed to discourage jailbreaking.

Apple's announcement may not have been at a big press conference, but it was a public announcement. They have PR specialists, and they fully intended to get all the news coverage they got with this announcement. They may not have realized how negative the news coverage would be, and how many of the magazines and websites writing stories about it would fill those stories with examples of Apple's exaggerations, untruths, and fear-mongering. If you Google-News search "Apple Jailbreak", almost all of the stories in all the media outlets point out legal precedents or statements from lawyers or the EFF that say that Apple is misrepresenting the law.

Thanks to this announcement, I now think Apple is silly for fighting the inevitable push toward openness and interoperability with this tactic. Put a security patch in the next gen iPhone, I can respect that. Don't lie and threaten. Also, I hadn't even contemplated jailbreaking for a year, and this announcement made me look it up again. When I did, I saw that jailbreaking was safer, easier, and more useful than it was a year ago. Apple really shot themselves in the foot this time, at least in the case of my family's 3 iPhones.

And Apple WILL be sad that these three iPhones just got jailbroken. All of us were thinking of buying new iPhones when the contract ran out, because we have the originals and we want GPS, faster internet, and flush headphone jacks. Now that we all have Netshare? Now that we know the next gen iPhone might not be so easy to jailbreak, at least not at first? We might just stick with these. Sorry Apple and AT&T, no new contracts and phone sales for you for a while. Not to this household.

 

[NT1440]

It wasn't even an announcement.

It was some statement to some committee that basically said the act of cracking the encryption of certain parts of the OS image, in order to create the software that jailbreaks the iPhone violates the DMCA. And basically, yeah, they're kinda right on that one.

Jailbreaking your iPhone in itself is not illegal. So relax. You're not being a rebel or sticking it to The Man by jailbreaking. Apple isn't going to even care. Unless of course, you hand them a jailbroken iPhone and complain it keeps crashing on you, and demand they fix it. That would be a kinda dumb move.

This.

I feel like ALOT of people somehow got it stuck in their heads that Apple is now on some sort of anti jailbreaking crusade out to crush anyone who does it. In reality all that happened is Apple doesnt want a legal precedent saying people can crack their OS legally because it would be exploited to the point where messing with any of their stuff is legal.

 

[kdarling]

In reality all that happened is Apple doesnt want a legal precedent saying people can crack their OS legally because it would be exploited to the point where messing with any of their stuff is legal.

Yeah, but guess what? A LOT of people love cracking and improving OTHER phones as well, especially WinMo phones.

We don't need a precedent set to promote legal attacks on those who improve what the company will not.

 

[bollweevil]

I feel like ALOT of people somehow got it stuck in their heads that Apple is now on some sort of anti jailbreaking crusade out to crush anyone who does it. In reality all that happened is Apple doesnt want a legal precedent saying people can crack their OS legally because it would be exploited to the point where messing with any of their stuff is legal.

I beg to differ, Apple IS on a crusade to stop people from jailbreaking their phones. I sincerely hope they won't take this crusade so far that they start suing individuals who jailbreak their iPhones (that would make them as lame as the RIAA, and it would be just as useless). However, if you read Apple's statement, they are clearly stating that any individual who jailbreaks their phone is 1) Violating copyright laws for the software 2) Violating copyright laws for media (if any) purchased from the iTunes store and 3) Illegally violating the terms of use contract that they signed when they bought the phone. Also, depending on what the user installs on the jailbroken phone, they may be stealing - for instance, installing Netshare is equivalent to stealing internet from AT&T.

Another thing that really annoys me about the Apple announcement: They repeatedly and vehemently claim that there is no reason to jailbreak an iPhone. They say that jailbreaking an iPhone would never "actually increase innovation or investment in creative works". What? It already has! Look through Cydia, see all the cool things that have been done that are impossible on a jailed iPhone! Also consider Apple's tendency to reject an app with very little reason after the developers invested time and money in its development - THAT stifles innovation.

Who is going to invest in writing an app if Apple can simply reject it? Who is going to write an app that cannot possibly work because iPhones don't have background processes or push notifications yet, despite Apple's (now broken) promises?

Apple says that jailbreaking iPhones will stifle innovation because it will compromise the system by which app developers get paid, so nobody will invest in making new apps. Bogus. They are confusing piracy and openness. It is possible to make the iPhone "open" (jailbroken, so that Apple doesn't get to cherry-pick apps) without destroying the app developer's business model. You can still charge for an app, even if the app is intended for a jailbroken iPhone. Sure, piracy might be a little bit easier on a jailbroken iPhone, but you know what? Mathematica and Windows Vista and XP take huge steps to inhibit piracy and they still get pirated all the time. I use ChemBioOffice, which I purchased legally, and I am thinking of pirating a copy just because the anti-piracy features on my legal copy are so obnoxious and hinder the software's use.

Finally, I don't buy the "slippery slope" argument that allowing iPhone jailbreaking for the purpose of interoperability will somehow magically lead to new laws that allow hacking desktop and laptop computers. If we let people jailbreak their phones today, in ten years they will be legally copying textbooks and distributing them free on the internet! And they will all be shooting heroin, legally! Please.

Apple, you make very good hardware. You even make some good software. You deserve to be paid for those things. But please, don't try so hard to limit the software people install on your hardware once they pay you and open the box. I wouldn't buy mustard if the manufacturer told me I couldn't use it on veggie burgers. Am I hurting the beef industry? Am I encouraging deviant mustard use? Maybe, but maybe the beef industry is environmentally unfriendly and there are new and interesting ways to use mustard.

 

[mrkgoo]

I beg to differ, Apple IS on a crusade to stop people from jailbreaking their phones. I sincerely hope they won't take this crusade so far that they start suing individuals who jailbreak their iPhones (that would make them as lame as the RIAA, and it would be just as useless). However, if you read Apple's statement, they are clearly stating that any individual who jailbreaks their phone is 1) Violating copyright laws for the software 2) Violating copyright laws for media (if any) purchased from the iTunes store and 3) Illegally violating the terms of use contract that they signed when they bought the phone. Also, depending on what the user installs on the jailbroken phone, they may be stealing - for instance, installing Netshare is equivalent to stealing internet from AT&T.

Another thing that really annoys me about the Apple announcement: They repeatedly and vehemently claim that there is no reason to jailbreak an iPhone. They say that jailbreaking an iPhone would never "actually increase innovation or investment in creative works". What? It already has! Look through Cydia, see all the cool things that have been done that are impossible on a jailed iPhone! Also consider Apple's tendency to reject an app with very little reason after the developers invested time and money in its development - THAT stifles innovation.

Who is going to invest in writing an app if Apple can simply reject it? Who is going to write an app that cannot possibly work because iPhones don't have background processes or push notifications yet, despite Apple's (now broken) promises?

Apple says that jailbreaking iPhones will stifle innovation because it will compromise the system by which app developers get paid, so nobody will invest in making new apps. Bogus. They are confusing piracy and openness. It is possible to make the iPhone "open" (jailbroken, so that Apple doesn't get to cherry-pick apps) without destroying the app developer's business model. You can still charge for an app, even if the app is intended for a jailbroken iPhone. Sure, piracy might be a little bit easier on a jailbroken iPhone, but you know what? Mathematica and Windows Vista and XP take huge steps to inhibit piracy and they still get pirated all the time. I use ChemBioOffice, which I purchased legally, and I am thinking of pirating a copy just because the anti-piracy features on my legal copy are so obnoxious and hinder the software's use.

Finally, I don't buy the "slippery slope" argument that allowing iPhone jailbreaking for the purpose of interoperability will somehow magically lead to new laws that allow hacking desktop and laptop computers. If we let people jailbreak their phones today, in ten years they will be legally copying textbooks and distributing them free on the internet! And they will all be shooting heroin, legally! Please.

Apple, you make very good hardware. You even make some good software. You deserve to be paid for those things. But please, don't try so hard to limit the software people install on your hardware once they pay you and open the box. I wouldn't buy mustard if the manufacturer told me I couldn't use it on veggie burgers. Am I hurting the beef industry? Am I encouraging deviant mustard use? Maybe, but maybe the beef industry is environmentally unfriendly and there are new and interesting ways to use mustard.

I think your tirade doesn't mean anything. What do you EXPECT Apple to say? They HAVE to try something to protect it, or they set a precedent to allow anything to do anything to any of their products (well not really, but kind of).

Do you expect them to come out and say, "Oh we think Jailbreaking is very innovative and we hope everyone does it because then they can get a lot more features out of our device that we couldn't or wouldn't do"?

Of course not. I think it's a bit silly to declare it illegal, or whatever, but it's not unexpected, and still doesn't really change anything.

 

[bollweevil]

What do you EXPECT Apple to say?

I don't know what I expect, but I HOPE they would say nothing. What they said was annoying, and in the case of my family's three iPhones, it was counterproductive to Apple's goals.

They HAVE to try something to protect it, or they set a precedent to allow anything to do anything to any of their products

Didn't my tirade include a bit about how the "slippery slope" argument is a fallacy?

Do you expect them to come out and say, "Oh we think Jailbreaking is very innovative and we hope everyone does it because then they can get a lot more features out of our device that we couldn't or wouldn't do"?

No - as I said before, I wanted them to say nothing. Just ignore it, Apple. Let people pay you money for the phone and money for the AT&T service (remember that we are talking about jailbreaking, not "unlocking", unlocking is much closer to theft because AT&T subsidizes the iPhone). Take the customers' money, give them iPhones, and then don't try to control what they do with those phones.

If someone's jailbroken iPhone has a bug, Apple has the right to refuse to provide tech support. The customer then has the right to reinstall the Apple-approved "jailed" firmware and ask Apple for tech support again.

Also, if some rogue app developer for the jailbroken iPhone makes a really good app, you know what Apple can do? They can either invite that app into the App Store, or they can steal it and/or copy it. If the app is so popular that it causes everyone to jailbreak their phone just to get it, that should be a sign to Apple: "Do this, you will make money." I don't actually expect Apple to condone jailbreaking, but they should realize that the things people do to jailbroken iPhones is like free and accurate market research which Apple can use to its advantage.

 

[Michael CM1]

Maybe you should get a "Jailbroken iPhone user" tattoo to boost your street cred.

**headslap**

 

[sergiuria]

Maybe you should get a "Jailbroken iPhone user" tattoo to boost your street cred.

**headslap**

Isn't it, *facepalm*?

 

[Tokiopop]

I beg to differ, Apple IS on a crusade to stop people from jailbreaking their phones. I sincerely hope they won't take this crusade so far that they start suing individuals who jailbreak their iPhones (that would make them as lame as the RIAA, and it would be just as useless). However, if you read Apple's statement, they are clearly stating that any individual who jailbreaks their phone is 1) Violating copyright laws for the software 2) Violating copyright laws for media (if any) purchased from the iTunes store and 3) Illegally violating the terms of use contract that they signed when they bought the phone. Also, depending on what the user installs on the jailbroken phone, they may be stealing - for instance, installing Netshare is equivalent to stealing internet from AT&T.

I never had to sign anything?

 

[ppc750fx]

However, if you read Apple's statement, they are clearly stating that any individual who jailbreaks their phone is 1) Violating copyright laws for the software 2) Violating copyright laws for media (if any) purchased from the iTunes store and 3) Illegally violating the terms of use contract that they signed when they bought the phone

I've read the brief, and that's not what they're alleging.

Jailbreaking doesn't require copyright infringement; you don't violate the copyright of the firmware or any audio/visual media, since you have authorization to copy the former and (presumably) have authorization to copy the latter.

They might be able to make a contract violation case for some users -- but only for the ones that actually signed a contract. If you're like me, you never signed any contract upon purchase, and thus that argument doesn't really hold any water.

---

Apple's not really trying to attack jailbreaking. They're trying to attack the EFF's request for an exemption for jailbreaking. IMO, Apple knows they'll never be able to get jailbreaking made illegal, thus they're simply striving to keep the status quo. The EFF wants an exemption made for it, and if Apple didn't respond to their request they might well get it. By responding, Apple hopes to get the request denied, and thus maintain things the way they are.

To recap (and bust some of the FUD about this filing):

1) Jailbreaking is not currently illegal. There has been no new legal precedent set.

2) Apple did not release any "anti-jailbreaking announcement". They made a filing in response to the EFF's request for DMCA exemption specifically for jailbreaking.

3) If Apple "wins", jailbreaking will not become any more illegal than it is now -- the worst case scenario is that the status quo is maintained.

4) Modifying your phone for the purpose of unlocking it is still protected by the existing DMCA exemptions.

 

[Small White Car]

Anyone got a link to this 'announcement'?

No, because it doesn't exist.

Someone asked for Apple's statement saying jailbreaking is illegal - here is the PDF.

That's not what that says.

I'm glad it "inspired" you, but perhaps you'd do better to understand things before you start threads on them.

The short version is this: Apple does not care one bit what you do with your phone.

No - as I said before, I wanted them to say nothing. Just ignore it, Apple.

If they followed your advice, other companies could buy iPhones, put their own software on it and then re-sell them at a profit. Don't you think that would harm their image and cause customer confusion? Don't you think Apple has a right to stop that sort of thing?

That's all they're doing here. They don't care what you do with your own phone.

(And if you DO think other companies should be allowed to do that, you'll have to explain that a lit better to me, because I'm not getting it.)

 

[arrow201]

"helloooo, Apple !?" ...if you would give the features us customers
have been asking for for the past year+, then many wouldn't bother
to jailbreak ...you friggin morons

 

[Small White Car]

"helloooo, Apple !?" ...if you would give the features us customers
have been asking for for the past year+, then many wouldn't bother
to jailbreak ...you friggin morons

Apple DOESN'T CARE if you jailbreak!

Do people bother to read threads anymore, or is it just more fun to come in and call someone a moron even of you don't know what you're talking about?

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

"helloooo, Apple !?" ...if you would give the features us customers
have been asking for for the past year+, then many wouldn't bother
to jailbreak ...you friggin morons

Amen.