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iPod touch Jailbreaking to get the January update apps = piracy?

S

ShepUK

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 24, 2008
37
0
I'm surprised I never see this come up in the pro vs anti jailbreak arguments... so, here's a question:

If I jailbreak my ipod, and then put the mail, weather, map etc apps onto it ... that means that - technically - I'm using illegal, pirated software ... stolen from apple ... right?

The only way to have a "legal" copy of these apps on a Touch is to buy a machine that has them pre-installed, or buy the January update?

Given the choice between paying $20, or just stealing the software, I think I'll stump up the $20.
 
ShepUK said:
I'm surprised I never see this come up in the pro vs anti jailbreak arguments... so, here's a question:

If I jailbreak my ipod, and then put the mail, weather, map etc apps onto it ... that means that - technically - I'm using illegal, pirated software ... stolen from apple ... right?

The only way to have a "legal" copy of these apps on a Touch is to buy a machine that has them pre-installed, or buy the January update?

Given the choice between paying $20, or just stealing the software, I think I'll stump up the $20.
Click to expand...

It's a weird situation. I put those apps on my ipt months ago because they couldn't be purchased and I thought that was ridiculous...now Apple is charging for them. I'm kind of a retro-active pirate.

Don't get me wrong: it was still pirating back then. You're not allowed to copy software just because that software isn't available for sale...but it definitely feels more wrong now than it did in the past.

When Apple releases the SDK, I'll probably reflash my iPT, put on all the free upgrades, then buy the $20 upgrade. The one thing holding me back is that I like all of the extra software I added to my iPT, and I don't want to lose that while everybody updates their software to the official SDK.
 
To the OP, you are 100% correct. Jailbreaking to get Apple's apps without paying the $20 upgrade fee is indeed piracy. I also see where the second poster's point that before you could buy them legitimately it seemed like a non-issue, but now the game has changed.
Jailbreaking your iPod touch to gain access to the slew of free applications offered out there is perfectly acceptable. It's your device, and the third-party software you're using is being offered for free.
Amidst all the crying and moaning about Apple's upgrade fee, I've seen very little mention of the actual reason there is a charge in the first place. You have to pay for the applications. 5 applications at $4 each = $20. Jailbreaking and installing apps someone pulled off their iPhone = piracy. Flame all you want but it doesn't make it any less true.
As a matter of fact, this forum has rules against pirating and helping others pirate software. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the mods start enforcing this with regard to improperly using Apple's iPod Touch apps.

Just because I don't post a whole lot doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.
 
I upgraded to 1.1.3, paid for the Apps, found out there was a video bug that I hated, downgraded to 1.1.1, jailbroke 1.1.1, upgraded to 1.1.2, and installed the iPhone apps... since I paid for them in 1.1.3, does that give me the right to use them on 1.1.2?
 
Ianal..

TheSpaz said:
I upgraded to 1.1.3, paid for the Apps, found out there was a video bug that I hated, downgraded to 1.1.1, jailbroke 1.1.1, upgraded to 1.1.2, and installed the iPhone apps... since I paid for them in 1.1.3, does that give me the right to use them on 1.1.2?
Click to expand...

Check the EULA, but probably not since the only way to get them onto 1.1.2 is by jailbreaking. But then you probably already violated the agreement (possibly even the DMCA) by jailbreaking 1.1.1 so you have to ask yourself if it matters by then *shrugs*

Depends where everyone's morals stand, I just stumped up the $20, it's hardly breaking the bank and I can't be bothered with faffing around with things these days anyway, if I can pay to have it just work with no effort. (That's half the reason I switched from PCs.)
 
Mystikal said:
If youre on the internet and NOT pirating...then thats just sad. :)
Click to expand...

Not really... depends on your morals. I used to pirate everything but as part of growing up, I realised that it's highly unfair especially to the small-time developers who put their heart and soul into their apps and rely on shareware registrations etc to put food on the table. Even with the big companies it's not great, because it's keeping the prices high for everyone else.
 
Cloudane said:
Not really... depends on your morals. I used to pirate everything but as part of growing up, I realised that it's highly unfair especially to the small-time developers who put their heart and soul into their apps and rely on shareware registrations etc to put food on the table. Even with the big companies it's not great, because it's keeping the prices high for everyone else.
Click to expand...

In this case i think its completely stupid to pay 20 bucks for 5 icons...
 
Unfair of them to charge it IMO, but that's outside the scope of this thread and already been done to death a million times.

Doesn't make it any more legal to copy them on from elsewhere.
 
Darth.Titan said:
<snip>
Jailbreaking and installing apps someone pulled off their iPhone = piracy. Flame all you want but it doesn't make it any less true.
As a matter of fact, this forum has rules against pirating and helping others pirate software. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the mods start enforcing this with regard to improperly using Apple's iPod Touch apps.

Just because I don't post a whole lot doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

Well, apparently the last part isn't quite true, since you obviously don't know that the free 1.1.3 firmware installs the applications automatically on all devices. Paying the $20 just activates them. Nobody is going to need to pull apps off an iPhone once the jailbreak for 1.1.3 is released.

I have no idea why Apple decided to do it this way rather than require the apps to be installed separately, but there we are.
 
I don't understand why someone would spend about $400- on a Touch and risk jailbreaking it. Buying hardware is not a one time expenditure, and I'm going to play by the rules, and in return my unit will be supportable by Apple, and I'm not good with pirating. I can't believe how upset some people got over $20-.
 
Cloudane said:
Not really... depends on your morals. I used to pirate everything but as part of growing up, I realised that it's highly unfair especially to the small-time developers who put their heart and soul into their apps and rely on shareware registrations etc to put food on the table. Even with the big companies it's not great, because it's keeping the prices high for everyone else.
Click to expand...

Exactly - as a developer and the owner of my own small business I've been directly affected by loss of income caused by piracy. I don't have anything that's illegal on any of my computers or devices (including movies and music) and don't really understand anyone who tries to justify piracy: Whilst technically it may be a different offense to theft, the end result is the much same (i.e. depriving the copyright owner of income)
 
If I jailbreak my ipod, and then put the mail, weather, map etc apps onto it ... that means that - technically - I'm using illegal, pirated software ... stolen from apple ... right?
Click to expand...

What I don't understand is why nobody thought adding the apps was piracy before they were available. If you install copies of apps that are protected under copyright, you are violating copyright.

Before it was possible to buy the apps, it wasn't costing Apple anything if you installed them. Now there is a cost to them in terms of what they would have had: $20.
 
If you want to look at everything in terms of black and white it's piracy now and it was piracy before.

Given that most of us don't see the world in black and white, it's a lot more complicated than that. There is no reason that the iphone apps couldn't have been on the touch from day one. Pirating them when there was no other way to get them was a fairly light shade of gray for most. Now that Apple is charging for them it really depends on how you personally feel about that. After all what we're really talking about here is your own conscience. In my opinion the apps should have been there from the get go and Apple is simply extorting money out of early adopters. So I don't view jailbreaking to add those apps now much differently than I did before.

All that being said I went ahead and ponied up the $20 because the time it will take to work around Apple's inevitable ibrick update is worth more to me than $20. (and there aren't any other jailbroken apps I want)
 
In the end, as was already said, everything comes down to your moral standards.

I use my moral compass for making decisions related to piracy, as to most people I suppose. I would not have a problem "stealing" the software, however I chose not to as I'd prefer to not jailbreak the touch as it means I never have to read these or any other forum to research various issues that come up, or to know if I can install the latest firmware, etc.

With music and movies, for the time being I acquire them via alternative methods, if you will. When the day comes that I can easy afford to spend hundreds of dollars a year on mp3s I probably will. If in the meantime the entire music industry collapses, that's fine with me. I personally think that the music industry is not a great thing, and that only a fraction of a percentage of talented music is heard by 99% of the population because they're the ones that got lucky and made it big. If every record that was on every mainstream record label suddenly stopped getting paid and stopped making music, that would be totally fine with me. I've gone to enough concerts, and downloaded enough FREE legit music from smaller bands that are incredibly talented that I wouldn't loose any sleep over it.
 
yea my friend jailbroke his ipod, and the apps got all screwed up...how do you get them to install from the installer app?
and yes i HAVE PAID FOR THE APPS!!!
 
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