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NY Times: Apples Latest Product, the iBrick
- Thread starter Black Belt
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The media storm is brewing. The iPhone is too sexy for the medioa to ignore, and when there is problems in iPhoneLand- any problems- you bet it is gonna be blown out of proportion in the media.
I predict Apple will not survive this smelling as rosy as it did with the iRebate.
I predict Apple will not survive this smelling as rosy as it did with the iRebate.
all it needs to do is stop being so stubborn.
Stop actively going after customers that want to fiddle with the iphone that they own.
If they did that and unlocked a few iphone applications for the ipod touch then I'm pretty sure almost everyone would forgive them pretty fast.
But, no, steve jobs is a stubborn guy...
Stop actively going after customers that want to fiddle with the iphone that they own.
If they did that and unlocked a few iphone applications for the ipod touch then I'm pretty sure almost everyone would forgive them pretty fast.
But, no, steve jobs is a stubborn guy...
What, a Ny Times article? The New York Times has had it in for the iPhone since the beginning. It panned it in reviews, and has even made up news and exagerated certain issues in order to generate bad press. With the likes of David Pogue working there, you're never going to get an unbiased technology story out of the Times.
On the contrary, I predict Apple will do just fine. They gave fair warning about what the update would do. And frankly, this is what happens when you tamper with stuff. You take a risk doing this. Sometimes you win, sometimes not.
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And I predict they will do just fine. The macrumors members market is a small small portion of the overall iphone market and most of the rest simply want to use their phone as inteneded as an ipod, web surfer, mail and phone tool.
They are updating the software which you don't own. You do understand that do you?
Pretty sure?
And who would forgive them fast? Whiners on the Macrumors bored? You do know that the vast majority of iphone users simply don't care. You do know that posters on macrumors are not the entire market do you?
You mean he's sooo stubborn he's adding features and security fixes, and observing ATT agreements, and adding optimizations to the iphone? Is that the kind of stubborn you are talking about?
No they wouldn't. You'd still have a loud group that insist it can be used with any sim and any operator at any time.
YOU DO NOT OWN THE SOFTWARE. You own the plastic,metal, glass and SILICON, THAT IS IT.
It doesn't matter what the legal question is, or whether people feel that unlockers have no right do this. What matters is that hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, reading these articles will get a bad impression of Apple as a company that is deliberately bricking expensive phones to get back at customers who did what many people have done to their phones: add functionality and unlock it for use with other sims.
Bad publicity will overshadow the iphone from now on unless Apple somehow finds a way around this. Arrogant comments like the one quoted in the article of the Apple spokeswoman who said that users who have their phones bricked by apple will need to buy another phone are really nasty and will turn off many potential apple customers. Way to go Apple!
Bad publicity will overshadow the iphone from now on unless Apple somehow finds a way around this. Arrogant comments like the one quoted in the article of the Apple spokeswoman who said that users who have their phones bricked by apple will need to buy another phone are really nasty and will turn off many potential apple customers. Way to go Apple!
I think you are overestimating people's affection for hackers and underestimating people's affection for Apple.
Most people aren't going to care if someone wants to use their iPhone on tmobile or wants to play NES or use their own ringtones.
What they will hear is Apple won't let people hack their iPhone.
And the vast majority of people will have zero issue with that one.
I am surrounded by iPhone users, most are the average owner. They have no concept what a hack is, and they don't care. I've seen estimates of 100,000 hacked iPhones. Even on this site, which is very hacker heavy, only about 25% seem to be hacking (looking at various polls here). As it becomes more problematic to hack and Apple keeps the new updates coming, then all that will be left is a very small group of hobbyists and low income world travelers.
IMHO, I say less than 2% by year's end will still be hacking and falling off fast.
Then maybe Apple can use their resources to service the 99% who are their real customer base instead of plugging holes.
IMHO, I say less than 2% by year's end will still be hacking and falling off fast.
Then maybe Apple can use their resources to service the 99% who are their real customer base instead of plugging holes.
And I think you may be underestimating bad publicity. It's not about rational thought, but about feelings that come from bad publicity. Many people unlock their phones and add functionality through third party software - it's part of accepted practice and everyday life. People feel, rightfully, that it's their phone and they can do what they want with it. This kind of publicity gives the impression that Apple is a company that meddles in what you do with your phone and that is enough to turn customers off, especially when there are so many other phone manufacturers who don't do this.
The front page of one of the main Scandinavian newspapers ran an article today about the iphone bricking and I'm sure there will be many more to come about this issue. I don't think it's good for Apple and I'm sure they will realise that too adn try to address it. Image is EVERYTHING for Apple and this doesn't fit with their image.
We're not talking about hackers here - we're talking about ordinary, respectable people (lawyers, doctors, academics whatever) getting their phones permanently damaged because they wanted to add functionality. This is not hacking for the sake of damaging anything and that comes across in the article.
By their own actions Apple has clearly stated that they do not want those unlocks or 3rd party applications on their platform.
Do you really think a company as media-conscious as Apple would simply forget what the public response would be?
We're talking about a company that, perhaps better than any other, markets its way into the hearts and minds of people all over the world.
Did you ever stop to consider that creating a secure platform free of 3rd party hacks or unlocks is their goal?
It elicits just as emotional a response from people who love the idea of the uniform iPhone.
Some people don't. That's fine. If they want to insist on using the iPhone instead of another phone that embraces their world view, I get the feeling that Apple is quite happy to alienate those customers.
Why? The 1.1.1 update says it all.
It may be anecdotal, but I know a lot of lawyers and doctors who own iPhones and none have the time to hack their phone. That being said, I would love to see some legitimate apps; filemaker pro or numbers, calendar file support, and the usual, cut and paste, better search feature, etc.
Hopefully, Apple can slow down on protecting the iPhone from unauthorized use and then they can concentrate on the good stuff!!
Neither of us truly knows the response to this publicity. However, I have often tried to sell the mac to friends who are PC users (many casual, non-hacking users) and I've often come across a prejudice against Apple based on perceptions of things being limited, locked and proprietary. We know this is not the case, but many people don't. These kinds of articles further perpetuate an image of Apple as a closed, limited/limiting and controlling company.
We'll see.
The reason for my opinion is that Apple being closed and proprietary is nothing new.
The iPhone wasn't marketed as some wunder-swiss army-open source device. Much the opposite in fact.
Apple is playing to their strength by playing this card.
The problem, such as it is, is that the iPhone is the latest and greatest and therefore has a nice big fat target on its back from hackers.
The average user isn't going to care a wit, just like the average computer user won't care if they can't buy a MacBook Pro with Linux on it.
I agree with Sobe, but that is the point as well; Apple has always been a closed system in many ways. Used by musicians, artists, editors, etc. who need security and reliability.
Gates and company have been the hacker testbeds. I'd love to keep it that way...Hackers go MS and users go Apple.
Gates and company have been the hacker testbeds. I'd love to keep it that way...Hackers go MS and users go Apple.
And that is not going to happen here in the US for the dear price AT&T paid to have the iPhone. I was willing to switch to AT&T after 10+ years with Sprint to go with the iPhone.
Why the hell should Apple be forced to work around their customers and make sure that new software updates are compatible with rogue software developed by people who go directly against what Apple is trying to do (prevent iPhone unlocking)? It makes no sense from any standpoint. All you people are doing in whining now that you tried to best Apple and lost out. Why was it not obvious to you that installing a new firmware update to a hacked product might cause problems with it?
All this media is akin to people claiming that Apple committed some huge atrocity against its customers because some group of people who tried to install OSX on a computer where the hardware's firmware had been deliberately tampered with bricked the computer. It makes absolutely no sense.
The iPhone is not an open development platform, and it should not be treated as such. Apple can't be held responsible for what people do with their own purchases.
I think it is crazy all the negative things being said. Bottom line, if you do not like the way Apple does business then don't buy an iPhone. If you don't want to abide by what they want don't buy an iPhone. Up front you know what iPhones have to offer so it is your choice, take it or leave it. I like what iPhone has to offer to me. It suits my needs. If it didn't I wouldn't have bought it in the first place.