A note to both Apple and iPhone customers on the v1.1.1 update

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: October 1, 2007 2:18:16 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] A note to both Apple and iPhone customers on  
the v1.1.1 update

A note to both Apple and iPhone customers on the v1.1.1 update

Posted Oct 1st 2007 12:04PM by Ryan Block
<http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/01/a-note-to-both-apple-and-iphone- 
customers-on-the-v1-1-1-update/>

We're in a unique position here at Engadget, serving the technology  
community, while simultaneously interacting with and trying to make  
sense of the moves of the companies our readership patronizes.  
Apple's latest iPhone firmware, as you've probably heard, locks out  
third party applications, consequently preventing owners from using  
their device on networks other than AT&T -- so it's easy to see why  
this is being viewed as a hostile act, with thousands ready to storm  
the Cupertino castle in order to get their hacked iPhones back the  
pre-v1.1.1 status quo. Make no mistake about it, whether you care  
about the iPhone or not, this 150MB software update is uniquely  
controversial and causing a rift -- if not an outright adversarial  
relationship -- between Apple and untold thousands of its core  
customers, who've used Engadget comments, blogs, and any other  
sounding board at their disposal. So, may we have a word with both  
parties?

Now, we're not going to assume we could possibly be the arbiter of a  
discussion so complex as this, but we think there a few things both  
parties should remember. Let's start with the iPhone users. Note: to  
be clear on nomenclature, when we say a device is "bricked", we mean  
it's completely unusable, not just that it's been re-locked to AT&T,  
or had 3rd party app support disabled, ok?

iPhone users,

We know you're incensed. You paid a premium price for a powerful  
phone with a lot of untapped potential, and only a few weeks after  
the third party iPhone community got to work on a slew of  
surprisingly well made apps -- including the holy grail of SIM unlock  
software (both free and paid) -- Cupertino drops the hammer and shuts  
it all off in the blink of an eye, in some cases even resulting in  
the bricking of your device. But before you grab a torch and a  
pitchfork, there are a few things you should know.

Apple's first mistake in this mess was the ominous sounding  
announcement they released last week, a few days ahead of the update.  
Here's the clip from the release:

"Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking  
programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the  
iPhone's software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone  
becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone  
software update is installed. ... Apple strongly discourages users  
from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones.  
Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their  
iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their  
warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing  
unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone's warranty."

Apple's intentions here are perfectly clear and normal -- almost any  
electronics company out there will tell you that their customers are  
discouraged from hacking their devices, as it invariably voids the  
warranty and might be liable to cause issues in the future. And  
here's why this announcement was a mistake: Apple conflated the  
issues of SIM unlocking and/or adding 3rd party software with the  
anticipation of bricked devices. Basically, Apple sought to  
preemptively blame the 3rd party iPhone software community for any  
devices that their software update might brick. In the end, stating  
that the application of v1.1.1 to hacked phones "will likely result  
in ... permanently [inoperability]" ultimately makes Apple look like  
they're targeting thousands of iPhone modders -- which is why this  
press release is biting them in the ass.

[snip]



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