iPhone update re-locking handsets, disabling 3rd-party apps?
By Evan Blass 
posted Sep 27th 2007 2:46PM
posted Sep 27th 2007 2:46PM
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Weird....Gizmodo just posted that it was a Bluff.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pr-bluff/apples-iphone-bricking-is-a-bluff-303459.php
Sorry I just noticed that this was not related to the firmware release.
My mistake.
Comment unrelated; I just wanted a top spot.
I'd like to comment about how people who read engadget, who are tech savvy "power users", and who look for extra functionality in their products are NOT Apple's target audience. The iPhone was obviously designed for the average person with a minimum of little or no experience with technology. For every person here on Engadget who respects high functionality and heavy 3rd party support, there were 10 seventeen year-old girls going "Daddy! I want that now!" when they saw the iPhone commercial for the first time.
In perspective, the tech subculture is only a subgroup, so pretending like Apple will make "millions of dollars in sales" targeting to a different group is ridiculous.
sorry to reply to this but i think apple just added new text message alerts.
Starting any comment with "Comment unrelated; I just wanted a top spot" already completely discredits the comment...
just thought you might want to know
does anyone know if the hardware hacks still work????
Hahaha owned.
Why should legitimate iPhone subscribers have to suffer the fact that other people want to screw the system. I want them to invest in developing the product I paid for and use according to the rules, so it's great they are cutting the people who always think they are entitled to more than was offered.
Screw what system? They bought the phone outright. It's not like they are stealing something... It's obvious the noise is coming from the AT&T camp worried about losing the ability to force people in to an AT&T contract because of the popularity of the iPhone.
I don't think its a sence of entitlement that drive these people. The fact is there are hundred of thousands of people that extremely intelligent and talented who know what they (and to an extent other people) want and how to make it. Major cooperations are just not keeping up with that demand because they don't think that those ideals are profitable due to the amount of people that would use it or they want to make money off of it themselves.
Why stop progress because it doesn't line Jobs pocket with Diamonds.
Always remember you own what you buy and should never be told what to do with it. Its a Bunch of Money hungry CEO that are telling you what to do with you life. You like it? not me.
@ CoolTri
ok, but then don't expect Apple to jump through flaming hoops to support you... if Apple does an update then you are on your own... don't come back crying to Apple... you figure it out. that sounds fair to me.
This was not a case of lack of support, this was targeted sabotage. While it might be hard to prove it in court, it's exactly that to anyone who knows how the iPhone's software and firmware operates. It would have been easy to not break all unlocked and Jailbreaked phones, but that's not the route Apple decided to take. They are making a clear message that they do not appreciate 3rd party developers, a stance not taken by Palm and other PDA manufacturers. While they have every right to act this way, I will NOT be buying two iPhones for my wife and I this Christmas.
I do not expect Apple to support 3rd party apps. But after paying $600 I do think I should be able to use my phone the way I want and need to. Much of the technology that Apple uses is developed by the same Open Source people they are slapping around.
It's shortsighted posters like newgalactic that don't see the forest for the trees.
Sorry to repeat myself:
You guys still think this is about restricting third-party development?
They are a million times more concerned with competitors figuring out how to properly integrate iTunes and purchased media into non-Apple hardware.
No SDK until they've built it, and an iron gauntlet around their own proprietary code.
Oh evil "new" Apple. Seriously, when was Apple as progressive about information dissemination as you guys remember?
Keep your eyes on the ball people, you're looking in the wrong direction at shit that doesn't exist.
--
But let me add this addendum, these updates have yet to "brick" an iPhone, as far as an intelligent assessment of the situation can attest to. The SIMs that didn't work originally with the iPhone no longer work. A brick is a non-functioning device. This is an update guys, targeted toward shoring up holes in the software and possibly for creating a proper baseline so the APIs are not moving targets down the road. So seriously, take a chill pill, hack the phone with another developer's software. They are in bed with AT&T whether you like it or not. Enjoy the extended capabilities, but don't bitch about your inability to have your cake and eat it too.
Dude.... that comment sounded.. SO ... I dunno .. COMMUNIST lol.. Sorry, i dont mean to Offend. but Geeks are all over the PLANET NOT only in the US and certain European countries. The fact that companies do these DUMB things (like not allow ANY country to buy off itunes etc) does not mean to say that we dont WANT to do it legaly, but the doors are CLOSED, so hey.. HACK the world :D. If we were given the LEGAL option, believe me, I would be one of the FIRST on the list of going by the rules
Unbelieveable....u can't be serious
A man walks into a Home Depot and asks one of the customer service reps, "Excuse me, but could you tell me where you keep the unlocked iPhones?" The customer service rep says, "Where the heck do you think they'd be? There's a whole stack of those iPhones in the masonry section right next to the rest of the BRICKS." Haaaaha.
Fraunhofer Plug @ Sep 27th 2007 4:19PM
"It's shortsighted posters like newgalactic that don't see the forest for the trees."
What does any of that stuff have to do with 3rd party apps or my choice in PDA's? Why should any of us spend time trying to understand things from Apples point of view? I'm concerned with one point of view, mine. There are other PDA's that allow 3rd party apps. And what do I have to do with Apples decision to make the iTunes store the way it is. I don't care if other manufacturers are trying to play iTunes tracks on their players, and how Apple has to now protect it's exclusive business model. It's not my concern at all. I didn't decide for Apple to tether their songs to their hardware and I'm not going to spend time taking it into consideration when purchasing a PDA. Your "Forest for the Trees" argument is basically saying that I should make decisions from Apples point of view, and that's just ridiculous. It's also very off-topic from my only point, that there's a huge difference between "jumping through hoops to support 3rd party development" and "actively sabotaging all 3rd party apps and unlocks".
Fraunhofer, keep following around all the Apple talk, trying to deduce their motivations for the things they do. It obviously seems to give you a thrill that you might somehow have insight into their decision making process. For me, I'm not going to bother. I'm going to try to find the best PDA for my needs, and a company that doesn't discourage open development.
You just won the complete idiot award. I guess you would be cool if you bought a car and they told you that you can only drive 55 and pump gas @ and only Shell because it will void your warranty. I guess you also prefer taking it without any lubrication.
I'm not quite sure what 'taking it without any lubrication' means in respect to this thread, although I'm confident you can expand on your experiences on this very matter with great first-hand detail.
I imagine owning a car that could reach 55mph, would be your life goal, judging from the few words you managed to scrawl down here.
I'd like to refer you to the first line of my original post, it's relevant to this reply, thanks.
I'm not sure what people were expecting. Look at the size of the download... 150+ MB. In all likelihood, they COMPLETELY rewrote the firmware to the phone. Do you really think that after a firmware rewrite that any firmware hacks would survive???
And I don't think they are purposely doing anything. I think they're just saying "Look people, our update is going to steamroll in some new firmware. We're not going to spend time testing and whatnot to make sure your hacks will survive."
If the car manufacturer told you ahead of time that you couldn't drive over 55mph and had to use Shell gas but you bought it anyway thinking you didn't have to obey their rules, then it is your own fault for buying the car.
In other words,
You were warned. You didn't listen. You suffer the consequences.
I am no fan of Apples policies but I understand the possible consequences so choose not to buy an iPhone. I don't go around bitching and whining about Apples policies, I just buy a different phone.
"It would have been easy to not break all unlocked and Jailbreaked phones, but that's not the route Apple decided to take. They are making a clear message that they do not appreciate 3rd party developers, a stance not taken by Palm and other PDA manufacturers."
Dude, in what part of the "SDK is currently Web 2.0" announcement did you decide Apple was anti-third party support? The point is being an apologist for Apple and understanding they rushed a product and placed rules you chose not to comply with are not the same thing. It's a technical assessment to try and understand, even-handedly that the SDK is just not developed at this point. If that's something you can't live with in a PDA (and how you confused the iPhone for one if you did your research is beyond me) then you're probably on the right track to getting what you want.
The codebase will change until they are satisfied with APIs they can maintain for developers to work against. If they don't decide to release those they haven't said anything that should confuse a consumer into thinking this is an open platform.
So, enjoy the Blackberry or Palm-based device as you clearly purchased the cutting edge thinking it's called that for entirely different reasons.
halfeatenfish @ Sep 27th 2007 7:13PM
"I'm not sure what people were expecting. Look at the size of the download... 150+ MB. In all likelihood, they COMPLETELY rewrote the firmware to the phone. Do you really think that after a firmware rewrite that any firmware hacks would survive???"
150MB isn't that significant an update for something like an iPhone. The cut-down OSX that iPhones run on is what, 700MB? That's roughly 20% of the size of the OS install. That's about the equivalent of a 2-3MB update for my '04 model iPaq (Windows Mobile 2003), yet the only update I've installed was 23.3MB.
Actually, the subject of iPhones came up earlier today, and someone mentioned how Apple is going to cripple any unlocked iPhones. But they're not actively going out and deactivating them remotely or anything. These updates aren't mandatory, are they?
Mr. Angry, you're a pissed off, unhappy person. How does someone who unlocks their OWN phone affect you? Why do you care? How, exactly does this cause you to "suffer?' You're an iPhone nazi!- policing technology and advancement to make everything "fair and equal" for the lowest common denominator -you. Everyone who unlocked their phone knows that they voided their warranty, and accept this before they mod it. But your taking such glee and happiness from this shows the kind of communist you obviously are. How does someone unlocking their own iPhone affect Apple's ability to develop their own products - "that you paid for and use according to the rules?" Good for you, Mr. Angry, you win the "tech nazi of the year award" for your tireless work of making everyone play by "the rules." When are you going to get started making the world fair for everyone while you're at it? People who unlocked their phones paid for them too, so again, how does this affect you? And what does a sense of entitlement have to do with anything? We aren't motivated by any sense of entitlement. Just because you're not smart enough to do it, doesn't mean I can't. In fact, I did, and you know what? I'll find a way to unlock it again! People will always take things apart to see how they work, and mod/make improvements - it's human nature. I'm not angry with Apple either. They're doing what's in their best interest -also human nature. Should Apple punish us? Oh yea, they already did -they voided my warranty! People who get satisfaction from seeing others unhappiness or distress suck as human beings. I sincerely question your "human" nature. Unhappiness and misery for all! Now go ahead, Mr. Angry, get started trying to diminish my comment... did I forget a period? mispell a word? I know I didn't to use a semicolon where one was needed. You're still a pissed off person though, and in your book, that should make me happy.
What a twat...
We play this game at work where we try and get points by invoking responses from idiots on internet forums by posting. For you to reply a whole day later is hilarious, you type like you don't take a breath. You've really topped off my score today, you've got us in tears here.
I don't care what you think buddy, or what you do with your iPhone, you can jam it up your ass for all I care. Also the word you are looking for is hubris, try at least using the correct term if you want to scrap with the big boys. Just get a life mongman.
And yet, you still reply... a day later... Does this fill some void in your pathetic little life? Go back to your cubicle and pout. I must be close to the truth about you, you seem even more pissed off.
Engadget Email me with fan mail when tossers like you reply.
Way to go on the come back! That's 10 points for a personal attack, great stuff! I can't blame you for replying that time as you did get your ass handed to you pretty badly there, so no doubt you are licking your wounds.
Hope the iPhone isn't to uncomfortable. If you really want to play, please have something interesting to contribute. It just looks like you logged on to engadget after crying overnight that your bricked iPhone won't let you call your shrink.
damn, you got a lot of rise out of a lot of people by posting that.
i was just wondering, what are the legitimate iphone owners suffering from? A severe case of idiocy? - to drop this crazy sum of cash on a piece of white plastic is ridiculously stupid.
Chris
And that's why the smart folk go with WM6/Blackberry/Palm phones.
Agreed.
At least BB/WM phones are actually Smart phone's and not phones with a Fischer Price interface.
While I do have a Treo 650 and it works well, only an idiot would buy a WM anything. BB I can see as they are the best for e-mail.
But, Windows Mobile? Come on - all the BS associated with Windows in the palm of your hand? No thanks.
I might just loss at sarcasm, but I can't get my BB to do anything cool.
@itguy
You must not be an itguy. Because if you were you would know how well WM works with CRM and Office Live Communicator.
/an IT Guy
//A Network Admin guy.
So true...until the iPhone is well and truly unlocked w/o the need for updates (which i'm sure will always come with a "you must update or else etc" and the obligatory relock0 I'l stick with my open 3rd-party filled Palm treo.
I with you wm6 is the best...
Go HTC Kaiser!!!!!!
Yes, I am an IT guy. Luckilly the company I work for is smart and does not use Exchange or any other MS based CRM.
We need reliability and scalability, something Windows does not provide.
Spare me. I've had a couple of Blackberrys and a Treo. The iPhone has proven better than both in practical usage. Don't get me wrong; there were some neat apps for the Blackberry and Treo. I thought it was kind of cool to be able to SSH into my gear at the office while sitting around at the airport, but let's be honest. All of the document editing and terminal access amounted to very little use, and was in no way very practical. To be truly productive on the go, all you really need is email, a web browser, and a phone (I cannot stress this last one enough). If you need to be more productive than is possible with those three features, then you really need to find a desk and open up your laptop.
Get over it. The iPhone keyboard has proven it is better than the Treo and Blackberry keyboards, and this is coming from someone who used to curse the tiny keys of the Treo. The iPhone web browser is far superior. And email on the iPhone is a dream compared to breaking out that damned stylus. I'll have to give on the Blackberry. The scroll wheel was nice and made it easy, but really that was the only upside in comparison.
If the update broke unlocked phones, so what? The individual, technically, broke the EULA. I'm no saint, but I don't cry when a company works to protect their contracts. While I know little of AT&T's specific contract with Apple, I have worked on similar contracts between a service provider and a vendor. Each side is compelled to take reasonable steps in enforcing any exclusivity written into the contract. The law and ethics are on the side of Apple, in this case, not the end-user.
This all might be a bummer for purchasers who unlocked their iPhone, but that doesn't make Apple the bad guy.
Gian
A) tl;dr
B) I like having an actual keyboard to type on
You can make all the claims you want about the iPhone keyboard being good - I wouldn't doubt that it's the best touchscreen keyboard - but tactile response is far more useful for me. Smaller screen, sure, but I can type faster with actual buttons.
@John
And, I would have agreed with you up until about five days in. You need to have one for a couple of days, but once you're used to it, it is so much better. I know where you're coming from. Telling you is rather empty. It really is one of those things you have to experience for yourself. I needed a new iPod, wanted one with video (since it's related to my work), and the price drop made it an easy decision. Easily, it is the best smart phone I have ever owned. Sure, I'd like a little more. A few interesting games for diversion, instead of just movies, music, and web, would be nice, but I'm sure it'll be along soon, and it's not a high priority for me.
I cannot stress enough how well the keyboard works. I almost feel like it learned my habits to make my typing better. I cannot say the same for the Blackberry or the Treo.
Gian
Wow, I can't believe I saw someone with Palm OS attacking someone with Windows Mobile. They are both such terrible options that comparing the two is pretty much pointless.
iPhone best smart phone? It can't even copy/paste.
No thanks.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
@diatonic
Again, when the hell do you ever need to copy and paste? An email address? A website? A phone number? Geez, man, the phone recognizes all of those for me. What do I need copy and paste for?
I get the impression a lot of iPhone bashers are just pissed off at having spent nearly the price of an iPhone on a subpar phone just prior to the release of the iPhone. The E70 isn't a bad phone, dude, but it does not compare to the iPhone.
Gian
@Gian
Too bad you'll be browsing the net at turtle speed whilst I'm cruising on my Class 8 HSDPA/Class 6 HSUPA HTC Kaiser.
What's that? Where's the GPS? The secondary camera for video calls? The ability to freely load many 3rd party apps that add extra functionality?... I don't know where they are. I guess Mr Jobs forgot to put those in.
I know, I'll just play around with the ultra cool touch-screen keyboard, because working on the go is for suckers.
Here's an updated guide to unlock your iPhone, it has a step in which you choose the 1.0.2 firmware to prevent it from updating to 1.1.1
http://coolblog.profit42.com/2007/09/27/unlock-your-iphone-using-the-latest-anysim/
It's not that difficult- if you don't want to keep using all your customizations, don't update your phone. Simple. If you're content to keep playing within the walled garden, as I am, update away. Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too.
Simplicity of the interface has never been an enemy to the technology fan. Isn't that the overall goal, afterall? To have as many practical features as possible without confusing the overall consumer?
I have to disagree. While I'm not a big fan of Windows, for business applications WM6 beats BB. I receive both my personal and corporate e-mail on my WM6, including the attachments that I can review while on the move. It is also extremely friendly to 3rd party applications, so I was able to customize my phone to suit my actual needs as opposed to my needs as imagined by some fruity company.
As I see it, I get everything iPhone has plus everything BB has except for the industrial design of the phone itself. But there are several models in the pipeline that will fix that part too.
I understand that people who do not need advanced functionality may prefer an iPhone as it makes "party" functionality more easily accessible, but for a frequently travfeling business professional it's not a suitable device.
Just my thoughts...
And again Apple stabs the heart of those who love it.
My phone is a brick
Owned!
iPWNed
I'll be waiting for a phone running OpenMoko Linux, like the NIC or gphone. You know where /I own the phone/ instead of the phone company owning me.
WM6 i'm guessing?
do you mean it's non-working? or just that it's huge and ugly?
you should look into an iPhone. I hear they're pretty nice.
Lets have a pool on how long it would take for for crackers to reverse engineer the code and make sure iPhone works with the new firmware.
My bet, give it a week!
I don't think the point is whether or not this firmware will get bypassed within the week, but the fact that you know Apple will iScrew unlocked iPhone users on *every* firmware upgrade. How much of a PITA will it be to wait about a week after every firmware upgrade to use your phone again?
Well, unlocked iPhone users won't really have to wait a week (or whatever) to use the phone after every firmware update, they'll just have to wait a week (or whatever) to use the update.
They don't have to wait a week to use their phone again.. just wait a week before they update their phone.
I'll wait for Apple to realize that they can't control an entire product ecosystem. Once they do, I'll have an API and can enjoy an iPhone as it was meant to be. It will probably have 3G by then.
When did Apple released an API to anything????
I just figured out what is happening, it deactivates all the iphones, installs the updates and then goes though the whole activation process again. If your iphone was never activated through them in the first place you wont be in the database and it wont activate your iphone again.
I'll wait for the openMoko NEO1973... At least I'll know and decide what goes in my phone.
I really wanted to get an openmoko too, but when I read the specs, no wifi. That's the deal breaker.
Actually, the new NEO1973 will include WiFi(GTA02), a faster processor, 3d acceleration and should be available within the next couple of months (hopefully before December).
The only think I found a drawback is the lack of the digital camera, but considering the openness of the project, I don't think it'd be too hard to actually put one in.
NEO1973 GTA02 info:
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/GTA02#.22Phase_2.22_.28GTA02.2C_.22Mass_Market.22.29
I'll be going for the Dev version :D
Just finished the upgrade, Iphone works great. But all my hacks are
gone. I was using App Tapp and it looks like it erased it and all my
cool little apps. I cant log in via my ssh & cyberduck any more. I
never unlocked my phone so I cant comment on that.I am sure there
will be a new version of App Tapp to install soon.
...and I just unlocked my iPhone yesterday using AnySIM and firmware 1.0.2
Now?--now I am ready to cry big fat crocodile tears.
Will attempt to restore my phone tonight (and wipe iBrickr), update the firmware, and try to unlock the phone again using AnySIM and T-Mobile. I'll report on the outcome.
Good thing I still have my 8800 BB lying next to my keyboard.
As Bill and Ted would say, "bummmmmmmmmmmmmer."
yesterday??!!!??!!?!!
no offense but do live under a brick (you now live with a brick)... how could you have done that yesterday, with all the news that this was coming out today????
So, are unlocked iPhones bricked (i.e. inoperable)? Or do they still function, you just have to (re)activate with AT&T?
Being that Apple threatened to brick ("render inoperable") unlocked and/or hacked iPhones, I think this is a pertinent question.
A brilliant reader would have noticed "Reactivation requires an AT&T SIM" All that means is that you need the original AT&T SIM from your iPhone to reactivate it.
can i ask if your not forced to update your phone and it is unlocked why would you do an update? just for the new features?
What ever happened to sense of ownership. Isnt it supposed to be that when you buy a product you're free to do whatever you want with it. So i just dropped 400 bones on a phone, aren't i free to smash it to a wall if i wanted to? It makes sense to dishonor warranty when the user goes beyond the terms of use, but doesnt disabling a quarter a million iphones make apple lose out on more revenue?
Wow, you don't understand business AT ALL.
1) The phones are already bought.
2) There's a lot of money made on the fact that AT&T is the exclusive carrier.
Sure, spend $400 and slam it against a wall...but don't expect to be able to access any network you want with it. With that logic, you shouldn't have to pay for extra minutes, messaging, net access....
thats why i said Apple, not At&t. Its obvious that the peeps at At&t were shaking their fists when people figured out how to unlock their prized product. Yes youre right. The phones are already bought. Meaning Apple already made their profits. The only ones missing out is At&t since they obviously failing in suckering consumers to apply for their services.
Im leaning more towards the ethical idea of this business decision. Are you saying that when i buy a product, its parent company can still pull the strings in terms of its usage? So hypothetically, if a beer company decides to write in their fine print that when buying their bottled beer you can only pour it in a bowl and drink it from there then thats the only way you can drink your beer? ...if by doing otherwise, and you happen to pour your alcohol in a glass, then they have the right to poison or confiscate your beer?
@ Mervyn Mabini
sure you bought the phone and the software on it... and have access to all the updates if you want.. no one is forcing anyone to take the update... although you might be exposing yourself to some nasty vulnerabilities...
i don't understand why people think Apple needs to support these hacked iPhones?? if you put a 12 cyclinder in your Focus is Ford not going to void your warenty.. if it issues a recall not compatible with your upgrades are they going to be responsible to design a new part for you... NO!! you screw with it you are on your own... what the hell is wrong with people these days??? i don't understand it.. you are a big adult, you made a choice... live with it... deal with it..
No Apple makes a small chunk from Att contracts
exactly!!
Apple doesnt need to support these hacked iphones! Apple doesnt need to go against them either.
Bad analogy DrSpoc.
A more proper analogy would be like saying what if Ford recalled the tires, then you sent it in, and not only did they change the tires, but they also yanked out your new engine and replaced it with the original.
The thing here is that Apple EASILY could have let people keep their hacked iPhones and third-party updates, but they didn't because AT&T was breathing down their necks because they'd lose the contract money if people took their phones to T-mobile etc.
It's really just a question of business ethics. Did Apple have every right to do this? Of course. Did they have to? No. If it was me, would I be a nice guy and let people keep their hacked iPhones? Yes.
Oh, my goodness. Somebody must have missed this part when they read the EULA. This was part of the fine print on the document when purchasers bought their iPhone. Of course, every innocent victim/criminal will swear on their mother's grave that this paragraph doesn't exist. What the heck. Nobody reads those stupid documents anyway.
"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."
And 95% of those miscreants of society locked up behind bars are innocent. Just ask them. They'll tell you so. "Man, I was framed."
"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."
so its voids warranty. so what. thats not the issue. the issue is Apple DIDNT HAVE TO re-lock thier phones. obviously the decision was made because At&t was breathing down their necks. either that or there was profit to be made on thier part.
@Juaquin
look bottom line is that hackers either knew or should have known this was going to happen... Apple has an agreement with AT&T to give them exclusivity... AT&T and Apple are in business to make money... if i was the CEO of AT&T and Apple did nothing about these hacks i'd sue them back to the stone age.. you hacked, you voided your warenty... you're SOL... they could have really bricked the phone they just put back in the state that it is supposed to be in
the other thing is that nobody is actually forced to do the upgrade so sorry Juaquin but you and all the other cry babies around here a completely and utterly out of gas..
Those who are complaining are just idiots. When you purchased the phone you exspressly knew that it was for use on one particular network and now you're crying because it's breaking your illegal modification which you made in opposition of the EULA. That's your fault. So get over it and deal with the fact that you're getting what you deserve.
people with unlocked and bricked iPhones have only themselves to blame. you knew the risks and still bet against a for-profit pair of companies(Apple and AT&T) doing somethign to protect their highly-profitable revenue stream. and you lost. yeah, that sucks for people who want more options, but you should have known better, or at least been ok with the possibility of having a disable phone.
you don't have much ground to stand on in yoru arguments. you violated the terms of the warranty and the guarantees from apple/at&t that it provides; they didn't. you've no right to complain for a broken phone, however temporary or not that is.
it's like reading on the internet that sticking your phone in a hot oven for 30 minutes will add a feature and then bitching that your phone died afterwards.
not actively disabling my ass. They just want to avoid the public outcry. Why else would they require an active AT&T sim card than to stop unlocking.
I'm starting my countdown till someone unlocks I phone 1.1... Now. (I guess 4 days)
I love it. Exactly why I didn't buy an iPhone to unlock. Who didn't see this one coming a mile away? Why WOULDN'T AT&T do everything they could to retain their exclusivity? And who wants to be constantly updating their cell phone hackware just so it's useable?
Predictably pwned.
So, i guess the only winner in this whole situation up to this point is the dude cruising around in the Nissan 350Z....
Okay all... no matter what iPhone Dev team says... nobody gives a flying freak about the sim-unlock not working except for us dorks that read Engadget. Sorry to burst all the collective bubbles, but it doesn't matter. I don't care if a million people downloaded sim unlocking apps... I know that I downloaded it just to take a look. Because I am a computer dork. I had no intention of ever installing it. Just wanted to see how it was packaged and take a look at the info. Apple is not screwing with people that love them... you don't love them. All of us dorks that read Engadget do it because we get off on talking about how much we hate everything. We hate Windows. We hate OS X. We hate iPhones. (But we all love Linux:) ) So let's just accept our little update and move on. For those of you who have unlocked your iPhones... let someone else figure out the update process before you make any updates. I absolutely love the comments "Let's hope my iPhone's not bricked." If you're willing to take that risk, I'm willing to laugh when it is bricked!
haha, well put. We do hate everything, don't we?
Thanks JD. Your post made my day. Those are the same thoughts I have whenever I read engadget, tuaw, digg, et al. and see all the self-righteous indignation.
I hate Linux.
It's legal to unlock your cellphone, period.
And it's legal for them to disable an unlocked phone.
@jpn,
Well to be fair, Apple isn't the one disabling the iPhone. The user who puts Apple's new firmware on it is disabling the iPhone as the phone seems to work well with the existing firmware.
I don't care about the re-locking to AT&T - it's stupid but AT&T seems to have the best plan for the phone anyway. Disabling 3rd party apps means I won't buy one. Where's my SDK Apple? And no, Macworld is too late for that. If its not out before Christmas, I'll find another much much cheaper phone.
The tale of the iPhonelayer....
My friend who works in the construction trade industry went down to the hall to get a construction job. He saw a sign on the wall asking for iPhonelayers. He wondered what the f*ck is an iPhonelayer. He asked around and finally one of the foremen there said, "Oh that. They've changed the trade name from BRICKlayer to iPhonelayer." It seems that there were so many unlocked iPhone BRICKS around, the industry decided to modernize the construction term "bricklayer" with something that sounded more technical. The foreman also mentioned that iPhone paving bricks look spectacular.
Haaaha.
.............and the battle goes on. With every new update phones will have to reactivated. Apple are not gonna give up, they will give all owners of unlocked iPhones a tough time the coming months.
This update has to suck for owners of unlocked iPhone who live in europe. Now they have to get their hands on an AT&T card.
All iPhones come with an AT&T card inside them. The card is already installed while the iPhone sits in its box on the shelf. So unless someone yanked it out before sending the phone to Europe, they probably still have it.
I unlocked mine for no reason last week, and now when I updated it says invalid sim insert AT&T Sim Card. I never used another services SIM card. I have always used my AT&T, and it is saying invalid
hey guys guess what I have an unlocked iphone on t-mobile. And it works! All I had to do was NOT DOWNLOAD THE FIRMWARE UPDATE. Everyone stop bitching and just enjoy your phones. If you want the 3rd party apps and an unlocked phone then wait until the new fixes come out.
I cant believe the paranoia and spazzing over the update...
IF YOU HAVE HACKED YOUR PHONE, DONT UPDATE!!! =D
But what happens when the update that allows people to copy and paste comes out? :P
In all honesty, its a give and take. If someone chooses to put "unauthorized" programs and changes on their phone, they should be aware that they might not be supported with updates after that. I know it sounds odd *gasp*, but people should know this when they change stuff on their own if its not authorized.
The more common equivalent of this would be you buying a new car from say Ford, then souping the engine up with "illegal" after-market parts on the engine, and then asking Ford to repair your car with all the new equpiment on it. They're going to say they dont know what all the new stuff is, and if they're going to work on it they need to take it off, or they wont do it at all.
In this case, we all believe and want to say that we have total control over our phones; if that's the case, then take total responsibility and dont expect Apple or anyone to cater to you when you modify it. They're a legit business and run it the way want to. Don't like it? Buy another smartphone. =/