Apple to disallow SIM unlock software in iPhone App Store

We know, we're flat on our backs from being blown away here, but Apple confirmed to us in a post-keynote Q&A session that SIM unlock software will not be allowed in the iPhone App Store. You know what that means? The Jailbreak community lives to crack another day.

[Mr Angry @ Mar 6th 2008 2:54PM]

Good, unlockers are scum

[Joe @ Mar 6th 2008 3:18PM]

Steve?

[sushi @ Mar 6th 2008 3:22PM]

@Joe LOL

[MBN @ Mar 6th 2008 9:53PM]

Joe, funny. But seriously, Mr. A, why are unlockers scum? Are you joking or do you have anything to back up your statement?

[Digg @ Mar 6th 2008 2:44PM]

Dugg!
http://digg.com/apple/Apple_to_disallow_SIM_unlock_software_in_iPhone_App_Store

[phanbouy @ Mar 6th 2008 6:00PM]

hey van-damme.. you just opened yourself up to spamyourenemies.com. good job!

[FrankTheCrank @ Mar 6th 2008 2:49PM]

Who was the dumb ass to ask this question?

It's like asking Bush if we're leaving Iraq.

[nxtiak @ Mar 6th 2008 2:51PM]

ahhaha, Ryan Block did.

[AdamY @ Mar 6th 2008 2:52PM]

That would be Ryan Block, Engadget Editor.

[Drew @ Mar 6th 2008 2:55PM]

If no one asked it, then you know everyone would be talking about it.

[FrankTheCrank @ Mar 6th 2008 3:02PM]

Sorry Ryan, hehe, we're cool, right??

[nathan @ Mar 6th 2008 3:52PM]

Sorry? don't be. He wasted his question. Apple has exclusivity agreements with multiple carriers in multiple countries, and makes a bucket load off of them. The carriers would press legal action if they did so. It was beyond obvious the answer to this question.

[morcheeba @ Mar 6th 2008 4:06PM]

Nathan - Just because you know the answer doesn't mean it's a wasted question. Ryan is making sure apple knows that people aren't happy with the exclusivity. There's also a bit of shaming going on, because apple isn't providing the openness what customers want. Applied to more important things, it's definitely appropriate to keep asking Bush to develop a plan for Iraq.

[FrankTheCrank @ Mar 6th 2008 4:17PM]

Bush is leaving a huge turd in the Oval Office for the democrats, and it's got the Iraqi national flag poking out of the top of that steaming pile.

"Plan, what's that?", Bush replied in an afternoon press conference.

[rodsky @ Mar 6th 2008 2:50PM]

does this really need to be posted?

[Glavasich @ Mar 6th 2008 2:50PM]

Sooo basically all Apple did was take the hacks and charge money for them?

[AdamY @ Mar 6th 2008 2:59PM]

Way to be a retard. Was it too much trouble to read?

Perhaps you're clueless about developing applications, but this suite of software will churn out products ten times better than the hacks, and Apple's "charge" is limited. Free apps are allowed, no charge to developer, no charge to consumer.

Not to mention that Apple is only taking a 30% of purchases, so technically the developers are the ones charging you for it.

Jesus H. Christ. Let me know when you're done being a total hater and we'll see about a civilized dialogue on the merits...

[Glavasich @ Mar 6th 2008 3:08PM]

I'm not a hater, I just feel for the real original thinkers. I have an iPhone and I love it to death. I upgraded to 1.1.3 to get the locate function on the maps and it turned out that Navizon's was way more accurate. Sorry if I offended you...

[AdamY @ Mar 6th 2008 3:19PM]

Bah, no, it's just hard to tell a genuine inquiry from a strawman hater on these comments sections, it's why I typically don't peruse them.

Allow me to try again:

No, there's a significant difference. Enterprise level development, integration, and deployment is going to be available as well, which is a huge boon, and something that couldn't be accomplished with the security and stability the enterprise demands through the "Jailbreak" methods.

In addition to that, Apple worked hard on giving the devs documentation, access, and ease-of-use in developing apps. If you head over to TUAW, you'll probably find Erica Sadun (blogger, iPhone hacker extraordinaire) doing backflips over all of this stuff. By saying that the new apps will be of a quality far superior to the jailbreak hacks is meant to imply that they weren't given the proper tools to work with, and had to sort things out blind. This SDK, and the event as a whole, is HUGE.

It is vastly different than jailbreaking, and creating the iPhone as a contender against any and all devices. With the power and finesse it embodies, Apple's not just shooting across the bow of mobile carriers anymore; this is a shot at UMPCs and Tablets too. Portability, versatility, power, bundled up, and encrusted in the safe, warm blanked of Enterprise-level support.

There's almost no limit to what's going onto this thing (except porn, cellular bandwidth hogs [i.e. no VoIP on EDGE, but ok on WiFi], etc.). June is going to be crazy.

You'll forgive my initial crankiness, if I had realized this was an actual question and not an attempt to be a jerk (seriously, just browse these comments for a day or so, see the haters come out) I would've been a lot nicer and, hopefully, more helpful.

[Glavasich @ Mar 6th 2008 3:24PM]

No worries. I am definitely souped for June, it's gonna be great!

[Chris @ Mar 6th 2008 2:52PM]

...and what hard hitting journalism inspired this question? Did you honestly think you were going to get anything other than a no?

[Kevin @ Mar 6th 2008 3:29PM]

Seriously - i actually think it was pretty low class to ask that

[htotheb @ Mar 6th 2008 2:54PM]

good question. glad you asked.

[coffee @ Mar 6th 2008 2:55PM]

Wasted question, obvious answer.

[Ari @ Mar 6th 2008 2:55PM]

only ryan would give up a chance to ask a serious question to el Jobso to stick it to apple for all the crackers! nicely done :)

[Elias @ Mar 6th 2008 2:59PM]

I really wish you guys would have asked about Flash and varying codec options.

[Chris Uribe @ Mar 6th 2008 3:13PM]

Another vote for asking for Flash or Flex support on the iPhone

[Jeff @ Mar 6th 2008 5:50PM]

there were a lot of questions that would have been a better use of the opportunity. 3rd party codec would have been nice to hear about... but i could care less about Flash, and really, after Jobs just bashed Flash a few days ago, i think asking about Flash might also have been a total waste of time.

[Justin @ Mar 6th 2008 3:17PM]

So I pull up my RSS reader and see 8 Apple stories related to the press conference today and think "Oops, opened TUAW instead of Engadget."

Nope. TUAW turned that 1 event into only 6 articles.

Engadget...ftw?

[chris @ Mar 6th 2008 3:17PM]

,... installer.app will still be big why cause we'll never get command line access via apple's installer... also installer.app will be free not 99$ for devs... and the SDK is all people reall want or need, we already have great repositories

plus with installer.app and the sdk we wont have to deal with the stupid rules like "no voip over edge"

[Philster @ Mar 6th 2008 3:18PM]

I'll take the "official" App Store AND Jailbreak, please.

[Itchy Pajamas @ Mar 6th 2008 3:20PM]

In the era 21st century journalistic self-congratulatory manufactured excitement you should have started this headline with "Breaking News!" :-)

[Buzz @ Mar 6th 2008 3:51PM]

GOOD GOD, enough with the Apple spooge posts already. The last SEVEN posts in my Engadget feed are all about this SINGLE apple event and FIVE of them include a picture of Steve Jobs standing infront of a powerpoint slide.

We get it, they are having an event today ... liveblog it in ONE entry if you want but making a NEW POST everytime the slide changes is getting annoying.

[asphixiated @ Mar 6th 2008 7:15PM]

excuse me, but i happen to like it when engadget reports extensively on apple, such as this event and the ten different stories about new Mac book pro part numbers spotted at best buy/futureshop/apple store.

[michael @ Mar 6th 2008 4:02PM]

Is Steve wearing a brown shirt? I thought it was supposed to be black.

[IndiaTech @ Mar 6th 2008 4:15PM]

Like Peter Griffin would say:
"This is worse than the time I was at the FEMA Press Conference"

[Nick Ritch @ Mar 6th 2008 4:24PM]

It won't be very long till the sdk gets onto bittorrent and the homebrewers are using the official sdk to make free programs for jailbroken phones.

[Jeff @ Mar 6th 2008 5:48PM]

...or....

homebrewers could just drop the measly 100 bucks and develop a good application, and charge next to nothing for it to recoup their costs, then have paying users encouraging them to keep updating and improving their apps, and actually be invested in their work instead of letting it wither on the vine.

or just sell the apps for free through the app store.

I think jailbreaking just got a whole lot less appealing to the majority of users, though there will still be those fringe people who want VOIP over edge, or other silly business.

[Nick Ritch @ Mar 6th 2008 6:16PM]

They Don't like to be told they cant do anything. People will make porn software and VOIP software and maliscious software because most of the people that homebrew applications like the challenges. Give them an unbreakable platform and they will break it. If apple let them do whatever they wanted alot of people would just move on to the next big thing.

[bryan @ Mar 6th 2008 5:12PM]

That might have been the dumbest question. Ever.

I hope Apple bans them from asking any more questions. Ever

[phanbouy @ Mar 6th 2008 6:00PM]

bloggers like to use hyperbole without stopping. ever.

[AlphaTeam @ Mar 6th 2008 6:28PM]

Not surprising.

[Finn @ Mar 7th 2008 11:13AM]

you could totaly bypass the store using Xcode !!! at least if you go open source..or am I missing something???