Apple makes EFF's Holiday Wish List
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released its annual "wish list" for various tech companies and its wishes for their openness, and Apple was only mentioned in one item. The EFF wishes Apple would easily and officially provide a way for users to "get root access" on every Apple device they buy. Of course, there are still ways to get that root access and install any software you want on your Apple device. But it involves jailbreaking, a process that's relatively easy but not at all officially supported. Apple has instead provided a closed-off ecosystem of validated apps, and while that's good for things like security and stability, it's not so great for functionality outside of the officially-provided software.
David Morganstern of The Apple Core points out that Apple got off easy in the EFF's wishlist. The EFF's request for easy root access was Cupertino's only mention, and Apple wasn't mentioned specifically in the EFF's request about browser security, which Safari has been kind of struggling with lately. The wish list also mentions cloud backup services (iCloud is one example), but most of the concerns there are about encrypted data and security, which MobileMe and iCloud have been pretty good with so far.
Obviously Apple hasn't cared much about providing an official way to install your own software on iOS devices, yet sales continue to hit record levels, so there's not a lot of drive to change that position. Meanwhile, jailbreak solutions are easy enough; even without Apple's approval, there are plenty of ways to make your iOS device do what you want it to.
