Saturday
Sep292007
What if...
Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 8:06AM
What if you bought a computer that you couldn't install any of your own applications on? (Stupid, I know, but what if?)
What if that computer required you to sign up for two years Internet service with one particular company, and prohibited using any other ISP? (Not that the ISP subsidized the price or anything - the computer wasn't cheap.)
What if some bright guys came along and figured out how to install your own applications on the computer? And then showed you how to choose your own ISP? You'd do it, right? I mean, why not, it's your computer. But wait.
What if the company that made the computer sent down an update that checked to see if you had installed your own applications and deleted them if so?
What if that same update checked to see if you were using the required ISP, and if you weren't turned the computer into a useless, unfixable, piece of glass and plastic?
Would you ever buy a computer from that company again?
Would you ever trust a company like that again?
Addendum: Some Apple and cell phone customers seem to be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, so let me put it another way.
Let's say you're selling me a cow. You tell me that that cow is being sold for the express purpose of making milk. I agree, and buy the cow.
Later I decide that I'd prefer to make cheese. You say that's a violation of our agreement and kill my cow.
When I paid for the cow it became my property, to do with as I please. If you don't like how I'm using it you may choose not to do any further business with me but you don't get to kill my cow.
And, by the way, warning me you'd kill my cow if I keep making cheese doesn't make it all right.
The lawyers will point out that contractually I agreed to your terms. True. But I don't think the contract said anything about killing the cow did it?
Apple's sole redress is to halt all support of my phone. If we let Apple destroy our property for not following the rules we're telling the music industry it's ok to destroy a hard drive containing illegal songs, the cable company to fry our TVs for stealing cable. That is vigilante justice and a direct threat to the rule of law.
tagged Apple, Gear, Technology, iPhone in Blog
Apple, Gear, Technology, iPhone in Blog
Reader Comments (193)
Sorry, but you're dead wrong on this.
I work for a company that sells a "computer" -- it is a NAS device on top of an embedded Linux system -- and it's really very easy for someone to install third-party applications on this device, and we overwrite the entire root filesystem on software updates. No one cries foul over this; it's a sensible way to handle and *extremely complicated system update.* It's what we're capable of doing, and we have the right to do it -- we don't prohibit you from installing more software, but we also absolutely don't have the resources to support you if you do.
What would happen if you also flashed the ROM and the bootloader on said device, then tried to install an official update? Unless you did it carefully, you'd "brick" your NAS. Same deal with the iPhone; you flash some part of the ROM, you are doing something unrecoverable and dangerous.
I'm a Free Software advocate, and I would really love to be able to install anything I wanted on my iPhone, use it with a different carrier, etc. But crying foul because Apple (or any software company) doesn't invest the manpower in helping you do this is just stupid.
Your story just receive a sound beating, being pummeled by the Great John Gruber on Daringfireball: A lambasting both tasty, satisfying and richly seasoned. You have been officially handed your ass, good sir.
To quote Gruber from a very recent headline of his: "If I could figure out a way to agree with this more than 100 percent, I would, but 100 percent will have to do."
Well, I agree with him 1,000%, possible or not.
http://daringfireball.net/2007/10/cancel_computer
I'm so fed up with the iBrick whiners. No one put a gun to your collective heads. You wanted to have it all. You figured Apple was bluffing and you'd soon have all of your neat 3rd party gizmos a-whirling, all the while, making calls with a T-Mobile sim, sipping lattés at Starbucks and downloading the latest Britney.
Problem was, Apple didn't bluff -- your greediness cost many of you the use of something that 3 months, mint out-of-box, was very, very cool. I have no tears for you or any that think that somehow Apple is at fault.
Everyone should read the following link and see what a lot of hot air (ie, melodramatic sh*t) this article actually is.
http://daringfireball.net/2007/10/cancel_computer
I drive a Volvo. I know next to nothing about cars. Every year or so I go to a garage. A Volvo garage. The car drives. That's what we expect from it. It does it in a most satisfying fashion.
Now, I know there are car freaks around. I kind of admire them. And about one day a year I actually envy them. When they get their beautiful British job driving (from gas station to gas station, but still, look at it go).
Now to the iPhone. Apple appliances (not the same thing as computers, eh?) are very hackable. But you don't hack em and then do their updates blindly. Especially when they tell you what will happen to your hacks if you do. If you still go ahead, and think your contraption will work as advertised and then some... well, you're like me and you should have been driving a Volvo.
To add to the car analogy, those guys fixing their TR7, when their car breaks down - and in their case it is almost always the car's fault, they really knew how to not make cars then - the first thing they DON'T do is whine. They sit down, think, call a friend... if needs be, they make their own parts to get their machine up and running again. If the above doesn't turn you on, relax. It just means you are part of the 99,9% of people who should never ever buy a TR7 - or open up the hood, for that matter...
Further, it is entirely possible to purchase, activate, unlock, install your own software, and use an iPhone without EVER agreeing to any of Apple's terms. There is not even any "click here to agree with the terms" on the iPhone itself, the legalese is in iTunes which doesn't even come with the phone! In fact, if you buy the phone in the box, it comes with no terms inside, so does apple expect me to agree to whatever terms the decided to push down into iTunes before I happen to open my box containing my iPhone that i bought?
Are you saying that Apple is promoting the iPhone as a computer? I'm not sure that I ever heard Apple say that or promote the iPhone as anything more than a "smart phone" and many "smart phones" do not allow the installation of 3rd party apps.
As a result, I don't think your computer analogy really fits.
The iPhone is not a computer, it's a phone that has its own computer. The computer inside is for the iPhone to use the same as your PC is a computer for YOU to use.
There's an interesting post on Symmetry in Tech (which references this post and one from Daring Fireball) that agrees with a lot of what Leo says above. Basically accusing Apple of playing too "fast and lose" with the term "smartphone." You can read it here:
http://www.brianholdsworth.com/daring-fireball-thinks-the-iphone-is-not-a-smartphone
[...] Leo’s jumped in on this too: Let’s say you’re selling me a cow. You tell me that that cow is being sold for the express [...]
[...] has been a lot of back and forth about Apple’s iPhone 1.1.1 update lately. One side argues that the iPhone is a [...]
There once was a man who bought a cow. Not just any cow, but a rare and exotic breed that "just works" better than other cows. The company the man bought the cow from instructed him that this cow requires a special feed and care plan that matches its' unique metabolism and insures the cow stays happy and healthy. The man decides it would make sense to use the recommended feed, as he wants to take good care of his very expensive new cow, and decides to follow the company's care plan.
One day, a hack....ummm, salesman arrives at his door. He's offering a miracle product that makes cows create chocolate milk and crap cheddar cheese. All it takes is a simple operation that reroutes the cow's intestinal tract, and a special recombinant chocolate producing growth hormone injection.
At first the man is hesitant, as his expensive cow is "just working" pretty darn good. But he can't resist the idea of a cheese crapping chocolate milk producing uber cow, and agrees to the plan.
At first the man is gleeful, bragging and blogging to his friends that he has a special cow that does things cow's just weren't designed to do. He happily nibbles on his ass cheese, not really thinking to much about the condition of his cow's health and what he has done to the cow's intestinal tract.
Eventually, the feed truck arrives with the specially formulated feed, and the delivery driver happily announces that the feed will not only help keep the cow healthy, but will actually make the cow stronger and "just work" better.
"Now, before I can unload this feed", says the driver, "I need to make sure you've been following our care plan."
"Um, yeah" says the man, wiping the chocolate milk moustache from his lip, "I've done everything you said."
"Okay, just sign here", and the driver unloads the feed.
The cow dives into the specially formulated feed and happily chows down. Suddenly, the cow's eyes open wide, it projectile farts a gallon of yogurt, and drops dead on the spot. Apparantly, the feed hit an intestinal blockage in the cow's customized plumbing and caused it to die.
The man is appaled. His ridiculously expensive customized uber cow is now just a useless carcass.
He glares at the delivery guy. "How could you do this to my cow? This is all YOUR fault!!! That feed you brought me is POISON! You owe me a NEW COW!!!"
The delivery guy looks at the carcass, and then at the puddle of ass yogurt the cow left behind, and let's out a sigh. "Hmph, that's the third one today, that ass cheese salesman has been getting around." He hops back in his truck and begins to pull away.
"Wait!" screams the man "what are you going to do about this?! You killed my cow! You should have made a special feed for ass cheese customized bovine! I've been wronged! Waaaaahhhh!"
The delivery driver leaves the man whining in the distance, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he drives. "If that clown wanted ass cheese and chocolate milk so bad, he should have bought a different breed. Why do these idiots keep messing with our cows?"
He passes another farm, and lets out a wave to one of his regular customers. In his field is a big, strong, healthy cow, producing the finest milk in the county. "How's Old Bossie working out for ya?" he yells to the man.
"Working out great!" he yells back. "Been following your care plan, and that new feed is awesome! Been getting the sweetest milk every from that cow!"
The driver smiles. "Glad we could be of service".
[...] etc.). But has Apple ever said they would put that on the phone? No. So why keep complaining about it? If you don’t like it, don’t buy one (I certainly didn’t, and [...]
Stupid article. Computers are way different than cell phones. You don't NEED the internet for a computer (to make a movie, organize pictures, etc.) but you do need service for a cell phone. Besides, look at all the other cell phone service providers, they don't want Apple to work as close with their customers. ei. Verizon.
BTW Joe Heathen, your cow story is perfect.
I work for a major telecomm equipment manufacturer. One of my jobs is to program our cellphones for fellow staffers so they have the latest version of the phone software to perform their duties.
I can't tell you how many times I have updated phones with the approved software, exactly as the software release notes described how to do it, with the latest software designed to install the software, and yet the phone got bricked.
Now, imagine you have software written by someone who has disassembled/reverse-engineered the phone's firmware, without full knowledge of how the phone works, but want to use it to modify key parts of the phone operating system.
How can you, in all fairness, expect this rogue software to perform flawlessly, and, more to the point, expect it to continue to perform flawlessly when necessary manufacturer's software updates are performed?
Understanding that the phone OS is probably not the most stable in the world, can you honestly expect a phone to be able to work properly after mutant code that the original phone manufacturer can't certify or test, has been installed, and then gets overwritten with code that has been tested and certified by the manufacturer during a periodic update?
I probably didn't quite say that right, but it seems to me that Apple is blameless in this situation. Apple can't be responsible for third party phone OS patches and how the phone may behave when approved software is installed over the third party software.
The third party applications are another story entirely. That was pretty crummy...
i'll still buy apple stuff... well, to be specific 3rd, 4th, 5th gen apple stuff per usual.
although it's looking like a LONG while before the phone evolves into something i'll drop cash on, but whatever, i can wait it out.
*as long as it's t-mobile friendly. F the ilecs!
1st... apple lovers need to realize that apple doesn't care about apple geeks. If you mod it/hack it/whatever it, you are such a small apple % that they could care less.... cry as you may... no one cares about the < 1%.
I'm normally a PC user and most PC users don't even know what CMOS is... I'd be surprised if most Apple users knew that they pay 2 twice as much for hardware just so they can run a better OS.
If you hacked your iphone and you update to 1.1.1 you = stupid. If you hacked your iphone and didn't update to 1.1.1 you = smart geek. Either way apple does not care. Most people will buy the phone... use it with ATT and think it is great.
Sure PC users know that all the software they use has issues... even XP, surely VISTA, maybe not Linux, but guess what... it is cheap... and geek friendly. You can do whatever you want with it and get a way with it.
Summary if you are a Geek... don't buy APPLE they are for the brain dead... wow this looks pretty... don't care what it costs... love how simple it is... fan boys!.
However, if you are a geek... buy geek... buy a PC that you can do anything you can imagine on... buy a regular cell phone that you can hack and get free apps on... 3rd party or whatever... but don't ever think apple is for GEEKS... After all STEVE JOBS hates Bill Gates and therefore hates GEEKS... he will always be that way... so don't cry about your dam iphone... wait until you can get it the way APPL wants to give it to you.
NO MORE NO LESS!
PS... I'm a PC USER... this was written on an AMD system... fully hacked and still works... I also talk on an enV Version cell phone... fully hacked and still fully works!
i totally agree with you, but simultaneously don't see why it matters. i've had a smartphone for 2 years which has all the features of the iphone with the exception of the aesthetically pleasing interface. it cost me $200, works on wifi, works on any carrier, and lets me install whatever i want. i could see how this would be a big issue if the iphone was the only option available, but it's just one of many smartphones with similar features.
it seems to me like most of the people who are frustrated with the iphone situation are just not aware of all the other pdaphone options out there. many of people's complaints about the iphone make me wonder how much research they did prior to purchasing it. and that in turn provokes a lack of sympathy in me. i don't have the kind of money to buy an item that costs that much without researching it, and i feel like people who drop that amount of cash and only later on down the line research what they are buying deserve what they get to some extent.
(note: i say this as someone who owns and enjoys many of apple's other products, so this isn't me hating on apple in general.)