What the &^%!?

[thund3rbolt]

Outrageous!!


Apple applies for patent to kill jailbroken devices | Apple - CNET News

 

[Prasius]

I think this is a bit of unbased tech-press outrage.

From what I understood, the patent allows a device to be bricked by using various bio-feedback techniques to detect if the person using it isn't an authorised user; I.e. They've stolen it.

If Apple wanted to brick an I-device surely all they need to do is embed a bit of code intro itunes/safari/anything, that detects and checks your device? It hardly needs a patent. I don't see anything that supports "OMGZ NOOZ! APPLE PNWZ JAILBRK!" . Of course this will include checking attempts to remove blocks and locks applied to a handset in order to prevent a thief using it after they've stolen it.

Plus they'd be in for a hellish legal fight if they tried anything like that, in the EU anyhow.

 

[SweetPoison]

At least they didn't say ipad.

 

[gentlefury]

Why does apple give so much of a crap about how we choose to use our device????

Its really none of their business once it leaves the apple store.

I mean next thing they are going to do is treat their devices like a cable box where you lease it and if you change anything about it they can legally disable it.

 

[Joker]

well, Installous>Legit App Store. Most Apple users know that already.

 

[lumberjak]

This is not a big deal, just silly media blowing something completely out of proportion, it has NOTHING to do with jailbroken devices. All devices have something similar and it is not a kill switch it is for unauthorized users probably similar to remote wipe....the news about most stuff is borne out of idiocy and fear mongering not reality. Apple knows it's business model and that does not include pissing of valued clients/customers, they play the "game" against the consumer and do firmware upgrades that prevent an old jailbreak from loading and rightly they should for their own protection from lawsuits. They now a new jailbreak will come out shortly afterwards...trust me, they don't care about JB'ers but they need to show that they do not authorise it either...

 

[gentlefury]

Well I know personally as long as it doesn't affect me I really don't care what they think or do....as soon as my iDevice gets bricked by Steve Jobs tho...I'm out.

 

[TJK]

Why does apple give so much of a crap about how we choose to use our device????

Its really none of their business once it leaves the apple store.

They should care if it becomes a warranty or service issue whether it is software or a peripheral device. Other than that I agree.

 

[iPadCharlie]

Maybe Apple is trying to be like GM's OnStar system. If you report your car stolen, they can actually cut off the fuel supply, lock the doors and give the location to the cops using the GPS coordinates. But I guess theoretically, if you were late on your GMAC payment, they could lock you out of your own car!

 

[gentlefury]

Maybe Apple is trying to be like GM's OnStar system. If you report your car stolen, they can actually cut off the fuel supply, lock the doors and give the location to the cops using the GPS coordinates. But I guess theoretically, if you were late on your GMAC payment, they could lock you out of your own car!

Actually this would be more like if you add rims and a subwoofer they can lockdown your car and cut the gas line.

 

[wrecklass]

It's odd how people who defend Apple so hard also jailbreak their iDevices, and somehow don't see the irony.

 

[henry2]

like a lot of people i find the facts of jailbreaking a apple product to get to work a diff way than it should work in the first place..

as a user of apple products i understand the basic need of controling some aspects of the software system..the apple software design is a closed system in there beliefs of the system design is perfect the way it is when it leaves the apple company..

now some people are what i call the hot rodders type they what the fastest and best system out there and willing to take things from our areas and put into the apple software causeing problems..

so apple has a switch that can kill the iphone big deal ..if it stolen i do want the info wiped clean from the phone and the phone killed someone else can run up a large bill on it .

 

[gentlefury]

It's odd how people who defend Apple so hard also jailbreak their iDevices, and somehow don't see the irony.

So to go back to my previous analogy, is it odd or ironic that honda enthusiasts trick out and completely customize their cars?

Should they hate honda for not including all the things they want their car to do?

While jailbreak apps are not apple sanctioned they are very much a part of the apple iDevice experience and would lower its value if it were somehow taken away.

 

[thund3rbolt]

Frankly it's part of the appeal imho that you can 'trick' it out or tweak it. Anyone remember the old USR sportser modems? ( okay I date myself here) The US Robotics Modems were 9600 baud but there was an init string that was leaked that would allow it to go 14.4 HST mode ( That was a big deal then).

I tell you the sale on those modems went through the roof. It was rumored at the time the leak was intentional but whatever that fever caused a huge up shoot in the sale of the product. Since then many others have taken that same lead. Intel with overclockable cpus, AMD Wire tricks .. the list is endless and it's that sort of zeal that tips the scale when people are interested in purchasing the product.

In all honesty, if I couldn't jb my ipad or iphone I totally would not be interested in buying it. So for Apple to close the door on this I have no doubt in my mind that it will cost them sales in the end as users bail on a boring untweakable product.

/2 cents

 

[DM51]

Get real, guys. Maybe 0.5% of iPad owners will join this forum, and the vast majority of those (including me, lol) will be far too nervous of screwing up their iPad to risk a problem caused by jailbreaking it.

From Apple's POV, people who jailbreak don't even appear on their radar, either as a threat or even as a group that needs to be listened to. Why should they bother to cater for such a tiny minority?