back to article Apple breaks jailbreakers' hearts with iPhone 3GS patch

Apple has reportedly tweaked the way its iPhone is coded in an effort to freeze out users who jailbreak the company's handsets. It's understood that when Apple ships new iPhone 3GS phones, they'll come loaded with a "bootrom" that defends against the 24kpwn exploit used by the Dev-Team and individuals to jailbreak artificial …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Greensn0w

    Isn't Chronic Dev's Greensn0w going to get around this as well?

    I'm just happy that my touch 2g is still easily jail-breakable.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    WTF

    Just who the fuck do Apple think they are ? It's hard to imagine that going to war with your customers in an attempt to force them to spend more money at your store will ever really work in the long run.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Simple

    don't buy the crap.

  4. Sam Liddicott
    FAIL

    "users who jailbreak the company's handsets"

    Whose handsets?

    "User who jailbreak their apple handsets"

    It seems to me that Apple really hate their customers and don't use the fact they've already got the money as a reason to leave them alone.

    It seems that it's not enough for a customer just to buy Apple - they've got to be made to suffer as well.

    It's a weird corporate strategy but it seems to be paying off!

  5. K
    WTF?

    But Apple seems to have won the battle = FAIL!

    Your almost saying "give up and go home", buts its just a case of deja vu, each upgrade Apple "patch" the exploits, then a couple of weeks later a hack is released...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    i dont want to be restricted...

    So i never bothered to get an iPhone...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Hmm..

    There will always be another exploit. The only question is whether dev team et al take 10 minutes or 10 years to find it

  8. The Original Ash
    Jobs Horns

    Which is exactly why...

    ... I went with Windows Mobile.

    DRM is for suckers.

  9. B 9

    I don't understand the reasoning

    I'm an Apple user. Converted from Winblows in 2004 and never going back. I have 2 iPhones for my wife and I. Although I have no desire to jailbreak my phone, I really don't understand why Apple wastes time and resources on this cat and mouse game. Although I'm sure the haters will come up with simplistic (and false) theory about Apple being control freaks, I believe there has to be some deeper reasoning behind it. Maybe they've done some cost analysis of devoting resources to this game versus making jailbreaking easy (and paying increased warranty claims due to fools messing with the phone) and decided it makes financial sense to the business to go this route. Maybe they worry the iPhone experience will be "diluted" if multiple app stores vie for customer's attention?

    I doubt they'll ever explain it in a statement (a pity) but it would be interesting to know their reasoning.

  10. Scho
    Grenade

    Why....

    I may be a little out of the loop on this debate but why exactly is there any reason to buy an iPhone (any version incl the GS) if after I've put forward my hard earned cash to obtain the device am I not allowed to run any application I want on the device?

    For all intent and purpose the device is mine, I own it. It's not rented or leased from Apple, I don't give it back after the contract with my mobile provider ends much like any other handset. Granted the OS is licenced (as is Windows Mobile in the same way or any other mobile OS for that matter) but then why should that limit me to what I can or can't do with the device as long as I don't touch the OS???

    This brings ideas of anti-competition links to the EU case of Microsoft not giving users a choice of browser when installing Windows, surely this stinks of the same thing. Apple are preventing me from choosing what applications I can use and where I source them from.

    Please inform me if I've got the complete wrong end of the numpty stick here (smacking it over my head to instill knowledge is optional!).

  11. Colin Guthrie
    Megaphone

    Pwnage

    You mentioned blackra1n, but pwnage tool has been updated also to work with 3.1.2 firmwares on Mac and Win, so looks like the current h/w batch is a free as ever for the time being.

  12. Iain Waddingham
    FAIL

    No iTouch 8GB 3G MC (untethered) but Mac = Whoo!

    Slight fail on this article, the MC 8GB 3Gen iPod Touch cannot be jailbroken on the Windows version and there is now a Mac version that CAN JB the aforementioned but if you need to turn it off and back on you will need to reapply the Blackra1n patch - hopefully the upcoming GreenPois0n software will resolve this issue! just my 2c

  13. Jess

    Which is why

    I have a blackberry.

  14. David Hicks
    FAIL

    Why?

    I mean, they have to spend engineering time and effort and all they achieve is to piss off a section of their userbase.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Whose phone is it anyway

    Just another example of why I'll never own a device who's manufacturer doesn't allow me to do what I want with it (yes, that means you Mr Jobs).

    If punters pay good money for a phone/PC/gadget, what right has the manufacturer to dictate what said punter does with it, providing they acknowledge that warranties, support entitlement, etc, will be null and void?

    This also relates back to a story last week regarding software 'licences', and points out the need for a fundamental change in the way that software vendors sell software - it needs to be treated as goods, not a licence, and confer the appropriate consumer rights.

  16. Law
    WTF?

    I don't get it...

    ... why are they spending resources combating this, when they should be spending resources fixing the small niggly bugs people are finding. I remembered a new one this morning... if you download some new email via Mail - sometimes, if you click on the first email, it loads the first from the last sync, then clicking back the new mail has gone... hit refresh, and the email you originally clicked on redownloads - and opens fine. Very bizarre bug... reported it to Apple a while ago (as I have done with all the bugs I've had)... no response... obviously far too busy blocking jailbreakers... great.

    I was going to trade the phone in this weekend, but the wife has banned me from selling the phone until my contract is cleared... so I'm stuck with it AND whipped. :'(

  17. Si 1
    Thumb Down

    I re-jail broke my 1st gen iPod Touch at the weekend

    I was thoroughly unimpressed with the apps on offer, it seems there's fewer apps now than when I first jail broke it a year or so ago. I tried the version of Doom on there and it was unplayable.

    Many of the apps I wanted were no longer free and were pricier than you would expect to find on the real app store. All the emulators I tried would crash as soon as I ran them too. Not sure what I did wrong but the extra hassle really wasn't worth it in my book.

    I probably sound like some Apple fanboy defending Jobs' App Store income, so let me just finish by saying I wouldn't buy a Mac desktop or laptop even if you paid me.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Android...

    ..just look how many android phones have been anounced or released this week. Apple have no chance to keep up on a technology level now the Google juggernaut is behind them.

    The manufacturers may not 100% match the 'style' factor of Apple products but they are generally non-proprietry and have a much lower cost.

    iPhone ... your days are numbered.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    @ All the "why?" posts,,,

    Why they do it in a nutshell: Control of the app revenue stream.

    They don't want a homebrew community growing and providing free, open sourced etc applications for the platform because then they can't charge for them or cream off a % on sales through the Apple App Store. It costs less to have an extra developer or to to combat the jailbreaks than it would if a lot of the app sales were lost because there were free alternatives posted around online.

    Morally right to control what you do with your phone after purchase? No.

    Make business sense to control the platform so tightly? Yes.

    Legal? Debatable...

  20. Sean O'Connor 1
    Thumb Up

    Good idea

    I think what some people here don't realise is that if Apple keeps making it tricky to jail break iPhones it'll keep us developers happy. If the developers are happy then we'll keep writing apps for the AppStore. If there are tens of thousands of apps on the AppStore then customers will be happy.

    If Apple made it trivial to jail break a phone why would a developer bother writing an app? Why do you think the AppStore is such a success?

  21. Will 12
    Jobs Halo

    @AC

    "iPhone....your days are numbered" How many times did I hear this about the iPod? Hundreds of times, new MP3 players came out, had more features but ultimately faded in to obscurity.

    The reality is, and its missed by most on here, most people don't care that they can't do whatever they want with their device. They're not interested in jailbreaking, they're not interested in running unsigned apps etc.

    When people buy a car, most don't want to remap the engine, they don't want to switch off the driver aids, it's the same with technology, they don't care.

    Of course, techies find this concept hard to understand.

  22. raving angry loony

    screw Apple

    Another reason not to get the iPhone for me. If they can't be bothered to let me install applications, or give me capabilities that I need in a phone, but instead deliberately and maliciously cripple their own hardware, be damned if I'm going to give the fucking idiots any of my dosh.

    I BUY the hardware. Software is licensed, but I'm not leasing the damn hardware, I'm BUYING it, especially if it's an iPod Touch or unlocked iPhone (from one of the more consumer friendly nations). To have them deliberately prevent me from installing applications of my choice on MY hardware is, to me, unethical, if not illegal (pending).

    Apple have definitely lost me as a long-time customer (as in, since 1985) because of their iPhone shenanigans. Even their fuckups in the 90's didn't make me this annoyed at them. I've vowed never to purchase another piece of kit from that stinking, self absorbed, egotistical, downright greedy pile of short-sighted shits. Much as the iPhone would in fact meet all the criteria on my rather long list of requirements (I spent years making the list), it only does this if they allow me to install apps of MY choosing, and allows these apps to run in the background. For them to demand otherwise is a deal breaker, and I'll just wait for the next piece of tech that isn't crippled and meets my needs.

  23. B 9

    @Android

    iPhone's days are numbered? Sorry, but I think you're living in fantasyland. Android may do very well, but it's perceived strength is also its Achilles heel. The fact that it can be put on anything means the user interface can never be perfected and tuned as well as the iPhone's OS is to the iPhone's hardware. I think the iPhone is here to stay and deservedly so. It's a great phone and I am one of those people who is fully satisfied and thus given the iPhone the highest customer satisfaction ratings.

  24. Andy Watt
    Coat

    From an iNoob

    Just got a 32GB iPhone 3GS from Italy.

    Was in the mobile industry for 7 years, as a stack and UI test engineer.

    No wonder they're petrified: this thing is simple and it holds together beautifully. It seriously kicks the living shit out of any handset I've tried. It's compelling, slick, solid, seamless... I'm not surprised it engenders such wildly exaggerated emotions from people.

    And the reason it holds together is, in part, because the API is restricted and you can buy apps from the store and nowhere else. This is the level of quality control which needs to be present for these very VERY complex devices to not fall apart under the weight of endless hacked up pieces of cack (like Windoze inevitably does) and to give that pleasing uniformity of interface and style.

    If anyone is so pissed off with Apple for doing this, they should just ignore Apple products. I bought one because I'm tired of badly-implemented, slow and buggy smartphones, and right now it feels like I made the right choice to "dumb down".

    As for the guys creatnig the jailbreaks - good on yer lads, a technical challenge is always worth havnig a go at. Anyone willing to break their iPhone out - good on them too, if you want to experiment and open your handset up to the risk of (non-apple) malware then it's your look out - enjoy the range of apps doing stuff we just don't get in the apple apps store.

    But fer gawd's sake, get a life if you think this means apple are satan incarnate... I've worked with mobile software for years and I can see apple's model should mean that the bloody phones still work in a few years. Touch wood.

  25. B 9

    @Android

    I'm sorry, but I don't agree that revenue stream is the only reason they try to stop jailbreaking. While the revenue from the app store is a welcome addition, it is relatively minor compared to the level of effort required to create this ecosystem. I think the more likely answers are reducing bogus warranty claims due to jailbreaking fiascos and preserving the iPhone "experience" for the customer.

    Those that say Apple is afraid of free, open source apps should take a look at how many apps are free on the app store. Even those that cost money are ridiculously cheap. Revenue stream from the sale of apps is unlikely to be the majority motivator in this game they're playing.

    And kudos to the person who had the foresight to point out that jailbreaking is only desirable to a fraction of 1% of iPhone owners. Most people don't care about it at all. It's a problem in search of an audience that cares. Don't get me wrong, I don't like some of their app store policies, but I haven't seen anything yet that makes me want to jailbreak my phones.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    lol

    Apple fanbois defending this sick company is just laughable. Their pathetic attempt to lock down hardware is just disgusting I can't imagine why anyone, even die hard Macbois, would want to buy something like the IPhone. Silly people.

    Thanks, but clever people will stick with S60 or WinMob where the platform holders do not go through such draconian matters to limit the platform.

  27. David Hicks
    Thumb Down

    Eh?

    @Sean O'Connor 1 - If Apple made it trivial to jail break a phone why would a developer bother writing an app?"

    What are you even talking about?

    Why would easily opened phones stop developers writing apps?

    We're not talking about piracy here, we're talking about the ability to run software written by people other than apple-approved apps.

    At the moment it's a lottery for developers whether they'll even get into the app store. Having alternative stores or letting people buy direct would be a big boost to some vendors.

    Adobe would love it - they could actually put flash on the system!

    "Why do you think the AppStore is such a success?"

    Because apple users lack imagination or the ability to decide for themselves what to do with their shiny gadgets.

  28. Robert Hill
    Jobs Halo

    iPhone Kills Freetard's Arguements!

    Sean O'Connor was the first to mention it, and I agree completely: keeping the iPhone locked keeps developers happy, and happy developers = many apps = happy customers.

    Developers find real value in a mini-payment level of app pricing that gives them a revenue stream but still enables most iPhone users to have dozens or hundreds of apps installed on their phones. Of the Top 25 paid apps on the App Store, the highest price currently is £5.99 for FIFA 10, the mean is £1.69, and the modal average is £0.59...hardly break the bank terrirory. And there are hundreds of free or ad funded apps as well. Sure, there are expensive apps (TomTom UK at £59.99, CoPilot Live UK clocking in at £25.99), but the top Grossing app is Jamie Oliver's £4.99 recipie book, and the fourth highest is a £1.19 barcode scanning app. In short, there are many models to making money on the Apple App Store - and we don't even have the numbers published for ad supported apps.

    So LOCKED iPHONE = BIG, BENEFICIAL APP STORE for customers. And earned profits for developers. The only people that don't like that are freetards, who hate to pay for apps even when the modal average price of a good app is £0.59 each, and the average is £1.79...which kills the arguement "I would buy it if it were more affordable or worth what it costs" now, don't it?

    The success of the iPhone App Store really is the experiment that shows the success of DRM and mini/micro-payments for content. And all the CONTINUING work on jailbreaking shows that the freetards will never stop trying to get something for nothing, even when content is nearly free, and no artists have had their rights abridged or been taken advantage of by their publishers...some people will always demand ownership of what is not theirs to take...

  29. Keith Doyle
    Thumb Down

    just for noobs and the dim-witted

    Apple's great, as long as you don't have any ideas of your own, what features you want in a phone or a computer, and how you would want ot use them. Choose Apple, and there is only one way to do things-- the Apple way. I've been around too long for that, and when I want to do something, I usually already know how I want it done-- with Apple, I might as well bang my head against a wall. In my book, computers MUST follow MY workflow and adapt to ME, not the other way around. Consequently, Apple has "bricked" all Apple hardware as far as I am concerned.

    The rest of you can say "ooh, look-- shiny," all you want, I'm just not impressed with your pretty toys.

  30. avalon111

    Mangling the attraction of an iPhone

    I purchased the original 2G iPhone (now the wife's) and then the 3G. Haven't upgraded to a GS, only because work was a tad rare so such purchases were curtailed this year.

    In essence without a jailbreak facility I wouldn't own an iPhone; I buy from the AppStore but it simply doesn't have the apps that I download through Cydia/Icy. And I don't mean the likes of PDANet, or enabling the Skype client to work over 3G (cough cough) but rather little utilities, such as a hack for sending a non-iPhone Safari string to web servers, so they don't by default redirect you to the (kack) mobile version of their site. The 5-icon-dock app/hack is hugely beneficial, and I use the swipe SBSettings daily. None of that has a non-jailbreak equivalent (I think.)

    Everyone I know with an IPhone has it jailbreaked - though I see plenty on the Tube who haven't (presumerably non-nerds.) On every single occasion those users are fascinated by the Winterboard springboard icons and backgrounds, not realising that what you can't see with a Jailbreaked phone is even more useful.

    With utilities to backup/restore Cydia packages (rather than using dpkg) the Archilles Heel of jailbreaked phones was removed.

    In essence though the jailbreak community prevent a revenue stream from being realised for Apple - but those developers, with few exceptions, don't and won't shift over to the AppStore model. Apple's desire to kill off the homebrew community risks rendering "nerd-owned" iPhones obsolete, and thus removing one of the key reasons for having one, whilst stifling innovation in the process. Yet it is that jailbreak community who perhaps evangelise the most about their iPhones, introducing more customers to the product.

    It's no surprise that the AppStore facility for being able to install apps directly onto the phone came from the old "Installer" concept-if the jailbreak community for the iPhone hadn't transpired, would Apple have ever thought of the possibilities of the AppStore in the first place?

    What would be interesting is ascertaining how many Apple employees world-wide have jailbreaked their phones. Certainly I've found plenty of UK Carphone Warehouse and O2 employees who have done it. Would Steve J himself pine for the chance to have a non-standard, jailbreaked phone?

  31. vincent himpe

    there is nothing

    a good hammer won't break ...

    besides what is the point of jailbreaking. There is plenty of free apps on appstore. and most of the other apps are cheap. If you are to frugal to spend a dollar on an app you should not have bought the overpriced bling in the first place

  32. B 9

    @AC

    Perhaps you should get off your high horse and realize this is not a case of "Apple fanbois defending this sick company". The simpleminded theories of profit protection and "locking down hardware" don't really hold up to the light of day. It seems more likely that they are trying to protect the integrated user experience by funneling apps through an approval process (admittedly flawed yet) that can help weed out apps destined to cause issues with the overall experience. Try to be a little more forward thinking than just labeling people fanbois because they actually understand a few things that you apparently don't. First is that open doesn't necessarily mean better. Second is that WinMob is a POS. Can't speak to S60, but Winblows Mobile is truly behind the times. Third, is the iPhone doesn't lead customer satisfaction rankings for no reason.

    It's an imperfect system right now, but I think it's the best out there at this point.

  33. Cameron Colley
    FAIL

    Anyone who jailbreaks is a moron anyhow.

    Paying a premium for something that isn't what you want then potentially invalidating your warranty to make it more like what you want makes you an imbecile. You are paying for the exact technology you are trying to circumvent.

    Capitalism 101: vote with your money.

  34. Robert Hill
    Jobs Halo

    @David Hicks

    Uhhm, people don't write apps for non-locked app stores because people STEAL them rather than pay for them, same as PC apps, except the user base of mobile applications is so much smaller that those lost sales really hurt profitability for small publishers. It's simple maths - just because you are writing for a user base that is a small fraction of the overall PC user base it does not mean your mortgage and car payments are only a fraction.

    And ADOBE putting Flash on it? Adobe can't even get around to releasing a 64-bit Windows version of Flash (which MANY of us want so we can use 64-bit browsers on our 64-bit OSes!), and that's free and clear for them to do, and is a relatively easy port. To think that Apple is the only thing stopping them from releasing Flash for iPhone doesn't exactly ring true...

  35. Steve Pettifer
    WTF?

    @ Sean O'Connor 1 & Robert Hill

    I suspect you boys speak from a position of ignorance...

    Just like the official App Store, not everything available via unofficial stores is free - some of it has to be paid for. This is not a bunch of 'freetards' trying to scam the Man: The argument is "Why should I be restricted to just the Apple App Store?". If I want an app badly enough I'll pay for it alright, but competition is nearly always a good thing as it ensures that prices remain fair and balanced. Also we are not then at the whim of what Apple deems to be fit for our consumption. If I should wish to download a paid-for, legitimate app which serves up a daily dose of quality hard core bongo, then why should I not be able to do so? Just because someone at Apple thinks it's not appropriate?

    If the AppStore put prices up 100% tomorrow there'd be much wailing and gnashing of teeth but eventually it would make no odds, people would still pay because there is no other officially allowed alternative. But would that be a good thing? No it wouldn't, it would be a pretty questionable bit of business practice.

    Someone else drew the parallel of the EU case against Microsloth for it's IE shenanigans and I can't help but agree this seems like a very similar case. And no, I am not a fanboi. I resistsed the iPhone for a long time because of my distaste for all things Apple generally, but relented eventually and yes, it is jailbroken and yes, I am happy with it. However, I would never buy any other Apple product and in fact I earn my living developing software on the MS platforms, so I can't be a fanboi :)

  36. Player_16

    Sure, it's my phone, I paid for it.

    That's what I hear (read). I also can't see why several of you are getting your dander up about a product that's does not work the way YOU want it to and you make your unauthorised changes; then the company changes it for the better -to them (WAA!! Why did you have to do that?!). If they make a software 'improvement', it's their choice and it's your choice to load it. If you know it's going to change your settings, don't load it: it's your phone; you're not restricted. Sounds like you have time-o-plenty to stroke your piece so what's the deal: more play time. I enjoy my un-jailbroken iPhone the way it is. I have a few games and tools on it. I have other (or better) things to do than stroke my piece and rant at how 'Apple is doin' me wrong!' Deal with it. It will happen. Really, if it shits you that much, get another brand and load your black-market crap app on that; fondle and enjoy it and let those that have a iPhone life (what ever it's worth) enjoy it and those that have other brands good on ya... and who cares.

    'iPhone ... your days are numbered.' Yeah, that's a good one!

  37. Daniel B.
    Jobs Horns

    @Robert Hill

    Erm, what's your definition of "freetard"? If I develop a piece of software for my iPhone (assuming I bought one, of course), jailbreak it and install it, *who* am I freeloading from? Is this self-piracy? No it isn't. It's RETARDED to call this "piracy" or "freetardery". In fact, the AppStore came into existance because of these jailbreakers, as you will remember that Apple originally said "nope, no apps on the iPhone!"

    What's the difference between the AppStore and, say, Handango? Well, I can buy software for my Blackberry at Handango, or somewhere else ... or hell, download some open-source software for it. Or even roll out my own software for the thing! The only "restriction" RIM has on this software is when the app uses certain libraries; and even then, you only need to pay a one-time fee to get your "sensitive" code checked and signed by RIM. This restriction is for security purposes, so that you don't release a Blackberry virus. This is understandable.

    Those who downplay the effect of jailbreaking and the AppStore lock-in haven't factored in that many iPhone users are either Apple Fans, fashion users who buy the phone just to show it off, or casual users that don't care much about apps. Those who do care, and especially those who have used other smartphones are being irked by the restrictions in place.

    By the way, I own a Blackberry, and I've only seen THREE guys with an iPhone. The rest carry either regular phones, WinMo phones, or Blackberries.

  38. Mectron

    Illegal

    of course. By why the goverment is allowing Apple to illegally cripple the iPhone.

    Preventing your consumers from using your product is not a very good business model.

    Another reason not to buy any Apple product.

    Apple illegal business practice and effort to keep his (illegal) monopoly makes Microsft look like pre-schoolers.

    Apple is the whorst company on the planet. and it is time peoples start to realise that.

  39. Tony Smith (Written by Reg staff)

    @Mectron

    Mectron, you've changed your tune.

    Didn't you previously say Sony was the worst company on the planet.

    PS. What Apple's doing isn't remotely illegal. Don't like the lock in? Buy a different vendor's smartphone. Nothing monopolistic or anti-competitive about that.

  40. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Quality control?

    "And the reason it holds together is, in part, because the API is restricted and you can buy apps from the store and nowhere else. This is the level of quality control which needs to be present for these very VERY complex devices to not fall apart under the weight of endless hacked up pieces of cack (like Windoze inevitably does) and to give that pleasing uniformity of interface and style."

    LOL, that is the stupidest thing I have ever read. Quality control? You must be joking. The level of junk on the App Store is just horrendous. As for quality of of software, that is silly. The games are no where near as good as the DS and PSP, and the applications no where near as good as those available even on the old Palm OS platform, WinMob and S60. The only thing going for them is they look shiny and the icons pretty.

    Give me a break.

  41. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Apple fanboys are hypocrites

    I can't believe that people are actually wanting a locked device that does not allow you to do whatever you want with it. After all you paid hundreds of pounds for it. Mac OSX isn't locked and I don't see you complainig about it. You can't even change the battery for goodness sake, instead needing to travel to one of their store or send it off for a couple of days to have it replaced. Inconvenience much? Stepping into the Apple world is stepping backwards, you get locked hardware (iPhone, iPod, Macbooks), locked software (iTunes) and yet some of you willingly champion this disgusing behaviour.

    Bleeding hypocrites, the lot of you.

  42. sleepy

    The most compelling motive:

    It's not the user who buys the phone, it's the carrier (even when you buy it from the Apple store, the carrier pays most of the price). The way governments have set up the mobile business, Apple isn't selling iPhones to punters, it's selling high ARPU punters to carriers.

    But Apple is in the business of creating and managing the end-user experience, which steps on territory the carriers regard as their own. Locking down 99% of devices is an essential component of Apple's power to persuade carriers to cede control of the user experience.

    I used to have a jailbroken iPhone, but I can no longer be bothered. I'll wait for Apple to add conveniences like SBsettings, and if they don't, too bad.

    As regards Apple keeping apps off the phone, they do accept the vast majority. That's why there's so much garbage. They have made writing software a viable business for the small developer; something it hasn't been for the preceding 20 years, although a handful may have struck lucky.

  43. Lantz

    contracts

    Did you ever think that Apple might just have a CONTRACT with AT&T for exclusive network rights? The APP Store was also made to help developers make money. A JB phone damages both these relationships. Quit your whining you bunch of babies.

  44. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Cry babies

    It's the same old "whos phone do they think it is" yet people buy a PS3 or XBox 360 when they know damn well its locked down.

    At least the iPhone app store has free software, you don't see free games for consoles.

  45. J 3
    WTF?

    They don't want my money...

    Fine. I keep looking at the Touch 16 or 32GB to replace my aging first gen nano. The Touch is great for me and does everything I want in a nice way. But since jailbreaking is such a sore afair, I can't risk losing the money. You see, I run Linux, and that's where all my 20 GB of music is. I don't have, nor want, a computer running the latest Windows (shudder) or (shudder even more) OSX just to run iTunes. Now go and look how full of uncertainties the process of managing a Touch in Linux is... I don't want to risk some $300 to then have a luxury paper-weight. I don't care (yet) about installing non-Apple-store apps in the thing. I just want to be able to use it. If they let the hackers in peace, like it was more the case with the older iPods, then I'd gladly use a Touch -- as I have used the nano perfectly since it was first released.

    Anyway, you guys contradict yourselves in the Apple-defense, methinks. Apple revenue from the store must be low, because apps are cheap, therefore Apple only wants to keep the experience intact (for the sake of devs and users)? Only a tiny proportion of user jailbreak their devices? These two sort of kill each other. If only a tiny amount of users jailbreak (is it true?), and these tend to be more technical people who won't get confused by changes in the "experience" anyway (is it true?), then why would they care? If 99% still have the original experience, what's the problem? The tiny minority shouldn't interfere with anything. Or is the jailbroken experience so much better than the Apple-locked one that they are afraid the other people will see, and the 1% will become 10%, then 20%, 50%, etc.?

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Erm…

    Isn't it normally a good thing when a company patches a security flaw. I mean, aren't most of you mouth-foamers the very same individuals that mock/berate Apple for their lack of security? Make up you mind kids! Which is it?

  47. Steve Evans
    Jobs Horns

    Shoot self in foot.

    When the iPhone first appeared and was locked down tight I thought that's typical Apple. You pay, but never own.

    Then the jailbreaks appeared, and continued to work, so I thought maybe Apple had learnt something, and had implemented the lock to control features that keep the networks happy (like Nokia did with things like VOIP via wifi on the N95), but left the backdoor slightly ajar so they don't really alienate techie customers who can easily free things up (on Nokia you change the model code to that of a generic Nokia instead of a carrier supplied one, also useful for getting generic firmware which your network hasn't bothered to authorise/release).

    Unfortunately Apple have proved they were just inept, and not actually being rather smart. All your iPhone does not belong to us. It belong to them. Just be grateful they let you use it at all.

  48. Mark Simon
    Jobs Horns

    History Repeating Itself

    Apple have a history of shooting themselves in the foot.

    Come up with a good product, and then alienate the users. There’s only so much loyalty available for a company which falls over itself to exclude users from the process. In the case of the iPhone, there are many shortcomings, and Apple have locked users from fixes to them.

    I love my iPhone, but my next phone will be a phone which I can call my own and doesn’t bar me from adapting it to the way I prefer to do things. Whether it is an iPhone, or something based on Android is entirely up to Apple. If they want to chase away their customers, well, we’ve seen it happen before.

  49. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Once they do this... Im switching to linux

    Once they do this, I will be switching to Linux, and Nokia Mobiles mark my words. And I will either take up Acting, Or follow my music abilities, and ditch programming, IT, an the likes, as much as I enjoyed it. It can happen!!

  50. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    @WTF

    "Just who the fuck do Apple think they are ?"

    Why they are the new Microsoft, ofcourse?

    (Reg: I think it is time for Steve Jobs halo + horns icons?)

  51. Sean Timarco Baggaley
    Flame

    @Keith Doyle, et al.

    "Choose Apple, and there is only one way to do things-- the Apple way."

    Every single fucking car I've ever seen has the EXACT SAME UI: a big wheel for steering, a brake pedal on the left, throttle pedal on the right, gear lever in the centre console, etc. Where's our "choice" there, eh? Why is requiring all four limbs to move a vehicle in a mere two dimensions a *requirement* (short of a car specially adapted for the mobility impaired.)

    Most importantly, given that NO government actually REQUIRES this particular UI, how come NO manufacturer has bothered giving us any genuine alternatives? (And please don't prate about how it's a historical standard; the earliest cars had all sorts of weird and wonderful user interfaces. Including combined brake-throttle levers!)

    Similarly, if I want to drive on the wrong side of the road, I'd get arrested. (Or, more likely, killed.) That's so control-freaky! Why aren't people whining about the lack of "choice" on how and where we can drive? Why shouldn't I be allowed to drive a Hummer on pavements and private lawns when I want to?

    Perhaps "choice" isn't quite the universal panacea some posters here would have us believe. Maybe, just maybe, having a single, unified, *standard* set of interfaces can be a genuinely good thing.

    Apple's corporate philosophy is its own damned business, not yours. If you don't like it, you're NOT their target market and they have absolutely no legal, moral or ethical obligations to you whatsoever. Corporations aren't democracies. The democratic element sits at a higher level: at the buying stage. Don't like Apple? Don't buy their products! It really, truly, honestly *is* that simple.

  52. Tony Smith (Written by Reg staff)

    @Sean Timarco Baggaley

    Hear, hear.

    This 'debate' is no different from a schoolyard 'my cheap Spectrum vs your expensive BBC Micro'.

    Are so many Reg readers really so insecure about their own purchase decisions they have to slag off people who have bought something different?

  53. Pablo
    Thumb Down

    Anticompetitive practices

    don't get much more blatant than this. I think we're long overdue for a hard look at DRM in all it's nasty forms by the various regulatory agencies.

    I'm not big on government intervention (really, I'm not) but anticompetitive, anti-consumer tactics are one thing they need to crack down nearly hard enough.

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    RE: Good idea #

    you blissful baboon :)

    Jailbraking is actually not about pirated apps (a lot of producer like zodTTD offer them for free and are happy to do so), but more about the control of your phone, running servers, having access to your files, being able to control that hardware you pay dearly for !

    The issue apple has, is that "it just works..." is not easy to control if some guys start adding their own apps, tethering, daemons, services etc..

    However, isn't it my choice ?

  55. Grumpytom
    Coat

    Why?

    Why complain about Apple's insistence on keeping it's protocols intact?

    Don't buy one, don't own one, there are other items available.

    If you buy a Honda why would you fit a Ford engine? Just because you can? Just because you think you're smart? OK go ahead do it. Then what do you think Honda might do if your car needs a service or your modification damaged the weight distribution and handling? Duh.

    All this bitching escapes me completely.

    Mines the one with some common sense in the lining.

  56. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    I'm so poor...

    ...I can't afford an iPhone.

    I'm still using tin-cans and string v1.0 (no contract)

  57. osigas
    FAIL

    @Andorid

    I have an Android phone and love it but I can't help thinking you picked a terrible article to start warning of Android supremacy when Android's latest ROM update has fixed the kernel to stop Android users rooting/jailbreaking their phones themselves...

  58. magnetik
    FAIL

    @Keith Doyle

    " In my book, computers MUST follow MY workflow and adapt to ME, not the other way around. Consequently, Apple has "bricked" all Apple hardware as far as I am concerned."

    Huh? In my experience OS X gets out of the way and lets you do what you want, quite the opposite of what you're claiming. Tools like Automator and folder actions built into the OS make designing work flows easy and flexible.

    Please explain your rant, coz to me it seems like you're making up bullshit out of ignorance.

  59. djhworld
    Happy

    Jailbreaking is great

    Jailbreaking allowed me to alter the theme on my phone to make it look better.

    + There are a few nice apps for the "unofficial" market - the most notable and probably most referenced is Cycorder, a video recording application for the 3G. While it only records at around 15fps it still produces usable, legible video - a feature that the 3G does not have in comparison to the newer 3GS model.

    The "jailbreak" dev's will find another way, Apple are just playing a big game of Whack-A-Mole, the dev's will always find another hole to get through

  60. chr0m4t1c
    Stop

    @Tony Smith

    "Are so many Reg readers really so insecure about their own purchase decisions they have to slag off people who have bought something different?"

    I think you need to read the comments from other stories. Or is that a rhetorical question?

    As the saying goes: None of us are as dumb as all of us.

    What you can see in operation here is a fine example of why most people found computers and technology to be particularly frightening and inaccessible 15-20 years ago, the technical guys are bogged down in personal prejudices and flag-waving instead of trying to see things from their customers' perspective.

    I'd also like to clarify a couple of points that people appear to have the wrong end of the stick for:

    - Jailbreaking allows you to run unsigned apps on the phone, it *does not* allow you to use the phone on another network. To do that you have to follow a process called "unlocking" - the clue is in the name. I think I am correct in saying that you have to jailbreak in order to unlock as the unlock software is an unsigned app (for reasons that you can probably work out for yourself).

    - Unsigned apps are not necessarily pirated apps, they are often simply ones that provide functionality not authorised by Apple in some way (use of undocumented APIs or changing the look and feel of the UI for example). In some cases it may be developers who want to release free software without the expense of paying for an app-store presence.

    - Apple are not unique in requiring apps to be signed by default, I have several on my Nokia N95 that I had to sign myself with a developer key because the developer was not able to obtain a distribution key from Nokia for some reason.

    As Tony has already said, if you don't like it, don't buy it. I'd add to that by saying, don't assume that someone who did buy it is an idiot or a fanboi - in reality all they really are is not you.

  61. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @AC 15/10/09 01:05 GMT

    You do realise that the picture you used was of a be-horned Jobs?

    @ Ranters - It's got nothing to do with competition law or "anti-consumer" behaviour (got to be one of the most ridiculous notions put forward here). It's about controlling the platform. Yes there is a lot of crap available in the app store, but then there is even more available for OS X Linux and Windows, all of which aren't "locked down". The fact is very simple to grasp. CONSUMERS DON'T CARE WHAT GEEKS THINK! They want something that looks good and works as expected. By and large, the iPhone, along with Nokia and HTC's offerings meet this criterion. We

  62. Bod

    Simples

    Not that I'd buy one, but if it's a new bootrom, then the hack will be to replace the bootrom in the new models with one from the old, which Apple still have to support. Might be a hardware hack though. If they've just used flashable bootrom then maybe it can be reflashed back, otherwise replace or supplement the chip. Much like how DVD players were hacked in the early days.

    Ah but of course, open up the case and Apple send their minions after you. Any other company and they don't give a crap if you open up the case other than to say you've voided the warranty. You bought it, you can do what you like with it. But then Apple's products are not consumer gadgets but cult religion recruitment devices ;)

  63. angelodp

    evil apple, dumb techies

    Disclaimer: I also object to Apple's sickening, control-freak approach to their devices. Then again, what else is new? Apple has been selling its "cool" for 25 years.

    Having said that:

    After I jailbroke my Ipod 3G 3.1.2 I found that the process and options were underwhelming at best. There are no directions or guides anywhere on what you can do with a jailbroken Ipod. The videos on YouTube are pathetic, with depressing 12-year-olds and 20-somethings mumbling and gushing about the "latest and greatest" crap apps for changing colors, fonts, the unlock bar, and a host of mysterious nonsense of dubious value to anyone with a life. Most of them speak as if they have 30 cotton balls stuffed into their traps. Tell me, is any of this shit even remotely worth the time it takes to jailbreak an Ipod and search and download all the necessary components?

    Reminds me of the much-heralded Nokia internet tablet and its obscure operating system. Despite the hype, none of the apps developed for that device could be remotely considered interesting to anyone over the age of 15. Same with the apps for jailbroken Ipods/Iphones.

    It amazes me that so many people in this country have nothing better to do with their time but write stupid, free games and worthless apps for fellow members of their loser community. It is really and truly pathetic. You "developers" live in your own bizarre little worlds and have no sense whatsoever for what normal people find useful.

    Since I have long given up on the brain-dead Windows Mobile platform, I am holding out for Android devices that offer the functionality and usability that grown men and women will appreciate. I will probably croak waiting though, as Droid teams up with equally sickening cell phone companies. Google to the rescue?

    If you are a kid with nothing on his mind go ahead and jailbreak your Ipod/Iphone. Knock yourself out changing the colors of the buttons. But if have a job, a family, a life, and don't have a lot of time to waste I suggest you leave your Ipod alone and live with Apple's apps.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like