Why feel sorry for iPhone owners?
Seven reasons why the world should not feel sorry for the owners of bricked and/or broken modified iPhones.
- If they didn’t like the applications provided on the iPhone they shouldn’t own an iphone. They should have bought another phone.
- If they didn’t think the applications provided on the iPhone were worth $599/$499/$399/$299 they shouldn’t own an iPhone. They should have bought another phone.
- If they didn’t like a two year contract with AT&T they shouldn’t own an iphone. They should have bought another phone.
- If they wanted a portable, unlocked phone — the iPhone was never marketed as an open, portable device. They should have bought another phone.
- If they “unlocked” their iPhone by installing “unauthorized” firmware, it is not Apple’s responsibility to reverse-engineer compatibility with this firmware in later firmware updates. They should not be surprised if their phone is now bricked due to a hung/incomplete firmware flash — this is the cost of playing “Hackerboy”
- If they tweaked the iPhone’s OS to create a “user land” to install “third party” applications, they should not be upset when Apple releases a new OS update without the file descriptors linked to the unauthorized “user land”. They should not be surprised if their phone no longer has a “user land” — this is the cost of playing “Hackerboy”
- Apple told everyone that the iPhone was “closed” and would only be compatible with web-based web browser-delivered applications. If they wanted non-apple native applications, they should have bought another phone
I decided not to buy the iPhone due to more than one of the above reasons. It’s bizarre to read all the stories about “Evil Apple” knowing that Apple has no responsibility to preserve “hacks” to their consumer devices. Some devices are released as “hacker toys” with the pseudo-approval of their manufacturer (the Tivo is such a device). The iPhone was never assumed to be such a device.
I will continue to dream about using my ideal portable communications device some time in the future.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I think the biggest reason people are upset, is this is the first time in at least recent memory that Apple has actually lowered the retail price of one of their products.
Historically Apple has increased the features to offset the reduced actual or perceived value. From a consumer perspective the price decrease appears to suggest that the innovators and early adopters were ripped off. In all the hype they failed to remember that nearly every cell phone has followed a similar price reduction schedule. Razrs are almost free now.
Perhaps if apple had held on to the higher price it would have reduced the angry reaction from their loyalists. On the other hand consumer memories are short, and apple had to try get deeper into diffusion of innovation curve before the competition started to release hints of competing products.