Apple patent looks to lock up jailbreakers

[Egnever]

Apple has applied for a patent — titled 'Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorised Users of an Electronic Device' — that covers a series of security measures to automatically protect devices from thieves and other 'unauthorized users'. This terminology apparently applies to those who engage in jailbreaking, which allows devices to run apps not approved by the company producing the operating system — such as Apple, the main target of such bypasses.

http://www.zdnet.com/news/apple-patent-looks-to-lock-up-jailbreakers/459050?tag=nl.e550

[Lightning Count]

1. I never understood how you can have an app approval process.

Can you imagine if Windows had an app approval process? Seems like just a way to control information to me.

[girl gone mad]

33. This is why almost everyone I know has been switching to android.

So long, Apple.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Maybe their slogan should read, "You buy it, we own it". n/t

[MrScorpio]

3. As a long time Apple user...

I mean it when I say that Apple should lose this one.

It's nothing more than an attempt to stifle innovation and creativity for the sake of profit. When people started running Windoze on their Macs, it took some time before Apple got the message.

Although I don't plan to jailbreak my iPod, I think that those who do it to their iPods and iPhones should be able to use the devices that they paid for as they see fit.

[xultar]

9. +AbsoFuckingLootely

[LiberalFighter]

10. What will be next?

Home owners won't be able to have their home remodeled?

Car owners won't be able to convert from gas to another type of engine?

Ice cream eaters won't be able to add topping?

[Initech]

11. Apple has pulled some dick moves lately. I'm glad I switched back to PC.

I'm even thinking of switching phone providers because of the way they fucked up the iPhone OS 4.0 update.

[ShamelessHussy]

39. Agreed, once you buy it, you own it... but our laws, in the land of the free, are written for CORPS.

And Apple is only one example of a U.S. Corp taking advantage of them and us.

[Iggo]

4. I coulda swore this was already took care of.

Didn't some judge(s) recently rule "jailbreaking" legal?

[Dawson Leery]

5. MP3 all the way.

It's Sandisk, Samsung, Panasonic for me! Screw IPODS!
It's Blackberry and Palm for me too! F**K IPHONES

[Touchdown]

19. What are you talking about? MP3?

As if Apple doesn't use MP3? :shrug:

[Dawson Leery]

41. In terms of the market.

Ipod = digital music player from Apple
MP3 player = digital music player NOT from Apple

[Xipe Totec]

6. I dare you to lock up my Apple device which I do not own now, and will never, ever, buy nt

[TygrBright]

7. uh-huh. Good luck with that, guys.

I'll back a highly motivated, pissed-off hacker over an Apple design team any day.

One of the things I love about teh Interwebs is how much influence the users/community members really do have on the culture and norms of the community.

By and large, most users don't object to people making a little money legitimately off a brainchild, be it content or app or whatever. But the community seems to have a low tolerance for greedy exploitation.

A lot of hackers that wouldn't bother with something that's readily available for a modest payment, and can be shared, passed on, built on, etc., will take on the challenge of proprietary greed just because it IS proprietary greed.

Apple beware!

interestedly,
Bright

[Xithras]

8. USPTO recently ruled this legal under the DMCA

It looks like Apple's original filing predates the Librarian of Congresses ruling on the matter (an authority granted to him by Congress). Even if the patent were granted, Apple couldn't use it to pursue jailbreakers.

[NashVegas]

12. Please Note That This Is the Company MP3s and MPEGS Were Made For

Apple and MS computers made it possible for programs and high-level file sharing that has helped destroy the radio and record industries (for better or worse) as we knew them. The mechanics involved with media consolidation as a precursor to the 1996 Telecoms Act would never have been possible without help from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Apple and MS have made possible the destruction of the film industry, and the TV industry is now forced to move to the web, where they may or may not make money for moving the distribution, but rest assured that Google and AT&T will.

And they want to jail anyone who breaks their "intellectual property" or uses their products other than intended?

[frylock]

13. don't forget how henry ford single-handedly DESTROYED the horse and buggy industry..

it's called progress, and it's really just a damn shame that RIAA and MPAA can't get their collective shit together to transit into the 21st century.

[NashVegas]

14. Ford Never Created a User Demand for Free Horses

Next?

[depakid]

26. errr. Media deregulation and consolidation destroyed the record and radio industry in America

File sharing has been a net benefit according to studies that have actually done all the maths.

[NashVegas]

36. How Do You Think That Was Made Possible?

[Confusious]

30. RIAA is destroying themselves with that putrid

Mindless crap they call music. I hear one or two songs I like a year now. The rest is just junk.

And before I forget, damn kids! Get off my lawn!

Both industries have been complaining about file sharing for more then ten years now.

They have record profits, well it's not As large as it could be because of file sharing!
They have a down year, it's because of file sharing. (never mind that every time I heard this, the country was in a recession) oh, they're still making profits, just not record profits.

They're like the paper book industry. Charging fifty bucks for a book, and wondering why people don't read anymore.

[Vehl]

15. Apple is repeating the same mistake it made in the 80s vs the PC

and ironically, both times the company was run by a certain person.

Apple's insistence on a closed system resulted in the PC controlling more than 95% of the personal computer market share...while MAC still languishes


Apple is making the same mistake now..with the iphone vs the android os.
And to top it all..Android os is Free....which gives it an even bigger edge over apple than what Windows had in the 80s. cos windows was and is not free


people always prefer open system over closed ones. and they dont like to be told what they should have...they like options.

no wonder android beat ipone and gained a bigger market share in the US mobile market.

[NavyDem]

16. I'd like to piggy back off that...

I own an Ipod, as well as an Android phone, and I have certainly enjoyed the phone over the Ipod, hands down. Android is open source, and there already exists a large community to hacking it, and creating updates. The stock operating system is pretty boring to look at but it can be themed, and extended in a many ways, just like a Linux based PC.

Apple really is shooting themselves in the foot when they try to prevent innovation. They need to take a better approach if they want to continue being relevant. Give it a year, and there will be plenty of Android based tablets, phones, you name it.

[Vehl]

20. yep, i totally agree

And to top it all...google now has a app developing tool that is available to anyone..for free.

people have to pay a once time free of only 25$ if they decide to host their apps on the android market place.

[NavyDem]

22. Do you mean Eclipse...

Or are you referring the product that Google is beta testing? I signed up to be a beta tester for App Developer, but haven't gotten in on it yet. I have been playing around with Eclipse though.

[Vehl]

23. Im talking about App Inventor Beta

http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/


as for eclipse, i usually use it for java, and yeah..its a pretty cool thing :)


Edit: yep...i was talking about the beta version of Appinventor.

[NavyDem]

25. That's the one!

I want google to hurry up and let me in!!!!! I've programmed stuff in .NET and VB.NET, but my skills with java are currently non-exisitant. Fortunately, I'm a good study, and I can decipher code from examples :)

[Vehl]

27. thats cool:)

I love VB.Net and C# as well :)

[yawnmaster]

17. its just a patent covering tech to discover tampering...

I don't see where it has anything to do with locking up jailbreakers.
detecting jailbreaking, yes, but so what??

[Touchdown]

18. "apparently" means not so sure about it

But don't let that stop you from a good fear mongering.

And that "Closed systems are bad and MACS are languishing" is an old, tired, and fucking wrong as shit meme that dies Today! Macs are still around. If the arguments had any weight, there would be no Apple since 1989, and thus no Apple to blame for all the ills of the world Today.

[Egnever]

24. I didnt write the article.

Nor did I force apple to file something so intentionally aggressive towards its device owners.

[Touchdown]

29. I wasn't necessarily directing my post to you

... But generally. Now, since you mentioned it, try actually reading the article instead of interpreting it.

Unauthorized persons access is not "it's device owners". Thus no aggression towards Apple's actual customers. The idea that this would target jail breakers is mere speculation on the part of ZDNet.

But I'm sure your right. Apple is evil incarnate and we'd have colonies on the moon if they didn't exist. They hold back humanity worse than Christianity ever did.:eyes:

[Confusious]

32. Attack of the apple fanboy

Considering apple's actions, it's obsessive need to control the " user experience", it doesn't take too much to figure out who the "unauthorized users" will be ( the jail breakers ) except to a fanboy.

Jailbreaking is also named in the application for the patent. Poof!

[Touchdown]

34. Awww. Got anything new?

"Fanboy"... I'm so fucking hurt.

Really. Get some new material, and worry about something important in the world. A computer company isn't one of them.

Poof!

[Confusious]

37. Really? With the way you jump on these posts

You would think it is. Even the "hip" and "cool" can be the same as every other corporation.

[Touchdown]

38. You know about my post jumping? Are you MY fanboy?

Or are you just a stalker?

[Confusious]

40. Not worth stalking, or being a fanboy

Every apple thread I happen to check, there you are, fanboying away.

You don't really say anything original. You can't even come up with new insults.

[Touchdown]

44. So you also know that...

I rarely go into MS threads because I don't use them except at work, and have nothing really against them. I would venture to guess that you do not use Macs, or have much in the way of Apple products if any. Even if you do, most posters in this thread don't. So why would most posters be in here complaining about a ham fisted, future tense corporate draconian policy, when it will never affect them even if Apple does this? Why would non Apple users be in here? Just a good neighbor "Hate it for ya!" helpfulness?

I also think Google is a good company, and am a bit disappointed in their net neutrality stance with Verizon. I participate usually positively in those threads.

You should also know that I am an AT&T employee, and half of these Apple threads are bitching about the network the phone or iPad uses, and not the products themselves, which I admit isn't as large as it needs to be.

What I do know is that no Apple positive post is ever made in GD, and most of it is scare tactics on "what Apple might do" or "Intends to do" or "is about to do", never what Apple has actually done. It's like the NRA scare tactics on Democrats. "They're going to take guns", but when have they ever actually done that?

[Confusious]

45. Ha! You'd be wrong.

I'm writing this on an iPad.

I like it, but it does has it's limitations. Why no external hookup for an external hard drive? It wouldn't suck power. It's because apple wanted to limit users.

I think what people are most upset about is they thought apple was different somehow. Coming to find out they were wrong is kind of a blow. I generally believe the worst in corporations, so I'm not surprised. Maybe It will happen, maybe it won't. That's not the point. The point is, they tried to make it happen.

You should also remember, apple is the big boy on on the block now, and tearing down the high and mighty is as American as apple pie. There used to be shiploads of MS posts about how evil they were, now it's a given. It's only when they go above and beyond will it make the news.

I like apple's stuff, it's just kind of high priced, and most people can't afford it. I wouldn't even have this iPad if it wasn't for free.

Nice post BTW. I'm impressed.

P.s. There's already another thread on this in GD

[Touchdown]

47. Well, that's why I tried not to make an assumption about you

because I really didn't know. On the iPad, I tend to agree that having off board storage would be better, and easy print drivers, not to mention numerous other things (especially at least the availability of a camera connection kit, if not built in SD slot), I still know that the iPad is the first device of it's kind, and nobody will come up with a viable competitor until next year, so first time stumbles is bound to take it's toll. Did Apple jump the gun on it? Maybe. I have a feeling that much of the complaints will be taken care of in Gen 2. Still, I use mine every day, and my family wouldn't give it back when I went to visit last week.

[Confusious]

46. Dupe. Darn touchscreen.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. Maybe you can answer my question downthread.

[Touchdown]

43. HiFruc.. In the 6 years I've known you, you have NEVER answered mine.

So... there's your answer.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

48. Ah, dodging the question.

Yeah, figured that would happen.

[Touchdown]

50. Whatever gets you off

Believe away.

[L0oniX]

21. Maybe someone should attack them over their use and modification of open source.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. What exactly does apple lose when people run unapproved Apps?

[Cleobulus]

31. Control n/t

[Lightning Count]

35. People might soil their minds with unclean images. nt

[KansasVoter]

49. Apple is the most arrogant company there is!

I write iPhone apps and their approval process is a joke. And they are arrogant and most of their users still blindly buy their stuff.
They make Microsoft of the 80s look friendly.