So I got me an iPhone from the US a week ago. Unfortunately I did not visit the hackint0sh forums beforehand, otherwise I would have known that you no longer can SIM-unlock it since new models got a new boot-loader. Fortunately there are some inexpensive hardware-hacks around, so no big deal.
But reading through the forums at Hacint0sh, it struck me how much frustration and anger silently Apple's move to silently disabling existing software-hacks has caused. Don't get me wrong, Apple's move to stop hackers from SIM-unlocking their device was expected and in my mind also just. In the end they are a public company and they're doing everything to increase their cash-flow. Someone at Apple - who probably is much smarter than any of us - has calculated that locking down a device to one operator and getting a share of the operators revenue is more lucrative than selling the device to anyone who wants it. Therefore they're just acting like any sane business would.
However, I most ponder what the hell has happened that locking down a phone to a certain operator even is possible. Think about these cases for a while:
What would you say that when you buy a new car that you have to agree to use only gas-stations from BP (all other stations would be incompatible with the tank's nossle).
Or that when buying a new PC, you'd also had to subscribe to two year expensive ISP contract?
Sounds really stupid, doesn't it? But hey, binding a device to a certain Telco operator is in my mind the same thing.
Ok,ok. I live in Finland. A year ago it was illegal to bundle a phone with a subscription. And now it's only possible for 3G devices (apparently our legislators bought the idea that 3G phones need to be pre-configured by the operator to be useful. My arse!).
Living in such a free country I get a rash whenever I hear of U.S. telcos.
When we launched WidSets news started come in that Sprint restricted socket connections to "3rd party services". My initial thought was "OMG, another great internet-wall of china". The same thought came to mind when a month ago T-Mobile restricted mobile access to Twitter overnight. Next morning they explained "that Twitter was not a supported service"...
If my operator did the same thing I probably would sue them just for the principle. Since when does the free (as if) world tolerate censorship? Come on guys, revolt!
Comments
Telcos, cable companies, petroleum companies, the list goes one and on. The major problem with American business is that these companies no longer care about the consumer. What matters most is how much profit they can make. It's ridiculous when you consider how much money they have and they think they still need more.
The second problem is that American consumers are complacent. We just deal with it. We don't ever fight back. A few maybe, but everyone else feels like it doesn't matter so they don't. In the end, as Americans, we fail.
Posted by: TJ Downes | 5 Jan 2008 18:00:12
And you couldn't use the local fuel when travelling abroad but needed to carry your BP fuel with you. It truly is weird that such a situation is allowed to exist.
(Then again, one might say that Americans don't travel abroad too much.)
Posted by: PA | 9 Jan 2008 19:18:39
At some moment a small company seizes the moment and finds a way bypass the obstacles created by the giants. This is how it has been and will be. For creative people these nuisances are opportunities...
Posted by: JC | 23 Feb 2008 19:24:21
