So, has this become the most polarizing debate in Apple's history?

[Lord Blackadder]

i know people will, and have frequently, said if you don't like what's on offer get another phone. but i would really like an iphone because i'm an apple man. i just can't justify paying hundreds of pounds a month when i am abroad. i'd gladly pay more for an unlocked phone to account for the loss to apple of call revenue.

I can't speak to your situation, so most of my argument really isn't directed at people like yourself. Speaking for myself though, the cellular companies have us all by the you-know-whats with contracts and locked phones (the same goes for cable/satellite TV providers and their packaging/pricing schemes).

I think we should all have the option of unlocked phones and pay as you go deals, and that anything else is a bad deal for the customer.

Still, in the US at any rate, Apple made it clear beforehand that the iPhone was available only as a device locked to AT&T, and not open to third party development. Individuals have taken it upon themselves to alter that situation because they believe that an unlocked iPhone with third-party apps is the way things "should" be. That's fine and well, but Apple doesn't see it that way and, in this case, what they say goes - from a legal perspective.

 

[Unspeaked]

There's a distinction that needs to be made though - while I would like to see Apple be less uptight about the hacked iPhones, I find the whining about it nauseating and feel obliged to come down on Apple's side if only on principle, since I believe people feel Apple owes them something it does not. So which side do I fall on? I'm less than thrilled about the hacks beiong broken but I don't think what Apple did was wrong.

If you really don't like what Apple's done with the closing off of the iPhone, I'd group you in with the hackers and unlockers - at least for the purposes of this thread.

I didn't start it with the notion that it was about the whiners; my focus was more on Apple itself and the decisions they've made with the iPhone.

In regard to your feelings, it appears to be a classic case of "it's not the band I hate, it's their fans." I'm not disagreeing that the whiners are annoying, but they're only indirectly related to the point I'm trying to get at...

Also, let's not forget that none of us know whether the firmware update

1. Was written at least in part to deliberately break hacks.
2. Was written without regard for hacks (either for or against), but has broken them.
3. Same as 2, but after internal discussions it was decided not to modify the update to allow the hacks to function.
4. Was written without regard for hacks (either for or against), but after internal discussion it was decided to deliberately break hacks.

That's a really good point, but again, it's something that some people seem to be giving Apple the benefit of the doubt with very easily.

They could very well be bricking phones indirectly, but the point of the thread isn't whether they are or they aren't - it's that their action, regardless of motivation, are rubbing a lot of folks the wrong way.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that some people are happy others have lost their phones. I mean, taking pleasure out of someone else's misfortune is pretty low, whether you agreed with them or not. Yes, they probably should have behaved more reasonably and not taken a risk, but just because they want to swap out their SIM card doesn't make them a bad person...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I'm not taking pleasure out of anyone's misfortunes, but I am bemused at many people's reactions.

For me, the sore point is that a vocal minority are convinced that Apple owes them something because their hacked iPhone doesn't work now. For me, it's a classic example of people externalizing a problem and refusing to take responsibility for their own actions, like the hypothetical thief who successfully sues a homeowner after injuring himself while robbing a house.

To me, this is a rational response:

"It sucks that Apple broke the hacked iPhones. I think they should allow us to swap SIM cards and use 3rd party apps. I plan on canceling my contract with AT&T and returning the iPhone."

Whereas this is not:

"It sucks that Apple broke the hacked iPhone. I should be able to cancel my plan and return the phone for a full refund, and when given the opportunity to do so I will keep the device and put a dead rodent in the box to stick it to the man".

On a more on-topic note, I still think this debacle is smaller than the thread title might imply...most Apple customers don't own an iPhone, and many that do have never tried hacking it.