I thought they were smarter than this

I see that iPhone hacks have already started. That doesn't surprise me, but Apple's apparent reaction does. From the referenced article:

That seems to be what's happened with Apple's recently released update to iTunes; if the update software detected anything strange about an iPhone's file system, it reformatted the iPhone and made the hackers reinstall their home-brewed applications from scratch. Apple wouldn't say last week whether the update was a reaction to the hacks and declined to make any comment about the iPhone's home-brew hacking scene.

Is Apple really that dumb?

Maybe so. First of all, making the iPhone a closed system where you are supposed to only install Apple blessed software is already dumb. I know Apple has a long history of hubris in the "good idea" department, but even they must realize that some of the best ideas will not be brewed by corporate thralls. Just look at the "tricks and hacks" section of http://www.tuaw.com/iphone/ already. Open systems have proved that so many times now that I can only shake my head in pity for companies that don't understand at least that, but apparently Apple stands in that crowd. Narrow minded greed is the obvious explanation but of course is laughable: letting go of the reins is sure to generate far more sales than this tight control.

If they really are reformatting as a response to this, that shows very low corporate intelligence. Yes, yes, I understand that part of this is probably protecting agreements with AT&T - a hacked iPhone likely could be hacked to work with any mobile carrier so Apple may have no other choice but to react harshly. But that just pushes the stupidity backward: a savvy company would have made sure their contracts don't lock them into protecting something that is not in their best interests to protect.

If Apple will not, someone else surely will. It may take five years or even longer before we'll see the open device the iPhone should have been, but that's OK.

I can wait.

Macworld Mac Basics Superguide $12.95
Macworld Mac Basics Superguide, Leopard Edition $12.95
Macworld Mac Gems Superguide $12.95
Macworld Mac OS X Hints Superguide, Leopard Edition $12.95

Jump to Comments

Many of the products and books I review are things I purchased for my own use. Some were given to me specifically for the purpose of reviewing them. I resell or can earn commissions from the sale of some of these items. Links within these pages may be affiliate links that pay me for referring you to them. That's mostly insignificant amounts of money; whenever it is not I have made my relationship plain. I also may own stock in companies mentioned here. If you have any question, please do feel free to contact me.

Specific links that take you to pages that allow you to purchase the item I reviewed are very likely to pay me a commission. Many of the books I review were given to me by the publishers specifically for the purpose of writing a review. These gifts and referral fees do not affect my opinions; I often give bad reviews anyway.

We use Google third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.