“The legal status of unlocking an Apple iPhone is somewhat murky, as the main law in this area is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which forbids the circumvention of copy-protection technology. But last year the copyright office created an exemption ‘for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network,'” Richard Koman reports for NewsFactor.
“The battle of the iPhone hackers erupted over the weekend, after teenager George Holz released a YouTube video showing his iPhone connecting to the T-Mobile network. Apple’s iPhones come locked so they only operate with AT&T’s network,” Koman reports.
“Following Holz’s announcement on Friday, several other groups announced software hacks [including] iPhoneSimFree [and iPhoneUnlocking who intended to sell the software],” Koman reports.
The law “clearly protects people like Holz, who has said his sole interest in the hacking project was to be able to use his iPhone on his family’s T-Mobile service. But the DMCA might not protect groups such as iPhoneSimFree and iPhoneUnlocking,” Koman reports.
Full article here.
AJ wrote: “”Educate yourself, kangaroo boy!” … what a weak response that is – so weak that you can’t even put a name to yourself. Shows your level of education.”
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AJ, if it makes you feel any better, my name is “Bob”. I have to admit, though, that I really cannot fathom how my lack of putting “Bob” in my post would somehow show my lack of education. It makes me wonder if you are stupid.
Anyway, have a nice day, Kangaroo boy.
AJ,
When Apple fails with the iPhone in your part of the world, you be sure and let us know. Will you? Okie doke, then.
And, uh, sorry that I really got your panties in a bind with my “Kangaroo” comment. Just joking. Australia is a beautiful place.
The youtube unlock was a fake, he used ifuntastic to change the provider name at the top and did a simple slight of hand to show the T-Mobile sim card. The press is such a bunch of suckers for anything Apple I bet they believe David Blaine is actually a magician!
@AJ, did you forget a NOT here?
“You need to remember that the world does revolve around the US …. you need to respect other cultures and beliefs. That’s a lesson that (I believe) you are really struggling with …”
At any rate, you can forget about Australia getting it’s act together any time soon to be able to accept the iPhone. Last I heard (sit down for this one) the phone companies actually charge for a local phone call.
Can someone confirm this stupidity?
Bob,
My comment around the “lack of education” stems from your absurd requirement to insult all who are reading, and commenting on, MDN. Attempting to insult my intelligence does not get your argument across … more, it makes me ignore it.
My point is simply this … it makes no sense in “locking” an iPhone to a particular carrier, it limits Apple’s ability to sell the best product.
Take (for an analogy) BMW … let’s say that you wanted to buy one of their vehicles, but you were told that you could only use them on specific roads, specific lanes, specific speeds … not the same roads that everyone else can use, and at the speeds that everyone else can use. It may be the best product (mind you, I think Audi cars are better – gimme an RS4 over an M3 any day), but with it’s scope of usage being limited (e.g. the available roads are not in my area) the target market becomes extremely limited. I want to buy a car, and drive it on the roads that I want to drive it on. The same applies to the iPhone. Regardless of the visual voicemail, I want to use the iPhone on the network of my choosing, as a particular network may not be in my preferred usage area, or the deal I can get is better elsewhere – hence why there are people trying to unlock the phone.
I mean … Apple doesn’t tell you which ISP to use, does it?
AJ blathered: “So, to the (unnamed) individual who seems content on attacking everyone for an opinion, get a life. You need to remember that the world does revolve around the US …. you need to respect other cultures and beliefs. That’s a lesson that (I believe) you are really struggling with …”
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AJ, actually, the world *does* revolve around the U.S. Here you are, a kangaroo boy, teaching us all a lesson or two about what Apple “needs to know” about releasing an iPhone down under. Tell me, when was the last time Americans went to any website to talk about some sort of terrific product designed by *your* country. Eh? Is the iPhone coming from Australia? Is it coming from Europe? Is it coming from Japan? China? South America? Canada? Africa? Nope! It’s coming from the good old U.S. of A. Yep. Just like the operating system you run at the precise moment to tell us all that the world doesn’t revolve around the U.S. Frankly, when I see someone say that “the world doesn’t revolve around the U.S.”, what I see is someone saying, “I really really wish the world didn’t revolve around the U.S.”
So, uh, get your mind around it. You need us. Without us you’re just a bunch of ex-inmates imported from Great Britain. Deal with it!
Customers don’t have to buy it if they don’t like it. Most do like it. One opinion doesn’t make it a strike out Glossy screens.
The law is clear and these people who are breaking the DRM to make a buck are clearly in the wrong. No one is forcing you to buy an iPhone if you don’t like AT&T service.
@@AJ (sounds like an @@ echo).
Figures there would be someone that thinks that the world revolves around the US. Probably someone from the AENUS (Australia, England ‘n US) hole of evil.
I find it hilarious that someone would even consider that “Americans went to any website to talk about some sort of terrific product designed by *your* country.” meaning Australia. Of course no American would do that, they haven’t invaded it yet. But hey, Afghanistan, well they talk about the wonderful products coming out of there right on CNN (the opium crop). And those wonderful stealth weapons of mass destructions from Iraq got major headlines. Both countries were invaded, that is how yanks learn their geography, and hence can talk about the products of other countries.
Those of you who have more intelligence than an insecure yank compensating for something will know full well that the earth revolves around the sun. For you yanks out there, that is the big ball of light in the sky you can sometimes see through your smog. It’s a huge nuclear reaction by the way, the most potent weapon of mass destruction there is. Maybe you should go invade it.
Awww, isn’t that cute. Road Warrior is deliberately lacing his non sequitur blather with the word “yank”. Golly, but he is a clever fellow. Yes, yes, I know, he has it in his mind that with every use of the word “yank”, we are all over here just hopping mad. Oh, and uh, bringing geopolitical affairs into the thread was another brilliant stroke. But as we all know from *all of his other posts*, Road Warrior is absolutely obsessed with his hatred of the United States of America. True sign of an short-dicked shit wit. I reckon his grasp of world affairs is not as secure as his grasp of his eternally limp noodle.
@Oops (or “Bob” … aka Bucket Of Bullshit)
You American? If so, I’m pretty ashamed to be associated with you … Your lack of tolerance, your complete lack of respect (for example … “Tell me, when was the last time Americans went to any website to talk about some sort of terrific product designed by *your* country. Eh? Is the iPhone coming from Australia? Is it coming from Europe? Is it coming from Japan? China? South America? Canada? Africa? Nope! It’s coming from the good old U.S. of A.” … your attack on the “kangaroo boy”? You know that Aussie’s invented the Refrigerator, the lawn mower, the bionic ear, pacemaker, penicillin … hell, they invented a radar system for 1.5 million that made our 11 billion dollar stealth bomber a piece of junk! … nearly every phone we use is invented / created by non-US companies – aka HTC – Asia, Nokia – Europe, etc). We aren’t the center of the world as you think we are.
So from one fellow American to another …. shut your trap, focus on the discussion, and keep your bullshit opinions about US supremacy to yourself.
You said that the Sun is “a huge nuclear reaction by the way, the most potent weapon of mass destruction there is.”
Uh… the Sun is powered by Nuclear Fusion, not Nuclear Fission as weapons of mass destruction are. Yes, the Sun is that big ball of light in the sky, and it’s very very powerful, but different principles apply here. Check your 7th grade science book, it’ll all be right there in chapter 1.
In the future, you might want to try checking out wikipedia before you post.
Better to be a quiet fool, that type something you know nothing about and remove all doubt. (and no, I’m not an american. so save the rant little one.)
@Ashamed,
Clearly, you are a card carrying liberal maggot. Your use of the word “intolerance” was the first tip-off. But calling the stealth bomber a piece of junk told me for certain that you are one of those Che Guevara-loving losers. I regard you lower than the gum on my shoe.
So, uh, no, I think I won’t be “shutting my trap”. (Why do you liberal maggots want to control everyone and everything like it’s your birthright?) I think what I’ll actually do is to say whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want, and I won’t be seeking your approval on the matter. Period! End of story! Deal with it!
You listed off this tiny little list of inventions supposedly created by the kangaroo people. I wonder, would you care to put a list of AMERICAN inventions beside it for comparison? Nah, didn’t think so. But if it makes you feel any better, next time I mow my grass I’ll think of kangaroos. I heard that the kangaroo who invented the lawn mower did it to trim his mother’s hairy bush.
So, for future reference, this is one American with a pair of brass balls that’s not going to take any foreign bad-mouthing towards my country.Period! End of story! Deal with it!
Bob,
Wow, are you being serious? I hope you’re joking because you are making a total a** out of yourself. You put the “ugly” in ugly American. Get off this forum with your bile–don’t want to read you anymore.
mm wrote: “Bob,
Wow, are you being serious? I hope you’re joking because you are making a total a** out of yourself. You put the “ugly” in ugly American. Get off this forum with your bile–don’t want to read you anymore.”
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Well, first of all, my name is not “Bob”, you dumb shit wit. Second of all, if you don’t want to read the truth, as bitter a pill as it may be sometimes, then don’t come to this forum – because I ain’t leavin’. You see, as it turns out, I actually don’t have any obligations to add comfort to your world. You’re the book burnin’ type, aren’t you?
@oops.
Yup, I am most definitely cute. Actually I use the word “yank” not to get people hopping mad (I mean come on, there is a team called the Yankees and they only get baseball teams and fans hopping mad) but because it is a lot shorter than calling them “citizens of a terrorist nation”. Using Americans, well that is kinda insulting to the fine people of the other countries of South and North America.
I do find it amusing when people accuse me of being British cause I use the term though.
Thanks for being such a wonderful illustration of an anti-globalist. Oh and I did not bring the geopolitcial affair into the thread, somewhat else did that, but hey since when did AENUS ever worry about facts?
I have no hatred about the US, I actually love the planet. Thing is it is so hard to tell the difference between an anti-yank these days and a pro-globalist. I understand the confusion you guys must have maintaining that HUGE MONSTER DICK you need to compensate for that fact that like your buildings, you can’t keep it up.
Too bad you don’t have the balls to go with it.
@@Road (rage) Warrior (more echoes)
“Uh… the Sun is powered by Nuclear Fusion, not Nuclear Fission as weapons of mass destruction are.”
Awwww those poor yanks still haven’t discovered how to make a weapon of mass destruction through fission. Maybe we should load up all their space shovels with a yank invasion force see if the sun can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. If they come back, I will apologize and say that the sun is not a weapon of mass destruction.
And since you love wiki so much, maybe YOU should use it. See weapons of mass destruction are not restricted to nuclear fusionas you so pseudo-intellectually imply. They can also be chemical, radiological or biological. Maybe being a GIANT GOLIATH as you imply you feel you are above a cloud of mustard gas.
How long have you had to compensate about your size by calling others little?
Thanks for removing doubt about being a huge loud mouth fool.
So you aren’t American? Well maybe you are another part of the AENUS.