“Don’t say you weren’t warned. After cautioning customers earlier this week that unlocked iPhones may be disabled when installing future Apple software updates, the company on Thursday made good on its warning,” Jim Dalrymple reports for Macworld.
“Two iPhones in the Macworld offices that had the SIM hacks applied to them were disabled after installing iPhone Update 1.1.1,” Dalrymple reports.
According to Dalrymple, users “could not navigate through the iPhone’s menu” and “the ‘Slide for Emergency’ slider is the only thing available after installing the update. This allows customers to make emergency calls only.”
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “NeverFade” for the heads up.]
Apple sux ass whenit comes to the iPhone and you cool-aid drinkers are as bad. Don’t get me wrong. i absolutely love my Mac and OSX but as far as iPhone. Screw em. They should never have sold the damn thing linked to ATT only and then charge full price. They want to charge full price then the phone should be unlocked. Go buy another phone where you are linked to service plan and the carrier subsidizes the cost of phone. Pay full price for phone and you can use it on multiple carriers. Also ATT isn’t everywhere in the Ol’ USofA. Many people have to rely on other smaller carriers etc. for cell service and they are locked out of even being able to buy an iPhone. Try living somewher in the upper midwest like N. Dakota etc. and you’ll see. Apple and ATT are showing greed. So when the imitations come out and they will. I might buy one of them. Apple makes good stuff but the phone industry isn’t the PC industry. Nokia, Samsung, etc. are also good companies. They can take a good idea (iPhone) and run with it. Apple should have made it as universally usable as possible and sold even more units and at the initial price. So yes, the iPhone is cool on its own part, but Apple isn’t because of the way it was marketed.
That’s cool cause 911 operators got nothing else better to do.
I’ll bet that none of the original people who figured out how to hack thier iPhones are surprised or worried. They live for this kind of thing, now they get to start all over figure out what Apple did and get their phones working again.
Now most the other people who just copied what the OG’s did are all pissed because their phones won’t work and now they have to relie on the OG’s to get their iPhones working, hopefully again.
If your going to hack get used to it, ask the OG’s if they didn’t expect this kind of thing to happen, I bet they say yes. The OG’s want the challenge and now everyone else is in way over their heads.
Most of us are just users if you decide you want to hack you have to jump in with both feet and spend the reat of your life learning, tinkering, programming, Hardware, electronics ETC…
I’m sure you will get your phones up and running again but now you have to decide which way you want to go. Use what you bought or mod it and restore it and mod it and restore it cause that will never end for you if thats the route you decide to take.
Now man up and accept responsibility for what you did. there are no free rides and you know it.
Mark,
It stands to reason that if in fact you can make any calls at all, emergency or otherwise, the iPhone still functions. Therefore, based on the slang definition of “brick” brought about in the tech world, the iPhone is not “bricked”.
From DoubleTongueed.com
“brick – . (generally) to fail; (of an electronic device) to be rendered useless. “
http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/brick/
You may think so, but technically speaking even only being able to dial 911 is not in and of itself “useless”.
As others have stated, it is in Apple’s best financial interest for consumers to activate their iPhone with AT&T;, as they collect a monthly fee from AT&T;for every iPhone user on their network. So do you think Apple intentionally “bricked”/broke/killed/destroyed the iPhones of people who tried to get around the system? Or do you think perhaps they just released some lines of code to bring these rogue users back in line? This is a logic question, its answer is pretty simple and straight forward. Not even mentioning that the idea that Apple would release code to let phones dial 911 but NOT be later put on AT&T;network seems ridiculously asinine and considering Apple’s ability to turn a profit and garner some revenue on just about EVRYTHING is highly doubtful.
Which brings me back to my original point. The iPhones in question are not useless or broken and therefore not “bricks” or “iBricks” (for the truly witty among you, BTW – Engadget called and they are worried sick wondering when you are coming back).
That was, and still is, the point I was trying to make.
I’d love to be that kid that got a car for his unlocked iphone. Talk about a good deal.
“They should never have sold the damn thing linked to ATT only and then charge full price. They want to charge full price then the phone should be unlocked.”
I hope you were smart enough to not buy the iPhone. Apple made their bed and must now lay in it. They will do so happily making millions of dollars. (How much do you make?)
“They should never have sold the damn thing linked to ATT only and then charge full price. They want to charge full price then the phone should be unlocked.”
I hope you were smart enough to not buy the iPhone. Apple made their bed and must now lay in it. They will do so happily making millions of dollars. (How much do you make?)
“I am sure the VAST majority of us “dumber than a clod of dirt!” iPhone unlockers, do not have access to ATT, or an iPhone option in our Country any time soon, like our friends in Canada, \
so f**K off”
i was going to say that since you are smart enough not to run the update after being warned several times, then the message i wrote wasn’t to you, therefore you are not that dumb….
then i realized that you would know that if you could read, so maybe you still are.
so f**K off back at ya.
@Apple is not a religion
I’m with you, Sister!
I welded my iPhone to an anvil because I wanted a phone AND an anchor (Who doesn’t?!).
Now Apple won’t support my iPhone under warranty.
WTF?! Apple IS the new Microsoft!
$(r3w apple,
do us a favor. don’t buy an iphone; it’ll disappoint you forever. you may own a Mac, but you don’t understand Apple at all, so let me fill you in:
Apple set out to change the cell industry, not just sell a neat phone. They wanted to do away with subsidies which distort what’s really happening, and drive the brand and intrinsic value of phones to zero (See RAZR as prime example and Motorola as an example of what happens to a company). They wanted the handset maker (themselves) to have the direct connection to the customer through changing phone distribution, service activation, and phone servicing, and through keeping their name and not the carrier’s name on the phone. (After all the carrier didn’t make the phone.) They wanted to change the mindset of phones as throwaway devices by continually adding functionality through software updates. They wanted to end the leverage carriers had over handset makers – where the carriers dictated what capabilities and services could be on the handset. They wanted to innovate within the carrier’s infrastructure, both in activation and in services like Visual Voicemail. For that continual innovation, they wanted to change how the handset makers get paid – from an upfront lump sum to a monthly revenue stream.
Do you think they could’ve even come to market without at least one partner?. Nope. Do you think if they had two partners (AT&T;and T-mobile), that either one would’ve agreed to all these changes? Nope.
Magic Word: economics, as that’s what this is all about for Apple.
@John –
I had the same reaction. I got an error message while the iPhone was updating itself, and had to go through a few extra clicks to restore the phone and re-sync all the music and whatnot. Not a terrible outcome, but not a pleasant one. Since my phone is factory-fresh (I’m not one of those tech weens that feels the need to hack a perfectly wonderful device), not sure what set off the error, but gotta admit the iPhones/iTunes software handled the problem with Apple’s usual aplomb. Even in turmoil, Apple’s software engineers triumph!
@i wonder
Thanks, I get your point.
But MacWorld also reports that they are unable to reactivate their UNLOCKED and updated iPhones, even with a valid AT&T;SIM card. So there is something wrong such that it can’t recognize a SIM to provide service.
So yes, it’s not a total brick, but close to it.
“All in all, it’s just a
nother brick that won’t call”
“We’re gonna need some
medication”
-Pink Zune
Umm… excuse me!
As an AAPL stockholder and Apple user, I am offended by your sorry attempt to justify the violation of an agreement that you voluntarily made when you purchased your iPhone. I truly hope you weren’t serious when you asked for admiration as a “diehard Apple fanatic”? You weren’t really serious… were you?
And please… don’t whine to me about the unavailability of the iPhone to you in Mexico. I am a US citizen who works abroad and would love a fully functioning iPhone for my work and pleasure with any service provider. It’s just not an option that I should expect.
You shouldn’t have to wait long to get one in Mexico.
I’m sure an innovative Mexican company will step up to the plate. It will become obvious how willing they are to invest in talented resources and risk shareholder’s money. It’s only a matter of time before they see the light and develop a competitive product which will be released WORLDWIDE and unbound by ANY restrictions. I’m sure that this will be a product that meets all your desires. But please…. don’t hold your breath waiting!
Suck it up! Buy an iPhone and abide by the agreement of the sale, or don’t. There are really only 2 options. You have created the 3rd.
Now would be a good time to sell all your AT&T;and iPhone shares. Before they sell them for you and give the money back to the shareholders like they should have done years ago.
Look. Apple wants their stuff to run properly. So make a phone and contact every carrier and make sure they upgrade to carry their signal (GSM) have it capable to run visual voice mail, and every other feature ATT/Cingular agreed to supply them with is nonsensical.
We all have macs because we want stuff to run properly and efficiently. Apple wants their iPhone to work properly. I live in a Rural area and accept the fact that I can’t have an iPhone because I do not live in a city where the capabilities are avalable. I also work for a phone company who runs CDMA.
This s u c k s. Apple had the capacity to make more money by selling locked and unlocked versions at different prices. It was not going to be 1 million in 74 days, was going to be much more.
That’s why the Treo with Windows Mobile is much more better than the iPhone. You may use it with any carrier and you may install any 3rd party app. Sorry, but its the truth. I know the iPhone is beautiful, the best UI and useless.
They’ve blown away my ringtone. My one little ringtone that is MY intellectual property and not theirs or any one else’s for that matter. Apple won’t let me use my own sound on my device.
F&&(K Apple.
They wanna act like Mircosoft, then we should look at them as nothing more than another crappy ass monopoly caring more about their ruddy profits than providing good products.
@ummm. excuse me,
“Suck it up! Buy an iPhone and abide by the agreement of the sale”
As an AAPL stockholder (since 2001) and Apple user (1st Mac 512 , 1984), I am offended by your sorry attempt to tell me what to do with my money.
If I choose to purchase an iPhone (which I did), (in our house we have 4 Macs, 3 iPods, and an AppleTV, so I consider myself some what of an Apple fanatic) with full knowledge that it might be a cat and mouse game, so be it
My 1st post, was that I do not see people on here “Whining ” about their unlocked iPhone being messed up by an update,
I do not think we are of that much of a difference in views, I say, to any one who buys and unlocks
Suck it up! and live with the small hassle of owning something remarkable,
I am happy with my unlocked iPhone so far. Won’t update until there’s a hack for it. Currently using 3rd party apps by the installer app. Anyway can buy songs from my MacBook Pro, don’t need the update.
iPhones were bricked to protect Jobs enforcer OJ Simpson from being affected by Jobs’ RDF, which is being delivered directly to the brains of Apple minions via iPhone-viewed YouTube videos.
It’ll all be in my new lawsuit next week.
Helter Skelter. It’s coming down fast.
Namaste,
JLR
FCI WIlliamsburg
I am a Mac writes: “Apple had the capacity to make more money by selling locked and unlocked versions at different prices. It was not going to be 1 million in 74 days, was going to be much more.”
Do you have an economical analysis that shows this?
Apple set out to accomplish a lot more than just sell lots of phones. In your short-sightedness, you haven’t even noticed that they’ve changed the cellular/mobile industry for the long-term. That’s the main reason that they had to sign up with just one carrier, and can’t sell an unlocked version. See my earlier response for more (7:37PM)
I am a Mac writes: “Apple had the capacity to make more money by selling locked and unlocked versions at different prices. It was not going to be 1 million in 74 days, was going to be much more.”
Do you have an analysis that shows this?
Apple set out to accomplish a lot more than just sell lots of phones. In your short-sightedness, you haven’t even noticed that they’ve changed the cellular/mobile industry for the long-term. That’s the main reason that they had to sign up with just one carrier, and can’t sell an unlocked version. See my earlier response for more (7:37PM)
@anonymous
See you are not whining, and I am in full agreement with you and doing the same
Sorry for the double post. Safari froze the first time around.