An excellent, well-written summary of how, exactly, Apple is in the process of shooting it’s public image in the foot/face.
Apple is really kowtowing waaaaay to low to AT&T. Anything that might (gasp) use the iPhone’s functionality to interface with network services such as Google Voice (and provide cheaper/free texting and calling) has been cockblocked. This is foul; Apple is really approaching Micro$oft circa 2002 when it comes to proprietary bullshiting and closed business models these days.
Between the iPhone hackers and now Palm, Apple sure has its hands full trying to keep a closed platform closed. Good luck, fellas. Life would be much nicer all around if you’d just let us all play in your yard.
Right from the first press conference to introduce the iPhone 3.0 software with all its bells and whistles, Apple quietly declared way down in the fine print/questions that followed that certain features would not be available to iPhone 2G owners. A2DP was one such feature (due to different hardware), but another was MMS, more commonly known as picture messaging. Their explanation for not making pictures messages available to those with an original iPhone handset was that is was due to “hardware limitations,” insinuating that it simply lacked component needed for MMS functionality. See this footnote on their product page.
While MMS is not available on AT&T currently for any iPhone, unsurprisingly the iPhone jailbreaking community has taken it upon itself to make those picture messages available NOW, dammit.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. With a jailbroken iPhone 2G, which supposedly, according to Apple is “unable” to use the MMS function, you can enable the device to send and receive MMS whenever you feel like it. This might make AT&T look at your account funny, since none of their iPhones should be sending MMS as of yet, but over on T-Mobile its up and running in all of it’s glorious picture-sending glory. It couldn’t be easier either: see this guide for a simple how-to.
So the question is really WHY would Apple say the iPhone 2G can’t handle MMS due to “hardware issues” when it clearly does just dandy? It seems like a clever ploy to potentially upsell existing 2G iPhone owners to newer, less-unlockable, more expensive plan requiring iPhone 3G or 3GS by selectively withholding what is a major inclusion of the 3.0 firmware. In short, is Apple giving 2G iPhone users crippleware to try and prod them into upgrading?
Oooooh c’mon Dept. of Justice: unlocked iPhones for all (or, T-mobile USA at least)
What a dewche-ish move.
My new hero in congress, NY-D Rep. Eric Massa, introduces a bill that makes broadband capping illegal and bandwidth metering illegal, as enforced by the FCC. At least SOMEONE is keeping up on how to keep consumers advocated and the e-Conomy 2.0 humming along…
Profits are up, way up, despite the recession; operating costs are DOWN. Why do they need to charge us extra again?
They eat humble pie, we all sigh in relief, for now. I feel sorry for the other markets affected, and I really hope Congressman Massa keeps pressing to make this bullshit illegal, exposing it for the anti-competitive monopolistic bullshit that it is.
TWC’s response is a Red Herring. All their bellyaching over bandwidth consumption is code for “we don’t like people renting HD movies over iTunes and watching Hulu,” partly because its bandwidth intensive, but mostly because it takes revenue from their business model. Eff. That.
Thank god someone with the power to legislate is working to end this innovation-crushing idiocy. Eric Massa FTW!
