In case you want to confirm how Apple Inc. is fairing in the iPhone market compared to the iPod and other mobile phones, you may wish to read the following information.
iPhone 1.0 - the end of the iPod?
A logical progression from the iPod would be to combine MP3 music and video with a mobile phone. Well, everyone else in the mobile phone market are doing it (eg. Motorola, Nokia etc). So why not Apple?
In January 2007 Apple announced it will join the fiercely competitive market with its own mobile phone called the iPhone. Not exactly a radical idea from a company that is suppose to pride itself on originality, but some of the features to come with the new iPhone and its simplicity in appearance and design may make it a winner. In particular, the 8.9 centimetre-wide multi-touch display can behave like a numeric keypad for dialling numbers, but can disappear to show a video, or you can select music to listen to from a list just like on an iPod, or convert into a full QWERTY soft keyboard to access the internet and type email messages. An interesting concept. So long as the plastic (or is it glass?) covering the display does not get easily scratched, this might be a major selling point.
The iPhone comes with a decent 2 megapixel camera (even the popular Motorola Razr V3xx can only muster a 1.2 megapixel camera although admittedly it is more compact), and it accepts voicemail and SMS as well as standard g2 phone calls. When the phone is not needed, it can act as a widescreen iPod for displaying videos and playing MP3 music and you would never know it was a phone. A touch of a button and it can act as an internet device using Apple's Safari web browser. Perhaps the iPhone might be better called the iChameleon with its superfical change in appearance thanks to its multi-touch display. Nokia and Blackberry, look out!
If there are any disadvantages in the iPhone, it is probably in its size, the lack of Bluetooth technology, it is not a 3G phone, and you'll get an exorbitant bill every month when transferring data using the data roaming feature.
Disadvantage 1: Size
For example, the iPhone is wider than the average mobile phone so it will be a little bulky for some people to carry around. But on the plus side, it is probably more compact than the Blackberry. Fortunately, Apple has compensated with a relatively thin design so it can potentially slip into a standard shirt pocket. And transferring information from a computer does require a cable. A bit messy. You may have to wait for the next generation iPhone to benefit from total wireless technology to the hilt.
Disadvantage 2: Limited bluetooth technology
The older Motorola Razr V3xx comes as standard a wireless Bluetooth technology to connect to a computer or another phone. For such a new product, Apple has chosen not to include one on the iPhone 1.0.
Disadvantage 3: Not 3G compatible
Mobile phones from Motorola and Nokia have been benefiting from a 3G network for a few years and recently Telstra in Australia has upped the ante with its own exclusive NextG network with blistering wireless speeds. In the midst of all of this, Apple has, for some reason, decided to make a 2g iPhone (only useful for voice calls).
Disadvantage 4: Data roaming expensive
This first generation iPhone lacks a switch or button to turn off "data roaming". It means users can expect to pay whopping and often unexpected data transfer bills (up to US$20 per MB in some countries). And by unexpected we mean the iPhone can automatically download (and possibly upload) data without your knowledge (possibly because it needs to update its own iPhone OS software, we hope).
Why the iPhone?
The move to the iPhone is part of a strategy by Apple (and its competitors such as Microsoft) to give customers a total entertainment experience beyond just providing a computer and OS for doing work and organising your digital life. Or as Mr Jobs mentioned more than a few times at the launch of the iPhone, "connected experiences". Or perhaps it is more closer to "how to find users pirating software and distributing illegal copies of MP3 music files to everyone else"? All Apple needs is a "live location tracking system" to be added to the iPhone and Apple can sit back and watch the users get caught by the police for doing the wrong thing.
As Dan Blacharski, an author and commentator at itworld.com, explained it:
'The real battle isn't going to be about what brand of computer sits on the desk in your spare room, or even what operating system it runs. It's going to be about who gets to dominate the market for home servers that will control your entertainment, television, telephony and your home automation system.
'The computer is no longer something that sits in a rectangular box and lets you write letters and balance your chequebook. The computer is, and will be, in everything.
'The importance of the home server will only increase when the inevitable happens, and movies no longer come stored on DVDs you get from Blockbuster, but rather, downloaded directly from their website.' (Miller, Nick. This isn't a (video) game any more: The Sydney Morning Herald. 13-14 January 2006, p.19.)
The iPhone is released
Apple officially releases the iPhone on 30 June 2007 to eager young Apple users. Its release has giving users a pretty good idea of the cost. So iMuch will the iPhone be? iReckon US$499 (A$590) for the 4MB version, and US$599 for the 8MB version.
How much more can users take of having the "i" in front of any word?
Weight of the device is 135 grams.
It is not likely you will get a SIM card with the iPhone. This is something you should get free from the service provider that will provide the phone service. NOTE: You will be restricted to the carrier Apple has chosen. And be ready to provide identification details.
If there is a major drawback in the current version of the iPhone, it would have to be the battery. Incredibly, Apple has again chosen not to learn from its mistake with the iPod. Instead Apple will ensure the rechargeable battery can never be removed by users. It is a decision designed to protect Apple's profit in selling and repairing at a high service fee the device for years to come. So while other mobile phones (eg. Motorola Razr V3xx) will allow the rechargeable lithium-ion battery to be removed and replaced by the user, iPhone users are encouraged to take out an Apple extended warranty for it. You'll definitely need it when the iPhone becomes iStuffed and has to be returned to an Apple-authorised service shop for an iRepair or an iReplacement, whichever Apple chooses.
Cost to replace the battery in the US as of July 2007 is as follows:
US$79 for the service fee
US$6.95 shipping fee
plus your time and money to send the iPhone to Apple.
And one more thing. The exchange of the battery will allegedly cause all the data stored on the iPhone to be lost even though it uses flash memory (which should retain the data even when the power is turned off). It is not exactly clear why this is so, but it is one of the classic reasons why you should never do the same for laptops containing a hard drive. Always send the laptop to Apple without the hard drive inside and/or replace it with one that doesn't carry sensitive or important information (even a backup of the data to an external drive and trashing the data without a security wipe of the internal drive is not enough).
Anyway wouldn't it be better to sell the batteries through an Apple store and make the iPhone work in such a way as to allow users to replace the battery? How silly can one get?
Still want to buy an iPhone? We recommend waiting for the second-generation model (unfortunately there is no guarantee the battery will be user replaceable). Reporter Stephen Hutcheon of The Sydney Morning Herald would agree with this view when he said:
'...buyers should wait for the second-generation models because there's usually a kink or two in the first. Many of the early generations of Apple products — iPods and laptops — have suffered to some degree from too rapid a progression from drawing board to production line. With the original iPods it was the batteries, with the iPod Nano it was the screens, and with the MacBook latops there were problems with the casing and the battery.' (Hutcheon, Stephen. Touch me, call me, see the glory: The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 June -1 July 2007, p.29.)
And if it turns out the battery in the second-generation model still cannot be replaced by the user with the added risk that you will lose data when Apple does the job, try to use as few functions and features as possible on the iPhone. Or better still, not using the iPhone has a remarkable way of extending battery life!
Good luck!
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
1 July 2007
It has come to our attention that the iPhone does have the in-built hardware to enable Bluetooth 2.0+EDR for communicating with external bluetooth-enabled devices. At the moment the Apple software built into the iPhone is restricted to bluetoothing with a headset. As far as transferring files wireless between an iPhone and a computer, Apple has been flat out trying to get the iPhone out on the market. You will have to wait before Apple finds the time to fully activate certain features.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
23 July 2007
Most, if not all, applications on the iPhone appear to run as root (superuser, UID 0) when you log in. It means someone else could find a way to compromise the iPhone's security to the point where users could dial a phone number, record audio as a bugging device and have it transmitted over the phone network. Instead of getting OSX on the iPhone to behave in a multiuser way as does the laptops and desktop computers, the privileges of applications are the same and subject to a potential security compromise. Further details available from here.
Certainly the last you want to know is that you've been rooted after a security compromise when you've run the iPhone at root level!
Signs of an overheated iPhone emerging - can Apple products take the heat?
It's already 6 July 2007 and the first reports are emerging of the iPhone getting too hot. Apple might think, "Well, so what?" until they realise those reports have mentioned "erratic behaviour" of the iPhone under high heat. If this turns out to be true, it could potentially be breaking the first law of the Trade Practices Act that the iPhone "must be fit for the purpose it was intended" under high heat (something that has to be considered a normal side effect in Apple's view).
Not good in anyone's language.
According to this article from iPhone Atlas (a sister web site to MacFixIt.com), all sorts of handheld digital devices such as mobile phones and PDAs generate heat. And a number of the devices can get excessively hot making it uncomfortable to carry around for the user. Yet remarkably it seems nearly all devices function as they should. Not so for the iPhone.
The heat issue is most notable when the iPhone is charging and in combination of charging and performing one function such as making a call, or trying to run multiple functions simultaneously (whether or not the iPhone is being charged). But there is variability in the amount of heat produced between one iPhone and another.
Users affected by the heat issue may describe the heat as "extremely hot" or experiencing "excessive heat", but Apple may see it differently: As the Apple iPhone user manual states:
'When you're using iPhone or charging the battery, it is normal for the iPhone to get warm. The exterior of iPhone functions as a cooling surface that transfers heat from inside the unit to the cooler air outside.'
This could be a legal sticking point, as what's "hot" to one user could be "warm" to another.
However, if the heat is accompanied by "erratic behaviour" of the iPhone especially when placed inside a protective casing (probably manufactured at a time when no one knew how hot the device would get and clearly the most logical thing people would want to use to protect their relatively expensive investment) or wrapped by a user's hand, there's no other way to describe the heat except "too hot".
It will be interesting to see how these reports develop over time.
Not all iPhones are built the same
Reports from users suggest the iPhone may behave differently. And there's no rhyme or reason for the behaviour to help you pick out the right one. Its more a luck of the draw on which iPhone you get.
For example, some iPhones can have brighter screens<./A> than others, some may come with a grid distortion, others may show the inbuilt camera taking shots with an unusually greenish tint throughout the picture which is not reproducible on another iPhone under the exact same lighting conditions, flaky or inconsistent charging from the AC adapter, and others may find the volume in the earpiece, speakerphone, ringer and/or alert sounds to be unusually low. And how can we forget how the pronged portion of the iPhone AC adapter (sometimes called the "duck") can lose contact and fail to charge the iPhone? Removing and reconnecting the "duck" has helped to solve this problem for most users. As one reader, Kevin McCormick, said:
'Removing and replacing the pronged portion of the power adapter can solve the problem of the units losing contact. Sometimes the pronged portion needs to removed and replaced several times for the proper contact to take place.'
Also the charger indicator may not indicate full charge despite leaving the iPhone on the charger for days at a time (NOTE: The AC adapter does connect properly). Other iPhones may show full charge within a couple of hours to allow the users to disconnect from the charger.
There may be tiny bubbles formed underneath the screen. Nothing too drastic. Depending on the severity of the problem, Apple Inc. may provide an iPhone replacement.
And you can be rest assured a bit of good old scotch tape will allegedly help to dramatically boost signal strength. According to some users, although it should be taken with a grain of salt, the scotch tape has to be placed underneath the SIM card for this to work. Somehow it has the effect of improving the contacts made to the connector on the SIM card through the added pressure of the tape pressing against the iPhone internal components which in turn adds pressure to the SIM card. But as one user (dmjossel) said:
'The items about reseating, replacing, or attaching scotch tape to SIM cards [to improve signal strength] are nothing but pure voodoo.
The SIM card is not involved in any way in radio reception. It is there to provide authentication credentials to the AAA server once a radio connection has been established. If the SIM is damaged or improperly seated, it will not have proper contact, and the device will not be able to send those credentials to the
network, and you will have no signal whatsoever.
If it is properly seated, the phone will be able to authenticate, and the radio will connect to whichever base station(s) provide the best signal.
Any observed connection between modifications to the SIM and the signal strength are purely coincidental, and most likely attributable to other factors, the most likely being that disconnecting the device from the network and then reconnecting it forces it to start over from scratch when choosing which of the available base stations to connect to (when several are available). The same is achieved by turning on airplane mode and then turning it off, resetting the device, or disconnecting the battery (not a convenient option on the iPhone, for obvious reasons).' (iPhone Atlas: Boosting iPhone 3G signal strength. 12 July 2008.)
And most if not all iPhones are unusually quiet irrespective of whether users are using the earpiece or speakerphone. Apple has acknowledged the new software update for the iPhone (version 1.0.1) will address this volume issue soon. In the meantime, users may want to perform a restore (ie. deleting contacts, calendars, photos and other data using the Restore button in iTunes when the iPhone is connected to your Mac or PC). Yeah sure!
We can only hope the new 3G iPhones for mid-2008 will solve all these issues once and for all.
Risk of file corruption on iPhones
You may also be pleased to know that iPhones not given the mandatory 10 percent free space in its inbuilt-in flash memory to run its OSX operating system are likely to cause regular application crashes, freezes and, as MacFixIt has suggested:
'Mac OS X requires at least 10 percent of the volume it is contained on as free space in order to maintain the integrity of the file system. However, even with 10 percent free space, Mac OS X's use swap files - as well as extra data generated by third-party application caches, etc. - can quickly put you back into a position of possible directory/file damage.' (iPhone Atlas: Troubleshooting tip: Keep some free space on your iPhone. 19 July 2007.)
Apart from the potential to physically corrupt your files, we must somehow consider this a really great phone (no giggling please!). What was Apple thinking?
NOTE: The most problematic application likely to cause crashes on your iPhone is Safari (also known simply as MobileSafari). We strongly recommend regular clearing of Safari's cache, cookies and history files. Should crashes persist, reboot the iPhone (it's basically a miniature OSX computer). As a final solution (apart from selling it and getting a different mobile phone), is to erase all content and settings. You will find this in the Settings application under General. For a slighly less drastic solution, you could try restoring the iPhone to original factory settings and grabbing a backup copy of your iPhone data from your PC or Mac. But if there are corruption issues in some of your data on the backup, you could reintroduce the reason for the crashes. Either way, you will lose the most recent data held on your iPhone. There have been reports of the application called SpringBoard (a Finder alternative for iPhones) crashing as well.
A scratchable iPhone included courtesy of Apple Inc. and helped along by manufacturers of protective casings
This may sound somewhat ironic but some protective cases for iPhones can actually worsen the look of your new iPhone. If you buy the tight-fitting InCase moulded rubber sleeve product advertised through Apple stores in the US as an authorized accessory, the iPhone can still move slightly inside the case. Should tiny specks of dust get caught between the outer rubberized casing and the chrome faceplate border of the iPhone, blemishes and scratches will be visible within a few short weeks.
Cleaning of the iPhone is another issue. Apple does not recommend cleaning solvents of any kind except for a bit of water on a special lint-free cloth to minimise scratching and adverse chemical reactions. As Apple stated in its KnowledgeBase article:
'Unplug all cables and turn off iPhone (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and slide the onscreen red slider). Then use the included cleaning cloth or a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid getting moisture in openings.
'Don't use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean iPhone.'
Brings back the good old days when the original iBook G3 laptop couldn't be cleaned with methylated spirits. And that's a product you don't carry on your belt or hip pocket!
Given the delicate nature of the iPhone's casing, you might want to consider placing the iPhone on a stand inside your house and don't take it with you anywhere or let anyone else touch it. Until Apple can decide to put in some decent and high quality materials into the product, keeping it in pristine condition is going to be tough for most people. A Motorola phone must be looking mighty attractive at this stage!
This naturally raises the question of what it means by a product to be marked as an "Apple Authorized Accessory"? Does it mean it is a quality product suited for the Apple product it relates to and therefore endorsed by Apple Inc.? Apparently not so according to one iPhone user who has helped to clarify the definition for everyone:
'It's troubling that a product designed to protect your property may in fact be damaging. But that's not why I'm writing this response. I'm more concerned about the line 'sold through the Apple Store as an authorized accessory'. This seems to indicate that Apple is somehow responsible for the quality of the product sold. This isn't the case. An Apple Authorized Accessory is simply a marketing term. It allows the third-party vendor to use the Apple logo and use the "Made For Mac" tagline. That's all. An "authorized Accessory" does not guarantee a certaIn level of build quality or if it even works with the intended product at all.' (iPhone Atlas: Go naked: some iPhone cases causing scratches. 19 July 2007.)
In a nutshell, the term simply helps to sell more products to Apple users. It's a profit thing and a psychological ploy to attract more Apple users to buy Apple-specific products. It's the only way to attract enough money to keep manufacturers manufacturing various items for Apple's own laptops and consumer products.
It would be a whole lot nicer if Apple could provide some leadership on this issue by explaining to customers what they mean by an "authorized accessory" and to help customers choose the better quality stuff if for any reason Apple cannot put in the quality materials into their iPhones etc.
Again this is another classic reason why web pages such as this one have sprung up to help fill in the gap for those contemplating a purchase of a new Apple product.
Apple releases version 1.0.1 of the firmware and software update for the iPhone
This is a mandatory firmware update for the iPhone. Version 1.0.1 of your iPhone firmware will provide a sleuth of documented and undocumented improvements including better volume levels for some users (although the benefits are not universal). The documented improvements are mainly security updates to MobileSafari, WebKit and WebCore. The undocumented ones are designed to improve the stability of the iPhone's software and fix glaring mistakes. For example, iPhoneatlas.com claims MobileSafari crashes less frequently, VPN passwords are now correctly remembered, expanded the ability to send emails through to addresses stored in BCC instead of being fixed to CC, the alarm snooze function works properly, and extended the time to enter passcode to unlock the iPhone to 1 hour instead of 1 minute.
Now we await the hardware improvements.
NOTE: By the time you read this, a thriving new business will exist. It involves, not surprisingly, the selling of iPhone logic boards, displays, batteries and other parts. Want to get rid of a few scratches on the iPhone, or replace the battery? No problem. A company called ifixit.com will get the part you need and tell you how you can fix your iPhone in the privacy of your own home. Naturally, if Apple finds out you might void your warranty. Mind you, if you do a good job, who will tell the difference? Seriously, wait until your warranty has ended.
NOTE 2: To update your iPhone's firmware and software, plug the device into your Mac, have it connected to the internet so Apple can see who you are, where you are (through your IP address), and what you've got (anything that might be worth investigating?), download the firmware through the iTunes 7.3 software, and click the update button. We call this, "We give you what you want if you give us what we want".
Apple believes the iPhone problems stem from poor usage
Apple has updated Knowledge Base article #305689 in an attempt to quell concerns by saying many of the problems such as low volume, display image issues, no cell strength, no sound through stereo headset, shorter than usual battery life per charge, and poor camera image is essentially caused by incorrect usage.
For example, no sound through the stereo headset requires users to:
"Unplug and reconnect the headset. Make sure the connector is pushed in all the way."
Shorter battery life can be explained by telling users not to plug the iPhone to the Mac's keyboard (do it through the USB port of your computer). Screen problems can be resolved by turning off and on the iPhone. And low volume or muffled sound requires users to:
"Make sure the receiver is over your ear. Move it around until it is in a spot that produces the clearest sound."
Also poor cell strength can be explained by Apple in terms of telling users to move to an area having better coverage (the real estate agents would love this idea).
Other than that, Apple recommends installing the latest firmware update (currently version 1.0.1) to solve certain issues for some users.
In Apple's mind, the problem is really with the user. "Use the iPhone properly and you won't have a problem," as Apple would say. It is known in the industry as standard advice for those who aren't aware of the basics when operating the iPhone.
But as one US user thought of the advice:
'Am I the only person who feels insulted by the quality of this "information" mighty Apple has chosen to impart to us here? Make sure the headphone jack is plugged in? Really? Make sure the speaker is positioned over your ear? D'oh! Turn the phone on and off again to fix screen problems? Don't connect the iPhone to a USB1 port? No signal strength? Make sure you're in an area that has coverage... You think? Why didn't I think of that? They have got to be kidding. What about addressing some of the real problems - such as the ringer being WAY too low and the speakerphone being practically unusable due to its pathetically low volume - just to name two obvious ones that EVERYONE I know who has an iPhone complains about? This advisory is a joke and IMO, shows Apple's contempt for its customers.' (iphoneatlas.com: Apple speaks on iPhone volume, battery, display, camera issues. 3 August 2007.)
Another user writes:
'I couldn't agree more. Ludicrous. My Samsung's volume (with Sprint) is so loud I have to turn it DOWN to hear people adequately or hold it AWAY from my ear, rather than "position" it just so. And I certainly agree about the ringer volume issue. Only the "old phone" ringer or whatever it's called comes close to being noticeable if the phone is in the next room....
'"No cell signal strength anwhere." AT&T: The fewest dropped calls than any other network. Well, yeah...that's because no one can reach you to begin with.' (iphoneatlas.com: Apple speaks on iPhone volume, battery, display, camera issues. 3 August 2007.)
And another user writes:
'And I just gotta add, after reading Apple's support page:
"Avoiding Hearing Damage Permanent hearing loss may occur if the receiver, earbuds, headphones, speakerphone, or earpieces are used at high volume. Set the volume to a safe level."
HA! The only hearing damage I'll get is by pressing the phone so hard against my head to hear a caller that the iPhone comes out my other ear.' (iphoneatlas.com: Apple speaks on iPhone volume, battery, display, camera issues. 3 August 2007.)
To keep some balance on the issue, another user responded by saying:
'...if you read manuals, you'd have noticed that these troubleshooting tips are of standard nature. I bought a new fridge recently. In the troubleshooting page, I could read : if the fridge isn't working : a) make sure the main switch inside is at the "on" position b) make sure the fridge is plugged in c) make sure there is electricity to the outlet by testing with a lamp that is known to work. As you can see, "mighty Apple" as you say just went with the same level of tips as "mighty Whirlpool"...
I've done tech support and I'd say that 90% of the problems can be solved with these basic-level hints. It is very impressive. I'd say that when things don't work as expected, people tend to panic and stop thinking. OTOH, some people never seem to use their cerebral appendix too : "basic first" is most definitely the way to go ! So these tips are not pedantic, they are needed.
I'd say that if your iPhone sound level seems too low after following these tips, no written tips can help: you must talk to an Apple rep so that the company becomes aware of the problem (to either issue a software update that will bring the sound level to an acceptable level to the majority of the users, or exchange the unit because maybe the problem is hardware...)' (iphoneatlas.com: Apple speaks on iPhone volume, battery, display, camera issues. 3 August 2007.)
You have to give Apple credit for trying. This is the first time Apple has delved into the world of mobile phones. Motorola, Nokia and others have already learned their mistakes over a decade ago.
Now there's an idea. Let Motorola build the mobile phones and let Apple provide the operating system. What an awesome combination and worth keeping an eye out for!
A possible explanation for low volume levels
The low volume levels experienced by some users for some iPhones may actually be an intended result due to its design. It has been noticed by some users how the proximity of the speaker and microphone at the same end of the iPhone could cause unwanted feedback if the speaker volume is set too loud. Depending on how sensitive the microphone levels are set by the manufacturer, the iPhone could automatically adjust the speaker volume to a low level to prevent feedback.
If this is true, we have ourselves a classic design flaw from Apple. The best solution is to wear a headset or make sure the speaker is over your ear firmly. Hopefully the iPhone OS software will automatically adjust the volume back to normal levels.
Could Apple be doing something to improve the iPhone?
In a rare move suggesting Apple Inc. could be interested in learning from its mistakes and making sure customers are happy, it is claimed by some American users that the company is prepared to repair iPhones free-of-charge (a one-off deal for each customer) even if the user has accidentally damaged it (eg. dropped on a floor causing the glass screen to shatter or crack). Apparently Apple wants to learn more about how the iPhones cope with a little rough treatment and wants to improve the engineering aspects in the next iPhone model.
Apple could do with some more good news like this. Now if only Apple could do the same for laptops and desktop computers.
A possible concern that Apple could access data and/or update software on your iPhone without your consent or awareness
Another possible concern that has come to light regarding the first-generation iPhones is the way the iPhone Update 1.0.1 has not provided immediate functionality to all users for certain features until a period of time has elapsed after which the features became suddenly apparent.
For example, a "Send to Web Gallery" button eventually appeared in the Camera and Photos applications when clicking the share button in the lower left corner when viewing a photo. The button never existed prior to applying Software Update 1.0.1. But even when the update was applied, the button would not appear until later in the day or several days depending on when the users have turned on the iPhone and reconnected to a wireless network, that the button would eventually appear.
Such an observation, a common one at that given the number of comments made by users on the Apple Discussion web site and MacFixIt.com as of August 2007, raises a privacy concern that Apple could have, or will soon have, the ability to update, activate or unlock software on the iPhone over a wireless network without your consent or awareness and with it the implications it could send and possibly receive other kinds of information stored on your iPhone when Apple wants to. Certainly a very effective tool against certain users not doing the right thing (eg. exchanging pirated software or perhaps releasing leaked Apple documents).
And it could be possible for Apple to snoop on the data you send and receive on the iPhone through the EDGE/GPRS data network.
Some other users are a little more cautious about this observation explaining the delay could be due to a timer or a criteria set into the programming of the iPhone's software to activate only when certain features are running. Or it may be an extra bit of updating or activation required through a special email sent via the .Mac account. Other users are not too sure. So some users have considered trying to turn off the EDGE/GPRS "data network plan" for the iPhone as a safety measure.
It should be noted that some telephone companies may claim it is impossible to turn off this "data plan", but if you ask the representative to enter "an SOC code called 'NWIX' and then have them go into 'Snooper' and remove all GPRS functionality for your device' (iPhone Atlas: Disabling the iPhone's EDGE/GPRS data access. 17 August 2007.), you can disable this EDGE/GPRS data network access. But you have to be persistent.
Performing this action may allow you greater control and privacy of when and who you want to send data to someone, this time through WiFi (although no guarantees are given here either).
Apple is neither confirming nor denying any of these claims. Perhaps the company is testing to see how users react to a potentially new feature to be expanded in the future?
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
19 November 2007
AT&T has now provided the option to remove the unlimited EDGE/GPRS data network access, thereby saving users US$20 per month on the service. But you will lose out. The loss of the visual voice-mail feature and you ability to send and receive a free allotment of text messages will go out the door. Can users live with this loss?
Sounds very much like AT&T and Apple really want you to have the data services.
Apple believes the iPhone problems stem from poor usage
Well, if Apple can't snoop around to see what users could be hiding on their iPhones or check the data network to see what's being transmitted, there is always the option of forcing users to restore their iPhones and start from scratch.
This appears to be the latest move after the release of iPhone Update 1.0.2 on 21 August 2007. According to iPhone Atlas, the 3.7MB download via iTunes (when you connect the iPhone to your Mac or PC) may turn into a full restore of your iPhone clearing everything on it and forcing you to download the latest 98MB (with the latest 1.0.2 updates of course) if you have done anything silly like hacked your iPhone to accept installation of third-party applications via the Installer.app single-command method or, allegedly, any other third-party stuff (eg. ring tones) not to Apple's liking.
Apple only likes Apple-sanctioned and authorised software to be on the iPhones.
In the rare case you cannot restore your iPhone, you will need to activate recovery mode as follows:
1. Disconnect the iPhone from your Mac or PC.
2. Press and hold down the sleep/wake buttons simultaneously for 30 seconds until you see a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle. Below this icon should be a message asking you to "Please Connect to iTunes".
3. Connect to your Mac or PC and launch iTunes.
4. A message will appear saying "iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes". Click the OK button.
5. In the Summary tab, click the Restore button. If you have backed up your text messages, notes, call history, contact favourites, sound and widget settings and more, hopefully this part of the Restore process will be painless. But remember, third-party applications installed through a hack will not be retained.
On the positive side, volume on the speaker is thought to be louder. Early days yet to say for sure. But as one user claimed:
'I just did the update...
'Just want to add that the audio from the earpiece and the speaker are NOTICEABLY louder (finally).
'I had to do a full restore to get the update to work, and then I immediately had to make a call.
'At first, I thought there was no difference in the audio, it sounded exactly the same as before. But then I remembered I had just done a restore so the volume would be set about medium. I looked and sure enough...it was at a medium setting.
'After the update, the volume at medium at a medium setting, is equal to the volume at loudest setting before the update.
'In fact, now at full volume, the earpiece is almost too loud!!! About time!' (iPhone Atlas: iPhone Update 1.0.2 (#2): fixes green photo tint issue for some users; missing audio, fix. 22 August 2007.)
As for the mysterious green tint in photos taken by the iPhone's camera, the auto white balancing appears to have been corrected or significantly improved according to this article following the update. As one user said:
'I can confirm that the camera software must had been adjusted. I noticed the light sensor more responsive and no green tint either.'
For those users wanting to re-hack their iPhones, visit this web page for details.
And now for that nice Motorola mobile phone...
Apple wants to restrict iPhone's phone service carrier access
Another telling discovery of the iPhone, at least in the US, is how it appears to be restricted to the AT&T carrier as the provider for all phone services. And Apple is not keen to provide an unlocking code to make the iPhone work with other carriers.
Now it is claimed an innovative American college student has found a hardware "unlocking code" solution and was selling the unlocked iPhone on eBay as of 26 August 2007. A software solution may arrive soon according to this web site, but we have to wait to see if the claims are true.
New Apple iPhones at risk of exploding if not repaired by authorised personnel?
This article suggests new iPhones are being designed to short-circuit and permanently damage the iPhone if three screws are removed by unauthorised users.
Depending on the level of charge present in the lithium battery, there have been cases where the iPhone have exploded in a puff of smoke, rendering the circuitry unusuable and burning the fingers of users who have touched it, raising concerns of a possible consumer safety issue.
To avoid this concern, either wait for the software unlocking solution. Or find a way to reduce the battery voltage to zero. Fully discharging the battery would be a great start!
To avoid hacking into iPhones, Apple may be allowing users to install third-party applications
In this article, it seems Maskim Rogov, president of Nullriver Software and the company that developed Installer.app for the iPhone claims Apple is happy to allow users to install third-party applications. When asked by iPhoneAtlas.com whether Apple could disallow third-party applications on the iPhone with software/firmware updates, Rogov allegedly said:
'They definitely can, but from what we've seen so far, they [Apple Inc.] don't seem to mind it - as the last two updates did not interfere with third party development. Its likely in their interest to let this community flourish.'
Apple wants to stop iPhone users from creating their own free ringtones
iPhone users have found a way to bypass a feature within iTunes of allowing any MP3 or AAC file to become a ringtone for the iPhone. Just change the extension to ".m4r" and re-import into iTunes where it will be visible in the Ringtones section for the iPhone.
Apple has tried to stop this with iTunes 7.4.1 update (no other improvements other than to stop people creating their own ringtones and updating the iPhone ringtones).
However, this posting at MacRumours suggests free ringtones may still work in iTunes 7.4.1. Or try downloading the freeware utility Make iPhone Ringtones 1.2 (as of 17 September 2007) from the same author for an easier solution. On the same day as version 1.0 of the utility was released (ie. 11 September 2007), Apple began selling ringtones for iPhone users.
Might as well cash in on the ringtones market now before too many users find out how to do it themselves.
About a week later (ie. 16 September 2007), Apple realised there wasn't an overwhelming interest from users in updating to iTunes 7.4.1. So Apple Inc. provided a sweetener in the iTunes 7.4.2 update. This one has been described by Apple as allegedly having numerous bug fixes. Users aren't seeing it in the same way according to this MacFixIt article.
Since the iTunes 7.4.2 update, the overwhelming interest from users returned. This time the interest became one of the biggest complaints in years after users realised the latest iTunes had significant problems synchronising information with the iPhone let alone getting iTunes to recognise the iPhone. It began to some extent with the move to iTunes 7.4.0. But it has become a whole lot worse with version 7.4.2. After much catharting around, it seems the best solution for getting iTunes to recognise the iPhone is to reinstall the AppleMobileDeviceSupport.pkg software, restart the computer, and repair disk permissions. As for the synchronisation issues, try connecting the iPhone directly to the Macintosh computer's USB port. Plugging it into a third-party USB hub is likely to get you into trouble for some reason (power issue?). As for Safari bookmarks, iCalc and Outlook events and other information not syncing, the only sure fire way of solving most of the issues is to downgrade iTunes to version 7.3.2.
In addition to this, we learn that iTunes 7.4.2 also has a time out feature when attempting to transfer data to the iPhone. It is not clear whether this is interfering with the synchronisation process. Perhaps Apple could elucidate on this matter?
EDGE roaming could be turned off in the upcoming firmware/software update 1.1.1
It is claimed that the next firmware update could give users the option to turn off EDGE roaming and thus potentially eliminate racking up hugh international data roaming charges. Other improvements are likely to see the iPhone approach the full functionality of the iPod Touch including enhanced video-out capabilities.
Apple vows to stop iPhone hackers
After releasing details of the sweetener in the firmware/software update 1.1.1, Apple is wielding the ugly stick once again by promising users who have hacked into the iPhone to unlock it that the next firmware update will allegedly render their iPhones inoperable. Apple CEO Steve Jobs supports this when he said:
'It's a cat-and-mouse game. We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it's our job to stop them breaking in' (iPhone Atlas: Apple sends iPhone hackers back to the drawing board; 1.1.1 firmware uses different encryption scheme. 27 September 2007.)
In a statement released by Apple on 24 September 2007, Apple claims any unlocking solution to get the iPhone to work on carriers other than AT&T in the US or other authorized phone companies will cause "irreparable damage to the iPhone's software".
Sounds like another bomb ready to explode if you tamper with any part of its software just like the removal of three screws and a fully charged battery can damage the unit beyond repair.
It is not clear how Apple intends to permanently disable the iPhone on a software level, but as one hacker from the Hackintosh forum going by the name of Sam alleges, a software unlocking solution will be available in the next week to return the iPhone to its previous unlocking state irrespective of Apple's anti-hacking efforts.
TIme will tell if this is true.
On 27 September 2007, Apple released the iPhone firmware/software update 1.1.1. On the positive side, the new update provides the following features (not mentioned by Apple):
(i) Change voicemail password directly on the iPhone.
(ii) Change the sound played when a new text message arrives.
(iii) Watch videos from where they left off.
(iv) See the HTML errors in Safari when web pages cannot be properly rendered.
(v) Cosmetic changes to several icons (Calculator, WiFi etc) to make them look more attractive.
(vi) And possible a louder adjustable speaker.
More undocumented features are being discovered as we speak. It is almost as if Apple wants to convince iPhone users that version 1.1.1 of the update is the one people should stick to and not version 1.0.2. As more positive features emerge, we notice some iPhone users coming to Apple's rescue with statements such as:
"...I am not interested in hacking my iPhone now or ever." (MacFixIt.com: Yet another undocumented iPhone 1.1.1 feature: H.264 video boost. 2 October 2007.)
Clearly a happy user of his iPhone at firmware version 1.1.1 and not having problems with their AT&T service. But what about those who can't get a choice on the phone carrier? As one iPhone Atlas reader said:
"...From my brief look at this hacking issue, it seems to be that some people who do the hacking would probably prefer another phone carrier and not be restricted to the one chosen by Apple Inc. for whatever reason.
"Perhaps AT&T provides a lousy service for some iPhone users? Who knows. But wouldn't it be great if users could make a choice of which phone carrier they would like to connect their iPhones to? I mean, just as an example, how many Motorola mobile phones do you know of are restricted by Motorola in some way to force users to stay with AT&T?
At least my mobile phone can be used with a variety of phone carriers? Why can't iPhone users do the same?" (MacFixIt.com: Yet another undocumented iPhone 1.1.1 feature: H.264 video boost. 2 October 2007.)
That is why there are some hackers who must find ways to unlock the iPhones, just like every other mobile phones such as the Motorola Razr V3xx can now do when users need the choice.
Apart from a growing list of positive improvements, the only negative so far from the firmware update is that users had to perform a full restore. So make sure you have backed up everything first before applying the firmware update.
For hackers, one extra negative is that the new encryption scheme (similar to the one used in the iPod Touch) is proving difficult to get around for now. Anyone wanting to go back to firmware 1.0.2 should read this iPhone Atlas article. It will involve downloading the old firmware.
As for users of unlocked iPhones, they will be able to install the latest firmware update and the iPhone will remain unlocked, but it won't be possible to reactivate the phone calling functionality. It means your iPhone will become an iPod Touch. So for the current crop of software unlocking solutions designed to change the IMEI number (a code for identifying the mobile phone on a carrier network), anyone with AT&T sim cards in the US will not be able to reactivate the iPhone.
Bummer!
Apple may be preparing iPhone to accept third-party applications
With the potential for a consumer backlash over the iPhone's inability to accep third-party applications, Apple may have prepared the iPhone to accept future third-party applications but only under its own licensing terms. Discovered by Nicholas "Drudge" Penree, a further undocumented and hidden feature of firmware version 1.1.1 suggests an extra couple of buttons for showing additional application icons is visible as if Apple will permit certain extra applications to be installed soon.
Again this is all speculation, but it only makes sense at some point to allow a greater range of flexible application options for users to meet their own special circumstances.
Now the problem of unlocking iPhones to work on other phone carriers remains. What will Apple do here?
Hackers find a way to jailbreak the iPhone to accept third-party applications
Though not strictly an unlocking solution, an official iPhone 1.1.1 jailbreak solution has been released to allow users to install third-party applications on an iPhone with firmware version 1.1.1. For this to work properly, you must have a locked iPhone running firmware version 1.0.2.
The technique also involves patching Apple's SpringBoard application to permit the installation and running of third-party applications, and it patches a vulnerability Apple TIFF exploit bug in Safari for a more secure iPhone. Fortunately the hackers have provided simple instructions and all the tools you need to jailbreak your iPhone. Just download this ZIP file and make sure you have a PC to run the patchers and other tools on it!
Currently, the best and easiest way of unlocking an iPhone with firmware 1.1.1 is an application called AppSnapp.
Apple not happy
Apple is not happy with the way unlocked iPhones are becoming freely available. To reduce the impact, Apple is cracking down on individual accounts at the Apple store purchasing mutiple iPhones on the assumption the individuals could be unofficial resellers. However, it doesn't stop individuals creating a new account and using the same credit card to make multiple iPhone purchases and unlocking them for resale.
It is starting to look like Apple may have to consider selling unlocked iPhones at some point in the future.
Apple releases firmware 1.1.2
Apple released the 160MB size firmware 1.1.2 on 8 November 2007 providing no substantial improvements for iPhone users other than a few additional languages. This firmware update is characterised mainly by its ability to plug the TIFF exploit in Safari. It means easy jailbreaks of the iPhone has been curtailed somewhat. You are probably better off sticking to the hackers own update which unlocks the phone and helps fix the TIFF exploit at the same time. Much better features.
3G iPhones to arrive sometime in 2008
Want a 3G phone? Rumours have it that Spanish carrier Telefonica intends to carry a 3G iPhone by May 2008. Vodaphone also makes similar claims with a likely release date in the first quarter of 2008 (ie. after 30 June). Apple cannot confirm the details — possibly a move to protect the sales of the current breed of iPhones to worldwide users.
As news of the new iPhones seeps into the marketplace, getting rid of the excess old iPhones to make way for the new 3G iPhones has seen Apple Inc. decide to increase the purchase limit of 5 iPhone units per purchaser as of 12 December 2007.
Apple releases firmware 1.1.3
Apple has released the 162MB size firmware 1.1.3 on 14 January 2008. Apple is making this update easier to download as a separate .dmg file instead of using iTunes. On the other hand, this is balanced by making life difficult for users with legally and officially unlocked iPhones in France and Germany — the iPhones now become locked again.
By late January 2008, a method to unlock the iPhones has been re-issued. This one requires users to downgrade and install iTunes 7.4.2 with the help of the utility Pacifist. If you have OSX "Tiger" Installed, use version 10.4.10 or less for this technique to work. And each time a new unlock method is found and made available, it gets increasingly easier to apply. Apple Inc. had better come out with an Self Development Kit (SDK) for iPhones as soon as possible. But only if it is sufficiently flexible to allow developers to add any application they like to the iPhone. Somehow we get the feeling Apple Inc. won't like the idea.
It sounds like the battle to unlock and lock iPhones between users and Apple Inc. will continue for a little while longer.
The other disappointments to come from this firmware update are:
(i) in the bluetooth field — not enough compatibility with bluetooth devices remains;
(ii) the way SMS text messages are displayed — it can be out-of-order;
(iii) capturing a photo and storing it in the contact — it can lock up the iPhone.
Apart from that, the update does provide a slightly more stable OS on the iPhone. But other bugs do remain. You are better off going straight for version 1.1.4.
A research firm announces positive news for Apple's iPhone
A positive boost for Apple's iPhone has finally come by way of a research survey from ChangeWave. According to this research, users where asked their satisfaction of the cell phones they were using. The results allegedly show that 72 per cent of users are happy with their iPhones compared to the nearest cell phone competitor known as RIM (55 per cent), followed by LG (41 per cent). Motorola, a formerly dominant player in the mobile phone market several years ago, sits at 34 per cent for happy customers.
As research analysts Paul Carton and Jim Woods of ChangeWave discovered from their work:
'...one-time market dominator Motorola (MOT) has declined another four points in terms of future planned purchases, continuing a monstrous slide that began immediately after Apple CEO Steve Jobs' initial announcement regarding the iPhone.'
The main problem competitors have is that their mobile phones are trying to do too much using a screen that is clearly too small with an operating system or software that is not as attractive and easy to navigate and use as Apple's own iPhones.
Those who purchase mobile phones from non-Apple sources do so because they only want a compact phone to call someone or receive a call. Most of the functions on the phone are generally never used or wasted.
Where the extra features are used, it tends to be from young and/or technophile users. And their needs for such features tend to bring them to phones that can make the task look easy and attractive. Hence the power of the iPhone.
Competitors of mobile phones need a bit of a wake up call to start building more useful and attractive mobile phones to compete with the fancy OSX and big screen of the iPhones.
Apple to release an official SDK by March 2008
As third-party developers have created an unofficial SDK for the iPhone (together with a complete guide), Apple has seen the need to release its own official SDK. It is expected to come soon.
And now Apple wishes to be seen as the good guy by emphasising the positives of their SDK. Apple Chief Operating Officer (COO) Timothy Cook is hinting the SDK will "broaden the platform more, to the point where the only limit will be people's imagination."
Cook is also suggesting the iPhone may be offered in more countries as a way of reducing the jailbreaking attempts by hackers even though he admits:
'There are very few people who have unlocked the iPhone for use on a
carrier other than AT&T in the US.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple COO drops iPhone SDK hints at symposium. 27 February 2008.)
He currently sees the hacking attempts as a way for users to use the iPhone on other carriers. And with the official SDK about to be released, Cook is hoping no one would see a need to jailbreak the iPhone after March 2008 to add third-party applications.
Apple releases software/firmware update version 1.1.4
Apple released the firmware update version 1.1.4 for the iPhone. This one addresses the cell signal strength problem — it now boosts signal strength by around 60 per cent. Other issues mentioned in version 1.1.3 appear to be fixed by this update.
This is perhaps the first, most positive update ever produced by Apple. A rare event.
Still want to jailbreak the iPhone? iPhones with 1.1.4 update can be unlocked using ZiPhone. This is one of the easiest methods available so far.
Apple releases iPhone SDK
A humongous 2.1GB file was available for download as of 6 March 2008 from the Apple developer web site. On the day of its release, the web site was allegedly down for maintenance. But Apple should have woken up by the time you read this. It's the official Apple iPhone SDK 1.0 file for the iPhone. Amazing! And it only took one unofficial free third-party SDK file from another developer to do it.
The company is choosing to make this file freely available for a short time to a limited number of developers suggesting you may have to pay more than the US$99 Apple is asking for the Standard Program. For now it is only $99 and for the Enterprise Program it is US$299 (together with your personal details and address provided to Apple) to get a better SDK version in the future. As Apple announced:
"...a limited number of developers will be accepted into Apple's new iPhone Developer Program."
Perhaps there is still some use for the unofficial third-party SDK after all. It will always remain free and you can truly make the iPhone flexible enough to add or create all your applications (of course, whether you are licensed to sell the applications to others is another question unless you are the developer of those applications).
Apple alleges the SDK file will only run on Intel machines, but with a little TLC using Pacifist you can install all the software from the file to run on PowerPC computers.
Apple is looking to release iPhone 2.0 software update sometime in June 2008. If it is anything like version 1.1.4 in terms of positive improvements, we should all be pleased.
Apple iPhone 2.0 beta software
Early indications suggest Apple has released a beta version of a new live location tracking system where you can watch a blue dot representing your iPhone move about on a map as you (or someone else) carries it. The technology relies on the slower cell tower triangulation method for determining the iPhone's location. But expect this to quicken over the next few years and with tracking in other countries.
The Apple 3G iPhone
Apple's worldwide release of the 3G iPhone with the full iPhone OS 2.0 software on 11 July 2008 (in roughly 21 countries) provided much requested improvements in speed when it comes to sending video and sound data to other users (at least twice as fast) thanks to the move to a 3G network.
Another much anticipated feature is the ability to add third-party free and low-cost (90 per cent are under US$10) iPhone applications from Apple-approved software developers. Although by the time you read this hackers have finalised a jailbreak solution for the iPhone to allow a wider range of applications to be installed by any developer and used by anyone as well as give users the option to select their own preferred service provider.
The new jailbreak software solution known as PwnageTool 2.0.1 for Mac and WinPwn 2.0.0.3 for Windows will also be allegedly user friendly enough to include a well designed and simple graphic interface where you click on the graphic representing your iPhone model and let the software do all the work for you. Well, we hope that is the case, including the ability to restore to factory settings and original iPhone 3.0 software version in case people need to go back.
Already there are carriers such as TIM in Italy and 3 Hutchinson Telecommunications in Hong Kong selling the latest iPhones unlocked for users to insert any SIM card. Users are required to sign up for a 2-year contract when purchasing these unlocked iPhones.
In fact, as of 28 September 2008, the Apple Online Store has agreed to make them unlocked for the Hong Kong market. In return for this freedom, customers must pay US$695 for the 8GB version and US$798 for the 16GB version. As the site stated:
'[The] iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple selling unlocked iPhone 3G in Hong Kong. 28 September 2008.)
The question is, Why are customers in other parts of the world unable to choose their preferred carrier service?
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
28 October 2008
It is rumoured Belgium also sells unlocked iPhones according to one user.
At any rate, just these two features alone — speed and adding third-party applications — should make the iPhone considerably more useful than the previous model. But we can also add the microphone pickup and speaker appears to be much clearer and do not cause audio feedback, at a better volume, and easier to use. And signal strength is improved although we hear it can improve even more if the iPhone could automatically switch from 3G to 2g when signal strength is low to help improve standard phone voice calls. In fact, as of 16 July 2008, American users were starting to complain thick and fast about the lousy reception on the 3G network using the iPhone in areas they expected better reception on the same network using other mobile phones according to this article. The reception may also sudden drop inside a building. Could this issue be due to the antenna of the iPhone being embedded somewhere inside to minimise energy passing through the users' head but maximised in the opposite direction? Could a small antenna be attached on the iPhone to help improve the reception and transmission of signals on the 3G network?
Or, as some users are noticing, it may have something to do with version 2.0 of the iPhone software:
'I have the old iPhone, and have had many signal problems since upgrading to 2.0. Perhaps this isn't a hardware problem of either the phone or the network.' (iPhone Atlas: iPhone 3G signal and reception complaints pour in. 16 July 2008.)
Another user suggested the same thing when he said:
'I have the first iPhone and was always at 5 bars while in my house. I upgraded to version 2 software and I only have 2 bars....I called Apple, they were no help. I asked about going back to Iphone v1 software and was told that was no longer available. First hung up for 2 days on the Itunes software upgrade. Then Monday had to restore Iphone, it took 2 more days to get music and photos synced (no music or photos for the 2 days). And still only 2 bars of signal strength! I am disgusted with Apple! Looked at Vista laptops yesterday as well as the Instinct from Sprint. I am selling my black Macbook and my Iphone on Ebay. Going back to something without the excess baggage and damage that Apple has become. By the way Safari is unable to open Ebay pages half the time and relisting items page shows up in HTML rather then plain text. Apple sucks!' (iPhone Atlas: iPhone 3G signal and reception complaints pour in. 16 July 2008.)
Perhaps users are overreacting just a bit? Unfortunately this MacFixIt article dated 14 August 2008 shows the persistent nature of this poor signal strength problem. According to Peter Burrows of this BusinessWeek article:
'Apple and Infineon are currently testing the fix, which will be included in a broader update of the iPhone's software. iPhone owners will be prompted to install the update when they synch their iPhones to a PC, just as they have on many other occasions. In its statement, AT&T said, "We urge our customers to synch iPhone 3G to iTunes frequently to ensure they have the latest software updates."'
Actually this article suggests the problem lies with Munich-based Infineon Technologies caused by faulty software on the chip. The fault "causes problems when the iPhone needs to switch from wireless networks that allow for faster Web downloads to slower ones" according to "well-placed sources". However Infineon spokesman Guenther Gaugler couldn't comment on the performance of its 3G chips other than saying the same chips worked well on other phones, including those made by Samsung. As Gaugler said:
"Our 3G chips are, for example, used in Samsung handsets and we are not aware of such problems there."
Apple, on the other hand, is taking the view that the iPhones are working great on the company's own 3G network. So much for other users who aren't on the Apple 3G network.
And now the BusinessWeek article has gone one step further by stating it has found a source claiming it is Apple that has programmed the Infineon chip "to demand a more powerful 3G signal than the iPhone really requires". So the reason for the slowing down is not so much that the iPhone can't provide a strong enough 3G signal, but rather there are too many iPhone users trying to surf the web and download movies which is restricting other iPhone users from enjoying the benefits of a 3G network. It means a number of users will be forced to accept a slower network.
Or try this idea from another user:
'Or else there is simple procedure to get a perfect signal.... Put Iphone in the box you received and go and buy a nokia.' (iPhone Atlas: Boosting iPhone 3G signal strength. 12 July 2008.)
Apple is working hard to provide another software update to solve this latest bug in the iPhone, unless it has more to do with the hardware design and position of the antenna, or simply the number of users trying to get on the 3G network.
Superficially the casing has a more rounded look making it comfortable to sit in the hand. And interestingly, Apple has chosen to make the screen and battery user replaceable (well, almost). For the first time, the battery is NOT soldered to the circuit board as it was in the first generation model (and in the iPods), and the LCD screen with its glass surface can be unplugged. But you'll need an Apple technician (and not the phone carriers) to do the job for you unless you are willing to void your warranty and go through a complex procedure of disassembling it.
If you let Apple technicians do the job, they will charge you US$86 for a battery replacement and will involve erasing all data stored on your iPhone (so always make a backup).
On the negative, American users will be required to supply their social security number (doubles as the tax file number), a credit card number (a maximum of 3 can be sold per user and no cash is accepted) and all other standard personal information such as your name and address (and possibly a driver's license to obtain a new SIM card). In other countries, the requirements might differ so check your local Apple dealer. Also the iPhone will now store a screenshot of you holding the device in /var/mobile/Library/Caches/Snapshots everytime the home button is pressed and when suspending and resuming applications. Apple's explanation for this is allegedly to help with the 3D "zoom" effect get adjusted and ready for the next application to use this effect. Yet surprisingly the screenshot file is not removed after it has done its job.
If you have a jailbroken iPhone, disable this screenshot feature by typing the following commands:
# rm -rf /var/mobile/Library/Caches/Snapshots
# ln -s /dev/null /var/mobile/Library/Caches/Snapshots
The last command does what is known as symlink to a new location where the screenshot file can't be written to the disk (ie. /dev/null/). To reverse this procedure, delete the symlink and the original directory will be recreated. Thanks to Jonathan Zdziarski, author of iPhone Open Application Development and iPhone Forensics manual for discovering this.
It is not entirely clear why Apple and the US phone service provider AT&T is requesting this level of detail in your personal information. Perhaps Apple and other organisations including government agencies want to be able to track users with their iPhones?
Well, why not? The iPhone now has an improved live location tracking system. The authorities would be silly not to realise its benefit when finding software pirates and even the odd terrorist or two. It can also double as a way to find your iPhone should it get stolen so that hopefully police can track down the thief or someone else.
Apart from these nasty little privacy issues, you do have the nasty financial details.
In the unjailbroken format, American users must accept a fixed 24-month contract with AT&T (formerly Cingular) to provide all phone services for the iPhone. In Australia, Vodafone will be the preferred service provider for all Australian iPhone users.
Vodaphone will only offer a long-term 24-month agreement and will start from A$69 per month and includes A$310 credit for free voice calls, text messages and standard services, and up to 250MB of mobile data uploads/downloads per month. An additional A$189 need to be paid unfront (or an additional A$7.88 per month on top of the monthly service fee) to purchase the 8GB flash drive iPhone model, or $309 (or A$12.88 per month) for the 16GB iPhone model. If you pay more per month (ie. the $99 cap), you pay less for the iPhone and receive 500MB in data uploads/downloads.
To purchase outright the phone and stick to your existing Vodaphone plan or somehow get it unlocked for use on other networks, it will probably cost around A$799.
AT&T's own plan is similar except it provides an upgrade discount price for users of the older iPhone 1.0. The discount prices are for the 8GB model US$199 or US$299 for 16GB so long as customers sign a 24-month agreement with AT&T. Customers purchasing the latest iPhone for the first time and joins AT&T will pay US$399 for the 8GB and US$499 for the 16GB version. Don't want a contract? The price becomes US$599 for the 8GB version and US$699 for the 16GB model. Add an extra US$18 for existing customers eligible for an upgrade to activate the iPhone. Everyone will pay US$36. Finally there is the monthly fee depending on the plan you choose. AT&T provides Nation Unlimited (US$129.99), Nation 1350 (US$109.99), Nation 900 (US$89.99), Nation 450 (US$69.99) where the number represent how many free minutes of talk time at any time of the day or night per month plus additional time included at night and weekends depending on your plan.
Want to send text messages? AT&T will charge US$5 for every 200 text messages, US$15 for every 1,500 messages, and US$20 for unlimited messages.
Nothing like burning a big hole in your pocket and watching your money disappear (in the direction of Apple and its approved service providers of course).
Finally, you may need to be aware that the iPhone now requires extra power to run the 3G connectivity option and other extra features. Reports from iPhone Atlas suggest:
'The iPhone 3G has been shown to exhibit poorer battery life than its predecessor when persistently utilizing 3G connectivity.' (iPhone Atlas: iPhone 3G battery draining too fast? Try this. 13 July 2008.)
Maybe the next iPhone model (version 3.0) will have an inbuilt solar panel to keep the battery fully charged?
And to top it all off, the iPhone may have a switch to turn off "data roaming" and so save you a bundle in cash when paying the phone carriers. But turning it off is no guarantee of not getting a hefty bill at the end of the month. as this iPhone Atlas article dated 29 July 2008 suggests. iPhone user Doug Toombs noticed after returning from his holiday to the Bermuda a data transfer bill of US$113 despite turning off "data roaming". As iPhone Atlas explained:
'GSM networks work with of a series of Mobile Country Codes (MCC) and Mobile Network Codes (MNC). These codes are each three digits long and uniquely identify the country and carrier. Used together they can pinpoint the country you are in and the carrier you are using in that country. The country code for the United States is 310. This code is supposed to be endemic only to the United States. However, Digicel Bermuda uses the 310 038 combination. This caused Doug's iPhone to register on an ostensibly US-based network and ignore the data roaming setting. Despite the matching country code, Doug was charged for international data transfer.
AT&T forgave the charges, but other users have reported a similar issue, receiving bills upward of $1,000.
As a precaution, don't trust your iPhone if it shows a carrier logo matching that of your home country while traveling abroad. If such a logo is displayed, contact your carrier and ask for coverage details regarding the area.'
Eager to purchase one! We hear a million people have grabbed as many iPhones in the first 3 days of its launch. However we recommend waiting until the iPhone has all of its bugs ironed out. Perhaps the next software update? But if not, be prepared to fork out serious money for the privilege.
And do a lot of recharging every few hours.
And lose a bit more of your privacy information to your local authorities.
iPhone OS 2.0.1
Released on 4 August 2008, this update (affecting iPod Touch users as well) is characterised by essential performance-related improvements in areas commonly used by iPhone users. Exactly what was improved is cryptic as Apple can only say "bug fixes" but it seems users are noticing improved responsiveness in the keyboard, less lag time in the Contacts application and faster backups according to this iPhone Atlas article.
Users are generally happy with the update, with only a few wishing the improvements could have gone further with a reduction in the 5 to 6 seconds needed for the camera to get ready to take a shot, while others are questioning the speed improvements for backups (is it really that fast?). Another unresolved issue concerns what happens when users discover installation of an application or OS update through iTunes or the iPhone is interrupted for some reason. The iPhone will automatically reboot but doesn't seem to get past the Apple Logo, although some users are suggesting at least 30 minutes waiting time, for others it might be longer. There is nothing on the screen to indicate what is happening, so some users start to think the iPhone has been "bricked" and made unusable. Until this issue is resolved, the update has to be seen as a minimal improvement.
Overall, this update is not likely to worsen the experience of iPhone 3G users running the older OS 2.0.
For the latest jailbreak solution, click here.
iPhone OS 2.0.2
On 18 August 2008, Apple released the iPhone OS 2.0.2. While installation has been relatively trouble free and perhaps some bugs have been fixed (although again Apple is being cryptic about the changes it has done, it may include a fix for applications not launching), this will not bring much needed relief to US users wanting better reception on the 3G network. The best Apple can do for now is allow better switching between 3G and 2G networks for more stable voice and data connections in areas of low signal strength, which means you will be more likely to stay connected for longer. Some users are recommending you reset the iPhone after the update to get the best results.
Perhaps Apple has conceded the 3G network in the US can't handle the capacity from so many iPhone users?
Only one main problem to report from this update: having too many applications on the iPhone could cause iPhoneOS 2.0.2 to crash. Some users have recommended you re-install some third-party software applications to improve the situation.
iPhone OS 2.1 beta
As of 2 August 2008, we learn that Apple is looking to enhance performance and battery life for the latest iPhone 2.0 by introducing a technology known as Push. While the full benefits of this technology won't be realised until a central Apple server is established to support it, it will allow software applications running on the iPhone to push information such as messages, calendar events, emails, updates and so on through to the Apple server before the right information is returned to the iPhone, freeing up the software applications from having to constantly run in the background even when the user thinks he/she has closed the application.
Push technology is about getting software applications to send information about the iPhone (and possibly the user) together with details of the information the user might need to another location controlled by Apple where at some point the information required is returned to the iPhone for the user to be notified.
It will allow Apple to expand the repertoire of possible software tools to run on the iPhone without the user noticing a change in performance and with little impact on battery life. And it can also give Apple more information about what is held on the iPhone by the user and who is using the iPhone for whatever purposes.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
12 September 2008
Apple released the iPhone OS 2.1 update designed to fix various bugs including "dropped calls, poor battery life, slow backups in iTunes, and repeated application crashes" (iPhone Atlas, 9 September 2008.) not to mention some performance issues and poor signal strength. And this is the first time more information about what was updated in iPhone OS 2.1 is revealed than in any previous update.
According to iPhoneAtlas.com dated 12 September 2008:
'Most users are reporting dramatically enhanced performance, better signal and battery life, and greater stability after installing iPhone OS 2.1.'
Only a few users have had trouble installing the update and some have somehow managed to brick or render useless some iPhones during the update. Other users have noticed slightly worse battery life possibly due to the improved signal strength on the 3g network that may have required extra power. Those who have turned off 3g have generally seen an improved battery life following this update.
For example, iPhone Atlas reader Jerry Flaby said:
'Since updating to 2.1 I have seen a dramatic decrease in battery life. I can make it about half a day with moderate use as opposed to a day and a half before the update. My usage meter continues to grow when I am not using the phone. I have tried soft reboot, hard reboot, restore from backup, and reseting all settings. None worked!! Some people have narrowed this down to a push issue with both MobileMe and Exchange. I personally have used push with exchange with no problems, until now. I have turned off push and will see if it helps. This is by far the worst problem I have had with this phone. It makes text lag and reception issues look like a joke in comparison. Also, I cannot get a fix with GPS while 3G enabled. Works fine with 3G disabled.' (iPhone Atlas: Poor battery life under iPhone OS 2.1, Fixes. 18 September 2008.)
More of this view can be observed on the Apple's Discussion Boards as of September 2008.
In addition to this, some users are claiming the EDGE "Data transfer" signal may be worse and GPS may be lame while 3G is enabled, while others are finding their third-party iPhone applications are crashing regularly enough (do they need to be reinstalled?). But Apple-specific iPhone applications appear very stable and with better performance (eg. Contacts.app).
Recommended fixes for poor battery life and other issues include completely draining the battery charge and then fully recharging the battery; turning off Maps and GPS functionality in the location services section under Settings --> General, turning off Push feature and restart the iPhone, or consider restoring the iPhone to the original settings.
It will cost US$9.95 for iPod Touch users (while there are bugs, the update should be free) to benefit from this update. All iPhone owners can get it for free.
As for the alleged signal strength boost, there is now a general consensus by users that this update may not increase signal strength. Rather, the update has done something to make the signal strength indicator bars look more accurate. Either that or the signal strength bars have been inflated. However, the calls can still drop and the software may turn off 3G to help maintain the call. The views on this do vary. One user said:
'I am really disappointed and pissed off at Apple for using such a cheap trick to try to convince people that they are getting a strong signal. Just fix the damn problem with reception and give us back a realistic signal strength meter, or remove it completely because it is totally useless now.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple's iPhone signal strength placebo. 25 September 2008.)
Another user had a different view:
'My signal has drastically improved on the original iPhone after installing 2.1. After 2.0 I had been sporadically losing Edge connection and was unable at times to connect to wifi networks. This has all been cleared up.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple's iPhone signal strength placebo. 25 September 2008.)
To test your iPhone's actual signal strength, turn on the dB meter by dialling *3001#12345#* and press Call.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
29 October 2008
The "Push" technology combined with MobileMe applications (which is primarily a server-side set of applications) has been given a positive spin by Apple today stating updates will primarily occur on the server side meaning you won't have to do the updating but hopefully you will notice significant improvements on your iPhone 3G over time. A Knowledge Base document released by Apple has stated:
"Apple is always working to improve MobileMe. Since MobileMe is primarily a server-side, or "cloud"-based, service, the MobileMe team can make improvements and push updates to MobileMe without any action being required of MobileMe customers. Since server-side updates are a bit more innocuous than a standard software update to Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows, it's easy not to notice that updates are occurring. Usually the only hint of these updates is that things just 'work better'."
Now if only Apple can come up with another positive spin for the personal information (eg. emails, address book data etc) you are sending to an Apple server and everyone will be happy.
Or perhaps making your own free iPhone app is the only privacy-protected solution you've got?
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
10 November 2008
Too many hassles for users trying to use MobileMe on iPhone 2.0. Apple is working to improve the push notification Apple servers to better handle the large numbers of users likely to be using the service and with it improve MobileMe services.
Cannot connect to WiFi networks?
This article from iPhone Atlas suggests some iPhone 3G units upgraded to software version 2.0 or higher may not connect to WiFi networks. For a while the iPhone may work, but one day it can suddenly stop for no good reason. A laptop with WiFi will pick up WiFi services. Yet the iPhone 3G can sit there looking pretty and nothing else.
As one iPhone user said:
'My iPod Touch can find many more hotspots than my iPhone. I think Apple has done a bad job with iPhone 3G '
A number of American users have been successful in getting the iPhone 3G fixed by Apple claiming a hardware issue may be at play in certain instances of WiFi mishaps (including the above situation). As one iPhone user said:
'I had the same problem with my first generation iPhone after about 6 months of use. I couldn't connect to a wi-fi network and/or keep a wi-fi signal for more than a few seconds. I tried everything to fix it (full restore, changed router settings, etc.) Eventually made an appointment at the Genius Bar and was told that it was a hardware issue. They gave me a new phone since it was still under warranty and I haven't had the problem return.'
Another recommendation has been to keep the WiFi settings simple by turning off all security from the router, remove spaces from the WPA pass phrase, and turning off and on again the WiFi feature. But people shouldn't be doing this. The WiFi feature of the iPhone 3G should work first time everytime. No excuses from Apple.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
29 October 2008
To quickly counter this slight embarressment of the WiFi situation, AT&T in the US has finally issued the following message to their subscribers owning an iPhone 3G:
'AT&T Free Msg: Your Apple iPhone new has free AT&T Wi-Fi access at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks. For info visit www.att.com/attwifi.'
Users have been kept waiting for months for this new service as SMS announcements from AT&T kept popping up on the iPhones. Now the latest announcement has ended all speculation.
Users like to hear something positive at last.
Of course, you must remember to enter your iPhone phone number and give authorization via SMS to AT&T to accept your personal information, location and phone number before using the "free" service (you will have to do this every 24 hours). AT&T likes to know it really is an AT&T customer using their WiFi networks.
Sounds like bad news if you are one of those free loaders on the networks.
NOTE: Why don't libraries provide true "free" Wi-Fi networks? Guaranteed to get people visiting libraries any day!
New restrictions in iTunes 8.0 for iPod Touch users
iPhone-specific applications can no longer be installed on iPod Touch thanks to changes in the latest iTunes 8.0 application. Workaround is to update the applications on the iPod Touch using an earlier version of iTunes, then sync your iPod Touch with iTunes 8 to create a backup of the updated applications. It should be possible to re-install the applications using iTunes 8.0 without the error message.
There may also be some problems when downloading the latest iPhone OS2.1 update using iTunes 8.0. iTunes 8.0 must eventually be updated to fix these latest bugs.
Restrictions in buying third-party iPhone.apps from the Apple store
Another hinderance to iPhone users is the decision by Apple to restrict third-party applications to ones the company is happy to see on its iPhones.
According to this iPhone Atlas article dated 21 September 2008, it seems any applications found to look like it can duplicate the functionality of Apple's own applications or is likely to circumvent Apple restrictions in the installation of applications outside of the iTunes framework, or could in any way help to jailbreak the iPhone, will be removed from the App Store (the official place for buying and downloading through iTunes various third-party iPhone applications).
Take, for example, MailWrangler by developer Angelo DiNardi. Apple has rejected this application on the grounds that the software "duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail".
MailWrangler is not designed to circumvent any restrictions Apple has set on the iPhone and through the App Store. It merely adds functionality or so the developer claims by saying his application does nothing more than act as a web viewer, allowing a user to view his/her Gmail accounts inside any application. He doesn't see how there could be confusion between the two applications. As he said:
'How you can confuse Gmail with Mail.app I'm not sure.' (iPhone Atlas: Another useful tool banned from the iPhone App Store. 21 September 2008.)
Somehow Apple doesn't see it this way.
Or could it be that Apple is confusing Mail.app with Safari.app? Maybe Apple wants all users to use Safari.app to view the Gmail accounts. Or is it simply in the use of the word "Mail" which Apple thinks could entice users to use MailWrangler instead of Mail.app? Maybe Apple sees this as anti-competitive behaviour.
Whatever the reason, DiNardi remarked:
"I guess I should just write another flashlight or glowstick application to actually get published. That's the only apps Apple seems to want in the store." (iPhone Atlas: Another useful tool banned from the iPhone App Store. 21 September 2008.)
Another application to face the wrong end of the Apple stick by not being allowed to be sold on the App Store is Podcaster. This one is designed to let people download podcasts directly to their iPhone or iPod without requiring iTunes.
And for a while CastCatcher, a streaming Internet Radio application, was accepted onto the App Store until 10 November 2008 when Apple decided to ban it for using too much bandwidth over the cellular network. According to Apple's quote published by a user:
'CastCatcher Internet Radio cannot be posted to the App Store because it is transferring excessive volumes of data over the cellular network, which as outlined in the iPhone SDK Agreement section 3.3.15, is prohibited.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple's App rejections get curiouser. 11 November 2008.)
It seems restricting American iPhone users to the AT&T carrier has created more headaches than they care to count on their hands and feet. And with 3G networks in the US lagging behind the rest of the world by at least 6 months, it is no wonder AT&T and Apple are struggling to resolve the network issue. More infrastructure investment is needed.
As for the average developer trying to make a buck or two, this banning of App exercise from Apple is likely to spur growth in a new and potentially lucrative black market of jailbreaking and selling banned applications.
Somehow we can't blame the poor bastards.
Upcoming European Union Directive on batteries in the iPod and iPhone could affect Apple
One of the great banes of modern Apple products (MacBook Air, iPods and iPhones) is the inability (or not without great difficulties) to remove, replace and dispose of, or recycle the battery by the user.
Considerable debate has taken place since Apple first designed its product to prevent users from easily replacing the battery. Supporters of the idea are those in the business world who believe such a design is near to shear brilliance and would allow Apple and its Apple-approved technicians to make more money from the battery exchange program and not just from selling the Apple products in the first place.
Detractors of the idea include environmentalists and users who argue any restriction to removing the batteries and any additional costs to get Apple to replace them would discourage users from looking after the environment. There is a greater risk of users throwing away the entire product when the batteries are exhausted.
As of October 2008, the European Union is pushing through a new directive to force Apple and other hardware manufacturers to make all products more consumer and environmentally friendly. To put it quite simply, under the new directive (if accepted), users will be able to remove, replace, and dispose of, or recycle old batteries.
The quote supporting this new directive is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Directive:
'It states that it must be easy for consumers to remove batteries from electronic products.'
For Apple, this means they may have to design two versions of their iPods and iPhones in the future — one for the European market, and another for the rest of the world.
Or more likely, international users will be making orders of Apple products from Europe to benefit from the modified Apple designs. In which case, the loss of profit in selling Apple products in non-European countries could force Apple to make the new design a standard feature of all Apple products.
Sounds like Apple will eventually have to make replaceable batteries for users a permanent feature of all Apple products.
Restrictions on developers testing beta iPhone OS software
Developers aren't entirely free of the restrictions either. Up until October 2008, developers were required not to discuss the source code for the beta version of the latest iPhone OS software under any circumstances, according to Apple's official non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for which all approved developers had to sign. All this managed to achieve was force developers underground to discuss Apple's source code in secret online forums where ideas and source code can be exchanged.
Now Apple has realised it is far better to set up its own restricted iPhone developer-to-developer forum on its web site.
Apple has tried to put a positive spin on the fiascoe by claiming the NDA has been dropped. As Apple stated:
'We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software. We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don't steal our work. However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone's success, so we are dropping it for released software....Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple Officially Kills iPhone NDA, Launches Developer Forums. 24 October 2008.)
The reality is that developers are still restricted. The agreement on the new forum now states developers can only discuss with other developers on Apple's only approved forum and no where else. Well, at least they have a place to discuss any issue.
As the new agreement on the Apple-approved forum states:
'Apple may provide you with access to confidential forums within the Apple Developer Forums for discussion of certain Apple Confidential Information, such as the discussion of pre-release software. For purposes of such confidential forums, Apple is providing a limited exception to your iPhone Developer Agreement(s) by allowing you to discuss Apple Confidential Information that you have obtained from Apple under such agreement(s) with other Participants who are also on such confidential forums, but only within these confidential forums. Except for the limited purpose of discussions with other Participants within these confidential forums, you acknowledge and agree that this Agreement does not grant you the right to copy, reproduce, publish, blog, disclose, transmit, or otherwise disseminate any Apple Confidential Information.' (iPhone Atlas: Apple Officially Kills iPhone NDA, Launches Developer Forums. 24 October 2008.)
While the agreement won't stop developers discussing Apple's latest source code in any secret forum they like, the move from Apple has been welcomed and should quell much of the concerns expressed by developers over the previous 12 to 18 months.
Apple released the iPhone Firmware 2.1 and working on iPhone OS 2.2 update
Apple is said to be working hard on making an improved iPhone OS through version 2.2 to hopefully end much of the concerns users have with iPhones on the software side. When combined with server-side MobileMe applications and the "Push" technology, users should start to see a dramatic reduction in time spent updating their iPhones.
And hopefully this will result in improved battery times and less time having information processed on the iPhone (let the Apple servers do the work), or as one user named bbarrera said on 11 October 2008:
'... and after 2.2 it still won't be perfect and they be slaving on the next release....On the hardware front I think the CPU could use a bump in clock speed, along with a new chipset to reduce power consumption and increase battery life.'
And another welcome improvement would be a Safari that doesn't crash several times a day or a week.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
28 October 2008
iPhone Atlas has commented on a user's report claiming his iPhone 3G running OS version 2.2 beta has an annoying popup window on deleting an App. Before you can delete the App, a popup window asks you to put a rating on the App on how useful the App was to you. Once you indicate your rating (fortunately you do have the option of selecting "No thanks"), you can finally delete the App (probably with another message like, "Are you sure you want to delete it?", but shouldn't be as bad as Microsoft).
The report appeared on the Greek language website known as iPhone Helias. A snapshot has been taken of the message:
Can anyone else confirm this observation?
And what are the chances the ratings given by a user for an App will be positive when he/she deletes the App? There is usually a good reason for deleting the App, and it may not be because it is a fantastic App to use (or why else would a user delete the App?).
Sounds like the ratings data for deleted Apps will be skewed in some way and would only give the developer information about how many people are rating his/her App poorly. And probably much to the delight of Apple whose own applications are not subject to a rating system. After a period of time, all the negative ratings for free Apps will not be able to compete with Apple's own Apps.
Apple certainly isn't dumb.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
2 November 2008
Continuing restrictions on the App Store and the latest Apple SDK designed to stop developers making applications capable of running in the background as Apple's own Apps can is allegedly spurring on hackers to find ways to jailbreak the iPhone 3G running firmware version 2.2. Today it seems the iPhone has been jailbroken. And it is claimed, although not officially quoted from the man himself, that Steve Wozniak the co-founder of Apple has supported the jailbreak scene by showing an iPhone 3G running his own third-party applications according to this iPhone Atlas article. It is alleged he used Pwning to allow him full read/write filesystem access and installation of unofficial third-party applications.
Not the kind of promotion Steve Jobs would want to hear or see coming from an Apple co-founder.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
3 November 2008
Do you get a black screen on your iPhone 3G as if it has gone to sleep for no apparent reason? Try restoring the iPhone only after you discover the turning off of the Password Lock (PIN) function in Settings doesn't work.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
6 November 2008
Has Apple done something to the late 2008 MacBook Pro and MacBook laptops to prevent jailbreaking of the iPhone and iPod Touch? Users are claiming their unlocked iPhones will no longer synch with iTunes on the latest laptops. Error messages are cropping up. As iPhone Atlas reported:
'It's not clear what specifically is to blame for the failure of the iPhone Dev Team's PwnageTool jailbreak utility on the new systems, but iPhone users are reporting that these new Apple notebooks are failing to recognize their iPhone in DFU restore mode. This is an important portion of the jailbreaking process since the PwnageTool requires that the computer recognize the iPhone in DFU restore mode in order to perform the jailbreak.' (MacFixIt.com: Does Apple's War on Jailbreaking Have a New Front? . 6 November 2008.)
Users are resorting to Windows XP on a PC to bypass Apple's latest restrictions.
## SPECIAL UPDATE ##
10 November 2008
It is claimed by iPhone Atlas that the reason Apple has not released the push notification services by this time is because Apple's server-based technology is not yet ready to handle the shear number of iPhone users. Probably the company is learning from AT&T after its own network got overloaded with too much (mainly video) information from iPhone 3G users.
