Comment on "Creative Reformation"

2010-02-04T09:57:30-05:00

But you can run unsigned applications on your iPad. You just need a developer license.

Here's the thing: I don't think Apple has an obligation to make it easy for you to hack on the device you bought from them. I also don't think it should be illegal for you to reverse engineer / jailbreak / whatever your own device. And yes, I know that Apple is trying to use the DMCA to prevent such a thing; they're wrong to do so.

But if Apple doesn't want non developers to tinker, that's a decision that may really hurt them down the road. If they make it hard to tinker, the next generation will learn how to tinker on something else and that something else will have a decided market advantage.

So I think you need to separate "that's a bad business decision" from "you've taken away my freedom". The iPad doesn't take away your freedom. The DMCA does that.

Comment on "Creative Reformation"

2010-02-04T10:01:01-05:00

But (a) Apple knows that the DMCA prevents people from legally developing on the device without Apple's express permission, and (b) any flaws which allow jailbreaking in the first place are just bugs -- an unjailbreakable system is by no means impossible.

Consumers stand for it because it limits their freedom in a way which usually doesn't impact them, but the ease-of-use they buy from Apple for and the restriction-of-freedom are not bound by necessity. As long as average consumers don't recognize the implications of the restrictions imposed, there's no market disadvantage, just the raw advantage of absolute control.

Creative Reformation / commentary

Comment on "Creative Reformation"

Comment on "Creative Reformation"