Quit crying over bricked iPhones

What’s the fun in having gadgets if we can’t tinker with them, right? Wrong, says Apple. iPhone owners who ventured down the paths of modding, hacking, or unlocking are receiving a frostily cold shoulder from Apple, who has said if your iPhone is bricked because you couldn’t resist a little harmless modification, you should buy another one.

Since the release of the iPhone a few months ago, hackers and modders have been developing ways for users to upload custom ringtones, install unique applications, and even unlock iPhones for use on other GSM networks besides AT&T’s. However, Apple released a software update last week that intended to remedy a few small problems as well as add substantialy functionality.

Prior to distributing the release, Apple took special care to notify the user community that any modded or tinkered with iPhones could be left, “permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed,” according to The New York Times.

Apparently there aren’t quite as many intelligent and savvy Apple product users as some might have thought, because the warning went unheeded for most; not surprisingly, those iPhones were “bricked,” or made into very shiny and pretty paperweights.

What was the true intent of Apple’s update? There are quite a few who believe Apple was ill-intentioned and mainly wanted to discourage users from modifying the software on the iPhones. Eric Sadun, writer for The Unofficial Apple Weblog, said the update made iPhones, “almost impervious to any third-party hacks.”

Though most Apple fans are accustomed to quality customer service and general helpfulness from Apple, many have been left upset over Apple’s seeming indifference to the bricked iPhone epidemic. Many users have called Apple in hopes of remedying their situation, only to be told they shouldn’t have tinkered with the iPhone, and they should buy another.

Is Apple wrong for refusing to allow users to modify their iPhones? Is that even the case at all? Any software update, regardless of the manufacturer, is designed to overwrite previous protocols and specific codes; if those codes are in any way modified or edited, is it unreasonable to expect updates to not execute properly? How could Apple be expected to maintain its reputation for quality software and security if they were willing to work with those who care nothing about solid performance and security?

Taking that notion further, how can Apple be expected to ever update any of its technology if it allowed users to completely rewrite base software for their own uses? The real heart of the matter could be that the iPhone isn’t just a tool for the general Apple fan base…it is subject to the opinions and critiques of those outside the normal Apple technology realm.

Generally, most Mac or Apple product users are happy to take what Apple gives them. If you want to hack, modify, and generally screw up whatever technology you’re playing with, go buy a Dell or some other mass technology manufacturer’s toy. There are no reports of mass hysteria when Apple releases an update to OS X, and that is because Apple users understand what we have with Apple is far superior to what we get from anyone else; crying over not being able to tinker should be left to Linux fanboys and “I build my own rigs” geeks.

What is truly astounding about this recent uproar over bricked iPhones is the general attitude of, “Yes, we have it all, but we still want more, and how dare you not give it to us?!” Was it that long ago that consumers were just foaming at the mouth to get their hands on the iPhone, a piece of technology that completely revolutionized the mobile technology world?

And now those same people whine and complain that they aren’t getting enough; that it is unfair for Apple to get in the way of their playtime. Wake up call, folks: you are officially dealing with Apple now, a company that is heralded for delivering fantastic products and software. This is no longer that other technology company that needs to suck up to you so they can stay in business. You were given the absolute best, and if you don’t want it, don’t buy it.

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