Latest iphone update disables 3rd party cables, opinions?

[invictius]

It's pretty low IMO but I'm not surprised since it's apple. I remember when there was talk of all motherboards coming with a chip that would make pirated software unable to run. I can't think of it being worth a retailer cloning the chip or whatever detects a non-apple computer.

[Doomkid]

Apple are a bunch of greedy assholes. They constantly squeeze the money sponge no matter how obvious that it's purely to get more revenue they could certainly do without. They never hesitate to give their "adoring fans" the middle finger salute.

(This message typed on an iPad)

[Gez]

Step #1: Buy a Chinese knock-off brand; the cheaper and scuzzier the better
Step #2: Download an Apple logo vector file from the Internet
Step #3: Print the logo, turn it into a stencil, and spray-paint your knock-off

You now have an iPhone that cost you 1/10th the cost of a real iPhone, but is of better make, with longer-lasting batteries, and less fuckyouware inside.


In other news, Apple has decided to harvest maggots from Steve Jobs' corpse, brand them with their logo, and sell them for billions of dollars. Apple buyers are busy selling their kidneys to afford to buy the iMaggots, which are absolute indispensable to their happiness and well-being.

[Phml]

Is Apple still relevant? I'm hearing more buzz about the latest Surface Pro (a Microsoft product, of all things!) than anything Apple lately, but it might just be my filter bubble.

[geekmarine]

I'm sure it's all done in the name of "quality control," which is a crock of shit. I dunno, I'm reminded of a friend of mine in college who was taken in by the Apple cult, and I pointed out how strict they were about ensuring that you can't install non-Apple hardware into an Apple product, and he was all gloating about how it guarantees you won't accidentally pick up a bad piece of hardware and have your system melt or something. Love the guy, but all I could think was, gee, what a sucker for buying into that bologna.

[Graf Zahl]

The strange thing is, if Microsoft did such a thing, they'd get into a shitstorm about The Evil Empire etc. but all the iFanbois swallow this abuse wholesale without complaining. Are these people all brainwashed or what???


By now Apple is far, far worse than Microsoft ever was - thank god that their abuse-driven, maxed-out-profit-to-the-limit business doesn't coexist well with market dominance.

[Netherstorm]

Phml said:

Is Apple still relevant?

You'd be surprised how relevant they are still. I can't go anywhere without seeing a few people with iPhones.

[Koko Ricky]

As a friend has stated to me repeatedly, "They want you to use their shit." Make it so that Apple products require the disposal of your competitor's counterparts. Good marketing, but totally unethical.

[Breezeep]

*snip*

[FireFish]

Graf Zahl said:

By now Apple is far, far worse than Microsoft ever was - thank god that their abuse-driven, maxed-out-profit-to-the-limit business doesn't coexist well with market dominance.

They believe the cause, like a religious person believes the bible its stories. They believe to buy entertainment for relaxation and
social status compared to other devices being less or stressfull. It is a social status because hipsters make each other feel big and
accepted when they meet with their fashion crap.

'you are an artits if you use photoshop or equivalent on a mac / apple. You are a true artist with true art.'
even if it remains the same shit on every machine.

[Avoozl]

This is why I'mma get me a Samsung.

[Bloodshedder]

Do you have a source for this claim?

[invictius]

I only have an iphone due to ignorance and it being free, just for the record.

[40oz]

I wish I could talk my wife out of supporting apple. Their products are way overpriced but she's too hooked to adapt to a different brand.

I have a windows phone which was like a third of the price and does everything I could want it to. Admittedly though, the online marketplace is the D!Zone of app stores.

[Maes]

Hey hey hey, it's all offer and demand, folks! If Apple "offers" such a "product", then there must be demand for it (don't ask me how to best describe those that would demand something like this, thoguh...)

[Linguica]

The iPhone is great and Android is trash

[Netherstorm]

Linguica said:

The iPhone is great and Android is trash

u wot m8? fite me irl rite da fuk now.

[printz]

40oz said:

I wish I could talk my wife out of supporting apple. Their products are way overpriced but she's too hooked to adapt to a different brand.

I have a windows phone which was like a third of the price and does everything I could want it to. Admittedly though, the online marketplace is the D!Zone of app stores.

Sorry but it's all in user experience here, which can be more valuable than anything, if it makes the customer use the product more. That's what the producer wants, right?

I suppose Microsoft is trying to be just as sleek with their UX, both for the user and the programmer (c# is so concise). They're not cheapass Google/Linux/Android for everybody. But they should ditch that black background with plain text and wireframes from their Windows Phone, because it looks quite basic and featureless.

[Maes]

NEWSFLASH: 3rd party cables disable the update

[geekmarine]

I actually downloaded an app for my Windows phone that makes the tiles transparent so you can display a background imagine under your tiles - goes worlds to making the interface more pleasant to look at. And since they've added a Swype-like keyboard and a Siri clone (Cortana, which I primarily end up using to set reminders), it's almost my favorite phone OS. Yeah, as as been stated, the only thing really lacking is an app store that isn't full of crap. Not that the other app stores don't get full of junk, too, just that it's less likely that the really good apps get ported over to Windows phone.

[Gez]

The smartphone market gives you the choice between Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

My advice is not to get a smartphone.

[Maes]

Well....there are also non-Android, non-OSX and non-WinME based "smartphones", it's just that they lag bahind in terms of fancy apps and....pretty much everything, compared to the "big players".

E.g. I can't remember a smartphone having an actually usable browser before one of the "big three" came around. And it wasn't even that far back, either: a TOTL (for 2009) Sony Ericsson p990i looks terribly outdated today, that it makes you wonder how it could have ever classified as a smartphone.

[printz]

Gez said:

The smartphone market gives you the choice between Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

My advice is not to get a smartphone.

I suppose a Google would be most fitting, since you may want your pocket communicator to be as controllable as you want, and a high quality Android one would deliver. Also Google has the least arrogant PR.

But yeah... I'd rather wait until this slate-sized smartphone trend wears off...

I have tried neither iPhone or Windows Phone. Are WP as hopelessly unpopular as people say? Might they be discontinued?

[geekmarine]

I don't think the Windows Phone is super unpopular - it's just as functional as any other smart phone out there. Only difference is, being a relative newcomer, it just doesn't have the same level of app support that other phones do. And even then, there are plenty of apps available for Windows Phone now (I'd say any of the big three's app stores carry far more apps than anyone will ever need).

[GreyGhost]

Bloodshedder said:

Do you have a source for this claim?

Try this one - seems it's not exactly a new issue.

[geo]

My gf had her ipod stolen at work, she bought a new one and yep sure enough it doesn't charge on any of her 3rd party cords. Another reason to hate Apple. Before, her Apple products would warn her this is a 3rd party cable. Now it just doesn't work. She thought her 3rd party cable was broken, so she bought a new one.... and that didn't work and got a new one.

[printz]

Lightning connector or the older kind? Could it be that they had changed it to lightning in order to implement this kind of DRM?

[Graf Zahl]

geekmarine said:

I don't think the Windows Phone is super unpopular - it's just as functional as any other smart phone out there. Only difference is, being a relative newcomer, it just doesn't have the same level of app support that other phones do. And even then, there are plenty of apps available for Windows Phone now (I'd say any of the big three's app stores carry far more apps than anyone will ever need).

Ugh...

Hello??? 'Relative newcomer???'

Windows Phone has been on the market for 4 years, and spectacularly failed to make any impression - with a worldwide marketshare of 2.5%.

Sorry, that game is over, not even Microsoft with their deep pockets can get out of there - especially when they stubbornly refuse to change their broken UI.

I work in app development and WP is as dead as a barren desert - no money to be made there.

[Maes]

They probably inserted (or already had) a kind of protection chip in every 'genuine' Apple cable, with the OS being perfectly able to tell the difference from a simple pass-through cable. They just didn't enforce exclusive use until now. But I'm sure some 3rd party patches will remove that limitation...or cable mfgs will smarten up and clone the protection system, at the cost of increased price even for 3rd party cables.

[jdagenet]

I think this was a very smart and sincere move for Apple.
When using 3rd-party chargers on Apple's products, you're talking about life or death -- literally.

Here, a man was severely burned on his hand due to a knock-off, 3rd-party charger for the iPhone.
And here, this poor women in China was electrocuted and killed due to her 3rd-party charger.

So while everyone is bitching about how greedy Apple is because they force you to buy their products, they might've just saved your life with this.