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Apple Error Leaves iPhone Developers In the Lurch
canadacow writes "iPhone developers enrolled and active in the iPhone OS 2.0 beta program got a nasty surprise today when Apple inadvertently 'expired' the recently released version. While for a beta program this typically would not be an issue, Apple has yet to release a new deployment of the iPhone OS. So developers like myself who use their iPhone for both actual phone and iPod use are bricked. Of note, this particular expired build is just 11 days old."
It is not a brick. It's a perfectly functional device with a software problem. That is not "bricked".
Couldn't they just re-release the exact same beta OS but fix the expiration date? They must know about this by now, and it doesn't seem like it'd even take that long. Maybe they are having a day off or something.
I know this will be the theme for the whole slashdot story, but I have to say that if MS did this, I think there'd be public burnings, see-I-told-you-so's, etc.
Is anyone else getting tired of the sensationalist misuse of the term "bricked" around here?
Unless it's nigh unrecoverable, your hardware isn't bricked.
If there's anything more important than my ego around here, I want it caught and shot immediately.
Here's an even better idea. Let's complain about developers who use beta software for their primary mobile phone!
Developers: We can use your help.
Of course, then you have to worry about the corporation actually selling the damned devices. How far behind is the OpenMoko project now? How long have we been waiting for the FreeRunner's release?
In the OSS world, we have a saying: "Release Early, Release Often." Apple's been following those rules to a tee, users sometimes get a bad experience, but the software rapidly converges to a usable state, as it is now. OpenMoko on the other hand, is lagging way, way behind, to the point you now have to be curious if the phone will ship at all or just remain as vaporware.
Support the Open Alternative alright... Shame it doesn't exist yet.
Right, so we'll just use the emulator forever, shall we? Hard to develop when we can't even test it on the fucking units. Seriously, why bother "releasing" an SDK if you didn't even put in a visual designer until last week, and still are unable to put it on actual units? Nice "release".
It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.
I believe that people are getting incredibly stupid about all this EULA terms of service.
I mean, on the Apple forums I am seeing posts "Well, they turned my $800 dollar phone into a brick, but schucks, I guess I deserve it because it is in the EULA."
I mean people go BERZERK over Microsoft shutting down their systems after upgrades and their keys fail to match the hardware anymore so Vista doesn't boot.
Apple users are just happy and content they spent $800 bucks it would seem for a phone and the company just turned it off, with no recourse.
I can see it now: "Damn, stuck out in nowhere with a flat tire.....Darn...looks like my EULA is gone, so I will have to die out here in the heat. Darn, but I guess I deserve it."
Absolutely amazing. I wonder if the EULA comes with a agreement that your IQ must be reduced to a 2 year old?
The only person who is ever going to shut my phone or PC off is going to be me and when I and only I hit the off button.
Mac Customers=Stupid
-Hack
Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
I don't get it - My "friend's" iphone expired at midnight but guess what, there was an email from the Apple beta program in my "friend's" email telling my "friend" to update their iPhone. Update, start using the phone again.
This is just a sensationalist article using the Dvorak Method (TM) to get more hits.
These aren't users whose phones are gone forever, they're developers (or "developers") whose platform (or phone) is down temporarily. Apple screwed up here, but "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic" might be overstating it a bit.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
I think you missed the part where these are people choosing to explicitly install beta development software on their mobile phone. If want to be sure your phone will work, either don't install early beta software on it, or buy a second phone.
Developers: We can use your help.
How else are you supposed to test something thoroughly than to use it as your primary device?
I can understand perfectly why devs would use the iPhone as their primary. It's hard to catch the bugs unless you're regularly testing your software in a real-life environment... or do you really want the bugs (usability or functionality) to show up when the customers start using the tool in a real-life way.
So how do you like your ibrick? After the first brick today, or after the second brick today?
/half sarcasm, half facepalm
I mean seriously, how many times has this phone been bricked lately? I could be building myself a house by now with all of the bricking.
Suck it the fuck up, and use the emulator till there's a working firmware release.
Yes, Apple did a poor job here but it's in fact not Mac Customers=Stupid, it's rather Beta Users Wanting Production Quality=Stupid. Usually I even go saying Version 1.0 Users Wanting Production Quality=Stupid...
Build a tool even an idiot can use and only an idiot will want to use it. -S.O.B.
Hack,
Check your maths. iPhones don't cost anywhere near $800.
Also, iPhone users aren't Mac customers. They're iPhone customers. People who use Apple Macintosh computers are Mac customers.
Furthermore, Apple iPhone customers are not using beta software on their phone. This error applies to developers. Apple didin't "turn off" their customers phones. You seem to have a problem with reading and comprehension.
Before you rant about how stupid other people are, try to get your facts straight lest appear stupid yourself.
Jesus. Drama Queen much? A piece of beta software exploded. It will be fixed in days if not hours. It's probably fixed by the time you posted your whiny rant. So dry your tears, Princess, and turn down the hyperbole a little.
Fiat Homos et Pereat Theos
Developers: We can use your help.
Folks, don't tell him the phone isn't bricked, it just encourages him. Instead of going to a forum and asking "hey, what happened to my iPhone with this devkit installed?" he comes to Slashdot and hyperventilates about a bricked phone. And whaddya know, several people already gave him a solution (rollback firmware through iTunes - hey, great idea!) I propose we no longer act as Apple Technical Support for the Un-Bricked.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
But bricked by Apple legitimately? Never been.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Wah wah wah! Apple released this fancy new phone but there's no SDK and nobody can develop apps for it, this sucks, Apple sucks, everyone sucks!
*Apple releases beta SDK*
Wah wah wah! Apple released an inital version of an SDK for their fancy new phone and it isn't perfect and doesn't do everything we ever wanted, this sucks, Apple sucks!
All some people do is complain. Even when someone listens to what you're asking for, and tries to meet your needs. Even when they're just starting out and testing the waters in an area that is very complex. Apple released what they had because obnoxious people wouldn't shut up about how much Apple sucked for not releasing anything.
It'll get better. Half-finished software is the price the world pays for being whiny and impatient.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Apple users aren't (necessarily) stupid. They just have completely different expectations. When Mac people buy something they expect it to make them cool. Any other functionality is just icing on the cake.
To the degree that real developers are getting hit with enforced downtime (which I don't know enough about this SDK to know if that's the case) they have a legitimate gripe. But, yeah, enthusiasts who play with developer releases deserve what they get.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
"Right, so we'll just use the emulator forever, shall we?"
Kinda like those of us still waiting for access to the beta program? We have no choice but to continue to use the emulator forever, even if we did go out and buy devices specifically for development.
Seriously, it's annoying enough that Apple limited the beta to a lottery, but it's even worse to hear the lucky few complain that they're unable to continue development because the beta software broke their phone.
The whole point of a beta program is to test software and procedures on users willing to put up potentially buggy software to get valuable feedback prior to a real release. Things like this should be expected. If you don't want to be a good participant in a beta program, don't sign up for one (and release space for those of us who are fine beta testing things and made proper preparations for the inevitable bugs that will turn up).
-Chris
Neither the battery replacement issue nor the copy/paste issue are examples of Apple suddenly deciding to remove functionality from your device. Your iPhone's battery is the same as it ever was, and it didn't ship to you with copy/paste. This isn't some sort of bait and switch like you make it out to be.
I never claimed it was changed or removed functionality. What I claim is that it goes against standard consumer expectations for similar devices. And it does! Blackberries, Palm phones and Windows phones all have cut and paste features and the ability to remove or change the battery is also very very common and expected.
Generally speaking, Windows users both old and new will accept far more malware, inconsistent behavior, and horrible interface design than Apple users would tolerate.
Agreed. But I'm talking about hardware vendors... which in this case, Apple is both. If Dell gave end users a hard time, the most common reaction is to stop using Dell and go to HP or Lenovo. There's not another Apple "compatible" vendor out there to fall back on when this sole, unique vendor starts showing attitude.
Expiring beta versions of software are not unique to Apple, nor are they a new thing, nor are they even unusual. Worst case, either someone at Apple put the wrong expiry date in the software. Unfortunate, yes, but not a malicious act, and not some sort of cruel abuse directed towards their developers.
Expiring beta versions are not unusual. But when coupled with not having a replacement or update available to developers who paid for the privilege of developing for the iPhone, I'd say that is not good business. Developers expect changes, but they don't expect the rug to be pulled out from under them.
"I mean, on the Apple forums I am seeing posts "Well, they turned my $800 dollar phone into a brick, but schucks, I guess I deserve it because it is in the EULA.""
$400 or $500, not $800. When your first point is a huge exaggeration you lose credibility.
"I mean people go BERZERK over Microsoft shutting down their systems after upgrades and their keys fail to match the hardware anymore so Vista doesn't boot."
Big difference in turning off a production system or say, screwing up Xbox live for a few days than there is in temporarily bricking a development phone.
"The only person who is ever going to shut my phone or PC off is going to be me and when I and only I hit the off button."
You are absolutely certain that no future updates from Microsoft will crash your system, ever? for the next 40, 50, 60 years? Good luck with that.
Apple screwed up, that is a fact. They will fix it. Just like Microsoft fixed xBox live, just like Rim fixes their network when it goes down.
The tragic thing here is you being a troll.
It's not even a question of legality. I think the phrase you are looking for is "well-behaved customer", where good behaviour is defined by Apple. This case shows that apparently even well-behaved developers, who are worth more than customers, are still prone to getting screwed. The moral of the story, in my opinion, is stay away from locked down hardware.
What is it with the overuse of the term 'bricked' lately? These phones are NOT bricked. They are not usable as phones right now, but they can be easily fixed by restoring older firmware, or installing newer firmware. There's even a way to keep using the current firmware without the PSOD.
So, ignoring the fact that you can only 'brick' a device once (after which point is is worthless anyway), anyone who installs as-yet-unreleased beta firmware on their phone should be fully aware that something unpleasant could well happen. If this were foolproof, Apple would have shipped out the new firmware to *everyone*.
To mix some metaphors, if you want to play with the big boys, you're going to get burned.
Uh tell me an OS Beta from Microsoft or any major vendor that doesn't have an expirey date? I remember running Windows 98 Beta that had an expirey date.
From everything I read it's pretty recoverable, so if your a developer worth your weight you should be able to get your iPhone functional again.
Apple may do evil stuff, this is not one of those times however.
Part of the shock that some people are feeling comes from the fact that 'beta' doesn't carry the same weight it used to. While others have jumped on the bandwagon, Google has been the big one for devaluing the term. Beta is supposed to mean a potentially unstable build released for testing and feedback purposes. It is labelled beta precisely because it might have some show stopping bugs lurking inside.
However, many people are now used to Google's beta software, which means a functional, polished release that happens to be missing some of the blue sky features that are planned. Oh, and it might get a UI redesign at some point.
The two uses are very different and anyone expecting one should be quite shocked to find the other.
Slashdot: Where we've gone from "You're stupid if you don't buy Apple" to "You're stupid if you don't buy Apple, AND buy an extra one just in case."
No thanks. If I wanted to gamble my money away, I can go to Vegas and at least get free drinks while I do it.
But with OS & applications they make it expire so you can't use the beta instead of the product they are testing. With the phone, you've paid for the phone. I don't doubt that Apple is willing to charge people for phone firmware updates, but you'd think the expiration would be after the projected release date or, like Windows, set for X months after install.
After all, it's not as if it's reasonable to expect a machine to do everyday tasks AND be used as software development platform at the same time. It is perfectly reasonable and so are Apple's requirements. If you can't afford a separate device AND can't deal with the inconveniences of running beta software on your primary device, then simply wait for the software to be publicly released in a non-beta form. Then you can develop on your primary device AND ignore Apple's advice to not run beta software on devices on which you can't afford to have bugs.
Apple thinks it own an iPhone... resulting in features... like mandatory SDK expiration dates Hmm, I wonder why Apple would want mandatory SDK expiration dates for their beta firmwares? Maybe because they are beta firmwares and they want developers to be developing against the latest version? Additionally, the beta firmwares aren't fully tested and could have exploits or other details Apple would prefer not to leave lying around.
The developers did nothing but buy hardware from an unethical company. ...and install beta software that they were explicitly told could do all of the things it has done and worse. You are obviously a troll, but because this idiocy seems so rampant, I thought I'd debunk it anyway.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog reports that the new SDK is available, which should rescue any iPhones or iPod Touches from the Pink Screen of Death.
It's surprising to see Apple drop the ball like this. You should probably post a new SDK before the old ones expire and prevent developers from working. This is an amateur mistake.
Slashdot: Where most people used to have the sense not to run beta development code on mission-critical hardware.
I believe you are correct...iPhone SDK beta 3 has just been released(scroll down a bit to see it).
Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
No, Mac users expect their stuff to work flawlessly, never have any bugs, never wear out (plastic crack, batteries die, etc) and maintain its value.
It's other users who have zero expectations. Windows users expect things not to work, expect to spend hours futzing around, expect to replace parts frequently, and are blown away whenever anything works.
That's why they disdainfully look down upon Mac users as "needing to be cool." I have never talked to any Mac users who were enraptured with being cool (and I've worked with lots of Mac users as a IT consultant for lots of small Mac shops). They like design, functionality, simplicity, and other things, but being cool is only an old saw dragged out by Windows Enthusiasts to account for their embarrassment in dealing with crap.
Yes, but is Apple seriously trying to discourage all development on their platform? That's what's going to happen if they keep this up.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
You are obviously not the target market for the SDK if you can't imagine buying more than one device.
I believe that people are getting incredibly stupid about all this EULA terms of service.
I mean, on the Apple forums I am seeing posts "Well, they turned my $800 dollar phone into a brick, but schucks, I guess I deserve it because it is in the EULA."
I mean people go BERZERK over Microsoft shutting down their systems after upgrades and their keys fail to match the hardware anymore so Vista doesn't boot.
Apple users are just happy and content they spent $800 bucks it would seem for a phone and the company just turned it off, with no recourse.
I can see it now: "Damn, stuck out in nowhere with a flat tire.....Darn...looks like my EULA is gone, so I will have to die out here in the heat. Darn, but I guess I deserve it."
Absolutely amazing. I wonder if the EULA comes with a agreement that your IQ must be reduced to a 2 year old?
The only person who is ever going to shut my phone or PC off is going to be me and when I and only I hit the off button.
Mac Customers=Stupid
-Hack Dude - You're a tool. Too hard for you to figure that out? Too Bad.
I'm sure the phone can be restored to operable status by putting the official released OS back on it. You'd almost think that a person with the word "Hack" in his/her username would consider this....
Hopefully (actually I don't really care) my flame-bait post can be modded +5 insightful as well.
Actually BSD is what serious people use. And hubris? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Also, intelligent people disagree with your argument that things have to be messed up with complications in order to be "smart."
Leonardo da Vinci: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
Albert Einstein: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
Oh Snap.
Yeah, very dumb developers. They should either have more money for iphones, or enough patience to wait for a stable release. Unless like just about every developer I know they have 2 or 3 old phones they can use for just such a relatively uncommon situation. I mean its not like it could help them to maybe release applications for the final version quicker or anything, thereby giving their apps a better chance of success in what will likely be a saturated market.
No. You're wrong.
To use your first example - if you're developing on a computer and your programme hangs the machine, you reboot it. You don't go out and buy a new computer.
Back to the situation at hand - if you're on the iPhone beta SDK programme and the phone has been locked out by the expiration of this version of the SDK, you *reset* the phone and download the new version (which is out now) from Apple.
How is this so hard for people to understand? You reset the phone, get the new SDK version and carry on. If you were in the SDK programme you probably already knew about this expiration (and if not, *that* is the thing to criticise Apple for) so you'd have planned for some downtime today. Maybe you've even lost half a day of testing time, which you'd instead spend on the simulator or reviewing your code and sharpening up your documentation.
Now I feel so stupid
You should feel a bit silly after your post. Maybe not stupid, but sheepish for misunderstanding what's happening.
The common meme on Slashdot is always the delusional Apple Fanboi, who loves all things Apple, no matter what. But what I see on this site more often is the exact opposite. The raving Apple Hater, who will hate all things Apple, no matter what. The time these people spend detailing their hatred amazes me.
If you don't like it, don't buy it. There are other alternatives out there to Apple products. Buy one of them.
Personally, I hate dark chocolate. I think I will go on some foodie forums and post a few pages about my hatred of dark chocolate, insisting that chocolate manufacturers make dark chocolate for my taste, and insulting all those who disagree and do like dark chocolate. I am sure that will make all the difference.
That email only announced the expiration. There was no alternative. I did not miss anything. Developers paid for the privilege, the beta expired early. Developers were at a stand-still with their development platform halted until Apple says otherwise. As far as I can see, that hasn't happened before... not even with Microsoft.