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Over 225,000 Apple Accounts Compromised Via iOS Malware
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from Palo Alto Networks and WeipTech have unearthed a scheme that resulted in the largest known Apple account theft caused by malware. All in all, some 225,000 valid Apple accounts have been compromised. The theft is executed via variants of the KeyRaider iOS malware, which targets jailbroken iOS devices. Most of the victims are Chinese — the malware is distributed through third-party Cydia repositories in China — but users in other countries have also been affected (European countries, the U.S., Australia, South Korea, and so on). "The malware hooks system processes through MobileSubstrate, and steals Apple account usernames, passwords and device GUID by intercepting iTunes traffic on the device," Palo Alto researcher Claud Xiao explained. "KeyRaider steals Apple push notification service certificates and private keys, steals and shares App Store purchasing information, and disables local and remote unlocking functionalities on iPhones and iPads."
Only jail broken devices were affected. Anyone who jail breaks is aware of the risk they are taking.
Headline leaves out the fact that this isn't just any old iOS malware. It affects only *jailbroken* devices.
That's a pretty important distinction.
Apples are not affected by any virus/malware/trojans.
Affect only jail-broken devices. How is the even relevant news?
I'm pretty sure technology will drive us toward a paper cash-only society.
I'd argue that it's relevant news but I would also say that people who are employing hacks on their devices should realize that the original vendor can't be held accountable for shoddy modifications from a bunch of script kiddies.
Gee you jailbreak the OS, install non verifiable apps and you get hacked? Go figure.
Perhaps if iOS wasn't "locked down", a lot more people could have gotten this malware. And then Apple-bashers would be attacking Apple for NOT putting up some sort of protective wall on iOS devices.
It's not a mac, it's a Iphone, retard.
Less people would feel the need to jailbreak them
The correct English is "FEWER" people. Perhaps you should spend less time
commenting and more time studying English, so you make fewer comments
which reveal you to be uneducuated.
See subject: If you can't determine the meaning of words or phrases within the context of the framework in which they're used, it's you with the problem. I suggest "hooked on phonics" remedial reading lessons for you.
APK
P.S.=> Idiots like you make the world a worse place online... apk
Tell that to the average Apple fan who when you tell them that an iPhone lacks the ability to do X, Y, Z, they respond "just jailbrake it man".
I'm an Apple iOS user, and a former Palm/Windows CE/Blackberry/Windows Phone/Android user.
I simply don't understand jailbreaking an iPhone. The whole point of me having an iPhone is to take advantage of the walled garden.
If I want something with better hardware on a lower price that I can customize any way I want, I'd have an Android again.
Since having a reliable and secure phone is more important to me than features, I have have decided to get an iPhone and not jailbreak it.
Can those that do jailbreak explain why they don't go to Android?
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
There are alternatives besides "IOS" and "jailbroken IOS", you know.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
If you had ever used a jailbroken iPhone and realized the capabilities it unlocks, you would change your mind.
The idea that a jailbroken iPhone is more or less secure than an unjailbroken one is a fallacy. The people got this malware by downloading and installing pirated iOS applications that were infected with it - something that is ENABLED by jailbreaking. Just because a phone is jailbroken does not put it into some unsecure state, you have to do that yourself.
Because most Android hardware and software doesn't match iOS quality. I'd only switch for a stock Android device but if I were to switch now, I'd be giving up all my paid apps plus iOS app quality. I JB for f.lux and that's about it. Plus I have yet to see an android device last 3+ years with continued OS support and also not slow to a crawling POS.
There are alternatives besides "IOS" and "jailbroken IOS", you know.
Apple has already brought some of the magic of the iOS ecosystem to OSX, and will only bring more. Also, how the fuck did Apple make OSX so slow? It's agony. NeXTStep was about as responsive on an '030 as OSX is on modern processors.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
There's lots of possible reasons, like sideloading or pirating apps, exposing features or customization hidden in the stock settings or apps, curiosity/technical/tinkering, or ideological reaons/free software advocacy.
Which is most common? I figure pirating might be kind of popular, but a lot of useful software is pretty inexpensive to begin with and how many people want a hacked candy crush that has free powerups?
I could see where customization/hidden features could be a big reason. Apple are kind of design fascists (I say that having owned all iPhones since 3G and 3 iPads) and there are some irritating hardware and software limitations imposed that rankle.
Like why can't you even pair a bluetooth mouse? Apple wouldn't even have to support it in the home screen or any of their applications or even UI as a touch source, just allow third party apps to utilize it. I could seriously see being able to do meaningful work via RDP with a HDMI display, BT keyboard and moue using just my iPhone as a computer and it would nearly replace a lot of my laptop use with my iPad.
It's hard to see "because it was there" tinkerers being that huge of a group and I'd bet a significant number just kind of go oh well and go back to stock out of sheer convenience.
I bet the philosophical/ideologicals don't add to too many, why would they buy an iPhone to begin with when they can get much further down the free road with Andoid.
In general, the iPhone hardware is nicer than the Android devices. Not every Android device is able to run the latest version of Android. And maybe personal preference for iOS over Android.
A friend who jailbroke his iPad did so because there was an arcade game emulator. I don't think the emulator would ever be allowed on the App Store since it's a program that runs other programs.
I'm certain there are such apps for iPhone that some people find compelling enough that they run untrusted, escalation-of-privilege code in the form of jailbreaks.
Of course jailbreaking iOS puts it into some insecure state. Quite literally. Jailbreaking circumvents code signing for all code that runs on the device which means that every bit of code that makes its way onto the phone will happily run now. Also using the repositories means that you will install undocumented binary code from unknown people. Since you don't have the sources there is no way to check what this code does and since whoever wrote that code faces no risk when his code is discovered to be malware there's very little you can do after the fact.
This is less secure than a device that is not jailbroken.
I mean, do what you want to do by all means, but at least try to know what you're doing so you can correctly balance the risks and advantages you get by what you're doing.
"android device last 3+ years with continued OS support and also not slow to a crawling POS"
Well, that's difficult for iOS devices, too. iPhone 4 devices were sold until September 2013 and can't be updated to iOS 8, which was released in September 2014. One year to obsolescence. My daughter's iPod Touch stopped getting updates after about 2 years. Same with the iPad1 I have. (both were, admittedly, bough near the release of the next model).
I actually gave up all my paid apps in iOS to move to Android. Compared to the cost of the phone, the apps really aren't that expensive. I'm running "last year's" version of the OS by choice - I just don't have time to mess with 5, and there are no clear advantages to me. As for hardware quality, I have not once thought "I like my G3, but it's just not built as well as the iPhone 5 it replaced". On the contrary - it's camera is wildly superior to my wife's 5s (she borrows my phone for taking pictures now), and it's got a plethora of other advantages.
Now that I have a rooted Android phone, I can't imagine going back to even a jailbroken iOS device. I can just do more with it, and many apps in the official stores are written for those with root permissions so I don't have to go nosing around in Cydia to find apps that do things which Steve has forbidden.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Er? I have an iPhone and I don't use Apple Services like iCloud or iTunes or iAnything. I've never spent even a cent in the App Store. All the apps I want to use are totally free with no in App purchases.
I log into the AppStore to get updates and that's it.
I'm not forced to use anything if I don't want it.
I do know that what little data of mine that goes back to Apple won't be sold on to the likes of Google.
Get out of here Micro$oft shill.
You talk as if there aren't an infinite amount of compromises in between. When I plug a device into USB I expect to be able to see and manipulate non privileged files. Why must an iPhone be rooted for that feature?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Hacking news is a big part of /. so why wouldn't this be news AND why shouldn't they get notified the devices they hacked are in danger?
Jack of all trades,master of none
How exactly does one take advantage of walls that only prevent you from enjoying more garden?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
You buy an iPhone, you get your just desserts.
I would say you jailbreak your iphone using software from unidentified hackers, then install software from unknown parties that can access root processes, you get your just deserts.
If you had ever used a jailbroken iPhone and realized the capabilities it unlocks, you would change your mind
I'm aware of the capabilities it unlocks, but I'm just curious why I'd accept the lost stability, not just security, that happens when using an iPhone outside of the way it was designed.
Apple is great at doing the things they intended you to do with the device. It is well known that if you try to use an Apple device in a way it wasn't designed for, it will be frustrating and difficult.
You're swimming upstream on a jailbroken Apple iOS. Why not use an Android, which was designed with a totally different and open mentality?
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
its cuz they have clearly decided that computers are "fast enough", and are trading off benefits in speed for other characteristics for instance, they make the computer slimmer while keeping performance the same.
How exactly does one take advantage of walls that only prevent you from enjoying more garden?
The walls that keep me in keep the pests and intruders out. Sure, there is garden I'm missing out on, but I have enough garden to meet my needs and I never find that my vegetables are stolen or burned when I go to my garden.
More freedom has more risk, in pretty much any venue.
I used to do some CRAZY shit with my non-Apple phones. Then came the day that the latest app I installed and modified kept me from making a business call while travelling away from a computer which was needed to regain control of my device.
After that point, I decided I was OK with restricting my freedom ON MY PHONE in order for my phone to be more stable.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
I'm not talking about pests and bugs. Providing regular user access to the filesystem does not introduce pests and bugs.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I'd only switch for a stock Android device but if I were to switch now, I'd be giving up all my paid apps
You should have thinked twice before vendor locking-in yourself like that.
I personally don't buy applications that can only be executed on devices from a single vendor.
Unless ios has really changed, it is super difficult to ssh transfer arbitrary file types from a server and later transfer to a computer. Case in point the other day I wanted to get an epub file from my house. I did not have mobile service but I found myself in a public hotspot. It seems to me that apple forces you to use all kinds of container apps to do that and then you glut up your device with apps and can't really interact with anything beyond what the app will let you do. It's not like I do that stuff all the time, but it has sure saved me.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Now that I have a rooted Android phone, I can't imagine going back to even a jailbroken iOS device. I can just do more with it, and many apps in the official stores are written for those with root permissions so I don't have to go nosing around in Cydia to find apps that do things which Steve has forbidden.
You gave the best argument for a rooted Android device instead of jailbroken iOS one. Even if Apple's products are better.
Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
Anyone can jailbreak devices is relevant.
How do you know if your device has been jail broken through a font or PDF rendering bug? There could be much more infected devices out there, but nobody knows about them because you can't scan for it due to app store restrictions.
Or do you think all privilege escalation vulnerabilities are features and not bugs?
There is no advantage to the iPhone's walled garden.
On Android, you can allow "unknown sources" if you want to. That option is disabled by default. You would be free not to check it on Android.
I understand that some people prefer the iPhone and/or iOS, for various reasons, but the walled garden is really not something I even consider an argument.
It's relevant because the devices can be jailbroken by any 12 year-old in five minutes. Kind of shameful, actually, if you're Apple
There are quite a few nifty features and tweaks available to a JB device that aren't possible on stock iOS. As others have mentioned, finer grained OS controls like f.lux, the ability to actually interact with the filesystem (on the device or plugged in), disallowed apps like emulators, removing stock apps, etc. It drove me nuts that on my first iPhone, I could silence every singe sound and vibration--but every time I plugged it in, it buzzed at me. I had to jailbreak to get rid of that.
As another poster stated, Apple are kind of design fascists. Phones, they decided for me, are just too small to support many of the multitouch gestures that the iPad uses. Jailbreak and you can have that (very useful, IMHO) functionality back. The quick access buttons are the ones they decide you need. Jailbreak and you can choose from a huge set of functions that, again, are really handy to be able to toggle quickly. I was turning certain device features (BT, hotspot, invert, etc) on and off frequently enough that creating buttons for them made a huge difference in user experience.
Many of those features would be trivial for Apple to implement as advanced settings (hell, solitary coders are writing this stuff and giving it away for free), and not against the Apple ethos (unlike, say, emulators). But for now you have to expose yourself to security risks in order to do all this useful stuff with your expensive pocket computer.
And Android is its own bag of cats. I've been in that bag with those cats and it's a longer story that I have time to write about here. Suffice it to say that not everything in the Adroidverse as universally open and moddable as it might appear from the iSide.
Nothing posted to
Nearly all Android phones come carrier bootloader locked so I would hardly say they have a "different and open mentality".
Even Google's Nexus phones come with a locked bootloader that needs to be unlocked in order to root the phone and do the equivalent of what you do with a jailbroken iphone.
I'm not clear on why anyone would pay a premium for a device that intentionally limits what you can do with it. Take NFC, for example: wonderful technology with a kajillion uses beyond tap-to-pay (which is nothing new) but all you can use it for on an iPhone is tap-pay. You pay extra for this? Weird to me.
Are you really this dumb? This is no different than rooting an android device,e and actually if you're on the latest firmware it's not doable right now. That said, the exploit mentioned here is also not a worm, but something people installing pirated software got. Does it hurt to be so clueless?
LMFAO, you're an idiot if you think Google's selling your data. You have no idea how ad companies work, do you?
Ad companies sell to other companies their ability to target certain demographics. If ad companies gave away or sold your information, companies would be able to cut them out.
No, they're using the data themselves through their I ads platform to target you, just as Google is trying to target you with their ads. The best an ad provider will get is general demographic information.
Enjoy having your location "sold"... you can keep your head in the sand and pretend it's not happening.
Oh, I agree with you there. I really wish they would add that.
I'm not an Apple Fanboi, I really disagree with how heavy-handed they are.
Still, they fit my balance of risk/functionality right now.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
Many of those features would be trivial for Apple to implement as advanced settings (hell, solitary coders are writing this stuff and giving it away for free), and not against the Apple ethos (unlike, say, emulators). But for now you have to expose yourself to security risks in order to do all this useful stuff with your expensive pocket computer.
I 100% agree with everything you're saying there. My Motorola RAZR had per-person MMS custom ringtones before the iPhone was even released, and it took them until iOS 5 or so until they allowed that. Stupid.
Worst case, make it something that can only be enabled with a bit of work, like how you have to use their tool to install certificates and other higher-level stuff.
While it annoys me that I can do many things that should be trivial and some UX god at Apple is preventing me from doing it, the main reason I'm on Apple is for the security and stability. I won't root it and lose that, because if I were going to do that, I'd get an Android again.
Do I think iOS is perfect? Hell no. Is it the best? In some cases, yes, in many other cases, no. It just happens to be the best for me, right now.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
I personally don't buy applications that can only be executed on devices from a single vendor.
Why not?
I'm perfectly happy to buy some $1-$10 apps that I know full well may be vapor in a few years.
I spent more than that on lunch yesterday, and flushed it today.
It isn't like we're talking about $900 software.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
Except malware has made it onto the app store... Remember that security research a couple years ago who created a remote command-and-control app disguised as a stupid flashlight app? or when another flashlight app allowed you to tether (yes, that's malware because it's not allowed... just because people want it doesn't change that it violated the security of the device)?
Both apps had at least tens of thousand installs before the author came clean about it or the method of tethering got out to the general public. Imagine if the secret was kept...
I've install hundreds of apps on my Android phone, some even have to do with the phone system.
None of them have ever interfered with me being able to place a call.
Nor do I need a computer to 99% of the issues that installing an app would cause - I could easily leave the factory image and revert my phone / sd card and restore my phone to a known working state in under 15 minutes without a computer.
I do know that what little data of mine that goes back to Apple won't be sold on to the likes of Google.
Do you? Do you, really?
And exaclty what percentage of all phone users want to do that? .... guess what a phone.
Not a lot is my guess
My phone is primarily
But if that is an overriding feature that any mobile device you have must have then go with the Ubuntu phone.
Just email the epubs to yourself. Easy.
"Jailbroken" needs to be in the title of this story and and in the first sentence. It is the critical factor to the story. Not having it there simply makes this a troll.
You obviously didn't do any research then. The iPhone can be compromised via malicious websites with no user interaction. Apple is also really slow to fix such problems (fixes are often available via Cydia the same day, Apple can take months). How many malicious text message bugs does it take before people realize what Apple's focus is, making money, not security.
-]Phreak Out[-
Do you have a single example of a in-the-wild vulnerability that will run on factory iOS devices?
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
It's a matter of principle. I don't want to support vendor lock-in.
Less people would feel the need to jailbreak them thus making them totally vulnerable. Let's keep in mind that most of the Apple walled garden is to force people to use Apple services and pay for Apple products and nothing to do with security.
Even YOU don't really believe that; do you?
Which is most common? I figure pirating might be kind of popular, but a lot of useful software is pretty inexpensive to begin with and how many people want a hacked candy crush that has free powerups?
Because a certain segment of the Chinese public seems to think that paying for ANY software is a sign of stupidity; and so they will go to almost any lengths to rip off even the most inexpensive of Apps.
Sorry, but these people are getting EXACTLY what they deserve.
It's a matter of principle. I don't want to support vendor lock-in.
Interesting. Where does the line exist for this in your mind?
Isn't watching a movie at a theater a type of vendor lock-in? You can only watch that movie while at the theater that one time, and you have no rights to watch it again.
What about a buffet? You're unable to take the food that you've paid for out of the restaurant.
A pay-per-view event? Movie rental?
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
A software is meant to be reusable. You can't compare that to an admission ticket. If I were renting a software for 2 hours I wouldn't care as much about vendor lock-in either. The same goes for food. It is meant to be eaten only once. Eating in one restaurant doesn't force me to eat there next week. If it did, I would consider another restaurant instead. I wouldn't buy a car which could only bring me to one restaurant, however.
Also the problem isn't only that these apps may be vapor in a few years. They can be vapor *tomorrow* if your phone breaks.... that is, unless you buy another phone from the exact same vendor, which also implies that this vendor must still agree to sell you compatible phones. That's why you are vendor locked-in. You don't have the same freedom that I have to walk away and choose another vendor.
A software is meant to be reusable
It isn't software. It's an "app".
I'm not being a smartass, I'm pointing out that smartphone apps are not comparable to PC software any more than a Big Mac is.
It is meant to work only on the ecosystem it was purchased in, which is highly hardware dependent.
It seems like you're cutting your nose off to spite your face.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
They can be vapor *tomorrow* if your phone breaks.... that is, unless you buy another phone from the exact same vendor
Same is true if you buy a Windows application, but you're locked into the OS vendor, not the hardware vendor.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
Which is still better. Being vendor locked-in in both hardware and software is worse than being locked-in for software only. Of course the ideal is not to be locked at all.
An app is a software. Yes you are being a smart ass, and yes, it is comparable to PC software.
PC software too is "meant to work on the ecosystem it was purchased in". It can be highly hardware dependent or not, just like PC software.
The vendor will always want you to be locked-in as much as possible. As a consumer, my goal is to be as free as possible.
As a consumer, my goal is to be as free as possible.
As a consumer, my goal is to purchases items to meet as many of my requirements for as long as possible with the lowest price.
Apps, that might be vapor one day, fit those requirements often. I can't imagine not buying one that will give me usefulness out of some sort of protest vote.
But, bully for you. Keep fighting the good fight.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
The short term price can be costly in the long run. That's why I sometimes accept to pay *more* for something. Even tough some cheaper alternative would satisfy my requirements, in the long run they could be more expensive to own/repair/replace. Being vendor locked-in increase long-term costs, or at least the expectation of these costs.
So I avoid vendor lock-in as much as possible. And you know what, it's not even hard in this case. It's not as if I were missing some important software that would improve my life I can't even think of one of these "app" that I wish I could have.
There are no non-privileged files on the iPhone.
The filesystem doesn't use the same model that a PC does, but you know that going into the purchase and would decide such a device is not for you and buy an Android device instead.
You're criticising the iPhone for not doing things you think it should be able to do. If it doesn't work the way you want it to then there are other smartphones that do.
Do you expect that Apple should make the iPhone work the way you want it to, just because?
That's no different than expecting all Android phones working the same way as iPhones.
Choices exist for a reason.
You mean like the jailbreak exploit that left an open SSH listen with a default root username and password?
Mm. Super secure, just like before it was rooted.
So you don't own a car at all then, I take it?
I mean, if contains vendor-locked software.
Same with your TV I assume that you don't own.
You are confusing vendor lock-in and proprietary software. Vendor lock-in always implies two purchases. A software by itself can't be "vendor-locked", whatever that means.
What are you running OSX on? It's certainly not slow here.
Because if people didn't jailbreak, apple wouldn't have a source of ideas for new features to add to the iPhone. Apple isn't anywhere near as innovative as people think they are.
"The theft is executed via variants of the KeyRaider iOS malware, which targets jailbroken iOS devices"
How exactly does the KeyRaider malware get onto the device without the end user visiting a compromised repository and downloading and installing the malware?
It doesn't work on current versions, but that's what http://www.jailbreakme.com/ was about.
Well it depends on whether Apple wants the iPhone to be a full computing device or a dumb appliance. Too bad they have trouble getting past dumb appliance when even the most basic mp3 player offers filesystem access.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Who cares what percentage of users want to do that? It's a lot of extra capibility they are excluding and they could implement it almost for free!
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
It's well known that apple designs the garden to keep people in their products.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Because apple, who make a huge amount of noise about wanting to protect their dear beloved users dont disable the storage of and access to the security tokens when their devices are jailbroken?
THATS the story here, they could, however they do not. Hence they have left the apple IDs knowingly open to theft.
Users, for better or worse, have convinced themselves that Apple keeps them magically out of any such trouble, however this is a clear
case where they could, but they do not. Which is a pity.
Come on Apple, the obvious fix is to make the secured data inaccessible once jailbroken.
Affect only jail-broken devices. How is the even relevant news?
the same way Android exploits that require the user to enable side loading, disable google's APK checking service, and go to some shady website and install an APK are news. also, the exploit is only theoretical.
It's well known that apple designs the garden to keep people in their products.
Well known by whom? Slashtards?
If it is free, you are the product.
Sola Scriptura Sola Fide Sola Gratia Sola Christus
The only people affected where people who had Weiphone’s Cydia repositories. That's why it affected mostly users from China..
If you even have to rely on shoddy third-party solutions to make the poxy thing work as it should, then something's wrong upstream.
Or, put another way, "Nearly 0.00075% of Apple accounts compromised via iOS malware, mostly in China.*"
* Based on 2013 estimates for number of active iPhones worldwide.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
See subject: Zontar the Mindless = a troll idiot. I'm neither. You fail.
APK
P.S.=> These dolts attempting to "outwit me" that always fail? What a waste of THEIR time - it can't ever be done by dimwitted "ne'er-do-wells" like them (since they waste their time trolling online, rather than bettering themselves - of course, you can't polish a piece of crap (which they are obviously, just look what they do), but they could @ least try)... apk
You mean five major software versions ago? By that logic, Windows 10 is a security nightmare because XP had so many holes.
I wonder what the venn diagram looks like of the people who complain about Apple's "walled garden", yet have purchased a game console, car or media player without complaint.
Which was four years after its release, if you're picking the cherries half full.
Products purchased at the end of their life cycle, when they are discounted to be free-with-contract, have a shorter period of support than the current model? Zounds.
Adding the option to turn on and off cellular data alone is worth the price of admission to battery misers. Speaking of batteries, you can install a tweak that will disable the alerts that start locking your screen at 20% until you click "ok".
Other bennies: being able to scp files to your phone, use your phone for tethering without paying the carrier extortion fee, and mute camera noises.
A game console is similar, however a car or media player is not something that you buy, and then if you buy software it will only run on that car/media player.
Can you install any app you want on your Bluray player? Can you buy a car and swap out the navigation software for Waze? This "walled garden" canard only ever applies to Apple, like don't hold it wrong before it.
If your blue-ray player only played discs from a single vendor, it would be vendor locking-in to.
Ah, so your on;y criterion for a device being a "full computing device" is filesystem access.
Thus, in your world, the Creative Rio mp3 player is more of a "full computing device" than an iPhone because the former gives you filesystem access.
Interesting, but whatever works for you I guess. How do you check your email on that Rio? It must get annoying to read it 2 lines at a time, surely?
Are you allowed to run apps or play media formats on your Bluray player not approved by the manufacturer?
No. You're not. Which means it would be a "walled garden", but no one will actually use that term to describe Bluray players until Apple makes one.
You don't run apps on a blue-ray player. Well, I suppose some "smart" ones do. And I never said it wasn't a walled garden. But it's nowhere near Apple-level of vendor lock-in without the possibility of paying for software/media that can only be used on their hardware.
Also, you need to compare to the competition in the market. Apple's competition in the smartphone market is much more open. All blue-ray players are closed (although they all play blu-rays from every company just fine and no Samsung or LG-specific movie exists). And finally, switching to another brand of blu-ray player is much easier than switching out of Apple's ecosystem.
Indeed, it's much tighter. You can't buy a commercially released Bluray disk that isn't DRM'ed up to the gills. Whereas with an iOS device you can listen to mp3's or read books purchased through Amazon or Google Play.
Not if it's an actual principle as opposed to ad hoc reasoning. When Richard Stallman had his open-source epiphany, he didn't suddenly say "shucks, none of the competition in the printer industry is releasing the source code to their drivers, so I guess I'll go home".
Going back to that venn diagram, I'd wager there's a total overlap between the people who complain about Apple's "walled garden", then sign out of Slashdot to pick up his Android phone (which he rooted to get around Google-supported carrier locks) and call his buddies to come over and play some Grand Theft Auto on his Playstation 4.
Indeed, it's much tighter. You can't buy a commercially released Bluray disk that isn't DRM'ed up to the gills.
No matter if this is true or not, how is this the fault of the maker of the bluray player? Are you saying the bluray player won't play a non DRM'ed movie?
Apple control both ends. They both sell devices and control which application can be installed on it. And applications that can be installed on it can't be of any use on any other device.
Going back to that venn diagram, I'd wager there's a total overlap between the people who complain about Apple's "walled garden", then sign out of Slashdot to pick up his Android phone (which he rooted to get around Google-supported carrier locks)
Carrier (or SIM) lock has nothing to do with rooting.
and call his buddies to come over and play some Grand Theft Auto on his Playstation 4.
While it is true that a gaming console is as locked down as an iPhone, an Android phone isn't.
How does that have any relevance to the content of Bluray being more locked-down than content for iOS devices? How many of the top Bluray manufacturers were not a part of the Bluray consortium to begin with? One of them, Sony, has a sizable movie studio of their own....and releases all their Bluray content laced with DRM.
So do the manufacturers of Bluray players. And car software. And video game consoles. But no one calls them "walled gardens", because they aren't Apple.
Good thing I wasn't talking about SIMs, then.
That's okay, anyone who roots their Android to get around carrier software (not networks, software) but then whines about iPhones is still a wanker. Take the same (or less) effort to root an iOS device, and you can install anything you want with Cydia.
Bluray players can play any bluray not approved by the manufacturer. And that's what they are meant to do. A car can also go on any road.
You don't have to root an Android to install any software not approved by Google. You just have to check an option.