The bottom line is people like to look at phones in the store.
Not true. I'm sure we can all think of at least one, if not a couple of examples that prove this to be utterly false.
The lesson Google should have learned, but apparently didn't, is that people trust hardware from a hardware company but are far less likely to trust hardware from a software company (*). Look no further than the company Google has been waging war with the longest - Microsoft. They have had one "success" in transitioning to hardware in the XBox (quoting "success" because that's highly debatable, I realize) and a large number of high profile failures (or outright flops...). The effort of transitioning from software to hardware is difficult and Google ran, face first, into a very steep learning curve.
*Yes, I know that the phone wasn't actually made by Google but that is certainly the perception amongst the vast majority of consumers.
The point that these photos generate is this - they were _caught_ manipulating these images. How many other images have slipped through, similarly manipulated, without anyone noticing? If they would do it for these images, what's to stop them from doing it to other images? If they're willing to lie to you when it really doesn't matter, would that not imply they are also willing to lie to you when it really does matter?
Not to be an ass, but when? When were they better than this in a meaningful way? When did they make a morally "right" decision, regardless of what it meant for their bottom line when a substantial amount of money was on the line?
And I'm asking this seriously - I know they've "done the right thing" before but I cannot recall any example of them "doing the right thing" when a substantial amount of money was at risk. Doing the right thing when it might cost you a bit of pocket change is effortless. Doing the right thing when it really matters, however, is hard. And possibly, for a corporation, impossible. But, if I'm not recalling a time when Google made that tough choice, please feel free to remind me of when it was.
Reading through the comments and seeing the deluge of "who cares" comments, I'm simply baffled. Who cares about a major corporation deceiving the public? Who cares about this deception occurring while the corporation is dealing with an ecological/public relations disaster? Who cares about a corporation being caught outright lying?
Yeah. Who cares indeed. Let's invest our attention on finding a new reason to hate Apple instead - they are the new, cool target-of-hate, after all.
Seriously, when I watch people come up with bullshit reasons to heap hatred upon a tech company at the same time that an oil company gets a free ride when caught outright deceiving the public, I'm left wondering what the hell is wrong with people.
This isn't about the iPhone. All phones are capable of revealing your location. If you're concerned, as you say, about this then you need to make this not be about the iPhone because it isn't iPhone-specific. Any smartphone with a GPS has this ability. Any cellphone connected to a cell network has this ability. If this is a subject that matters to you than don't focus in on one product.
They automatically opted everyone into sharing their every move all day long.
No. They didn't. You must approve their location services collecting the data for each app. Every. Single. One. They have location services turned on, by default, but you must opt in for each and every app to make use of that service. Every. Single. One. You are not opted in by default.
So, what is a logical reason, in my mind? One that isn't wrong. You're wrong. Find a legitimate reason to hate Apple and I won't give a rat's ass - people can hate whatever company they want - but if you make up reasons to hate a company that aren't founded in fact and someone's going to call you on it. Right now, it happens to be me.
If you have a problem with it then - and I'll even bold the text so you don't miss it - TURN IT OFF! Their location services can be turned off on an app-by-app basis (and the pop up window that asks if they can gather your location is very clear and concise - nobody will be fooled into it) or can be globally turned off, system wide. If you are concerned about people knowing where you are, don't let them know. It's really not that hard.
Seriously, it's getting rather tedious watching the Apple haters come up with new and creative ways to hate Apple without an logical reason. If you want to hate the company, there are legitimate reasons to do so. This is not one of them.
Windows is good to newbies because they can get help more easily from friends, but it is not easier to use than Ubuntu.
Um, that's exactly why it's easier to use. Don't think of you and your circle of friends - think of your parents. When your parents fire up their computer and have a problem and ask a friend or family member, their life is made easier if everyone involved in the conversation is using the same computer system and that is likely to be Windows.
Understand, I'm a Mac user with Ubuntu on a partition on my Hackintosh MSI Wind. I don't use Windows unless I'm borrowing my GF's laptop. But, to ignore the ease of getting help from family or friends when discussing ease of use is a very big mistake. For new users, the ability to get help is pretty much the single most important thing for them.
Apple's numbers are suspicious. Everyone I know with an iPhone 4 has the issue(s) but NONE of them have called AppleCare or gone to the Apple store to complain.
Unless you know hundreds of thousands of people, I'm going to trust AT&T and Apple's numbers, which cover _MILLIONS_ of users more than your anecdotal evidence covering, what, a half dozen?
If they do the right thing (I'm not even sure what that could be at this point), will you admit it, or will you gloat, or will you just find something else to complain about?
You appear to fail to consider the gloating _and_ finding something else to complain about option that most here will select...
If you happen to have any bad opinions about Apple, their business practices or their products, they will march in. Apple stories are the only ones I need to read at -1 because of the modpoint abuse.
Yes, because that modpoint abuse only goes one way, after all. It's not like there's an army of people modding any positive comment into oblivion by people who rage and loathe all things Apple.
The amount of stupidity by Apple users (and their fellow applefags moderating them up) is outstanding.
Oh. Wait. It appears you're a card-carrying member of the Apple Hating Army (tm).
Seriously, there are few topics that bring out the worst in Slashdot like Apple... It's virtually impossible to read balanced opinions because people on both sides abuse their modpoints.
Last I heard, Microsoft was also hardcore about the smartphone market. So, how is the Kin doing? Oh. Right.
It really is a shame that Microsoft has such lethal corporate politics impacting their every decision... Not that I thought the Kin was cool (it certainly didn't appear to be...) but to kill a product line mere months after launch is pathetic...
But, hey, Ballmer says they're hardcore about the tablet market so that clearly means they'll be serious about it...
There was a time when Prince was an amazing musician, making some spectacular music. Purple Rain remains one of the better albums ever created. But. Prince has jumped the shark. He is so utterly out of touch with reality that the mind simply boggles. And he hasn't made any great music in a very long time. Well, that may not be true - he may have made a ton of spectacular music but it's all stored away in his vault, protected from pirates and music execs and, well, fans.
Perhaps this is just another reason why I don't use iTunes.
Do you pay for everything with cash? And, I mean _everything_. No, really - you do realize that this situation is not unique to iTunes, right? Hackers could go after your Amazon account, your Hydro account, or even your bank account. If the information is stored on a computer, hackers can (and have) found ways to go after it. It is not unique to iTunes.
If you don't like iTunes (as you clearly don't), just don't use it because you don't like it - there's no need to make up excuses. Otherwise, back it up and cancel your bank account and start paying for everything by cash. (*)
*I've heard of some people, who were sufficiently concerned about their information getting into the wrong hands, who do exactly that. It's a bit extreme, in my opinion but they at least put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
No - they shouldn't be providing cases free of charge. They should be designing the phone better before launch. I love their products (I am an unashamed Apple fanboy) but that was a design brain fart. They tested it in the field with a case on it that disguised the phone as a 3GS but the case hid the problem. They should have know the problem existed and adjusted the product design accordingly. The dropped the ball.
Regardless, claims that the problem won't go away are false. They will. There is a solution. It's not a great solution and it's an after-the-fact solution, but it is a solution. And nobody said you had to buy a case from them. There are a couple of third party vendors out there that make excellent cases.
Buy a case from someone else. I could be mistaken but I believe there are a couple third party vendors that make damn fine cases that are more than 3 cents worth of rubber...
It will go away (well, decrease dramatically) if people buy a case. I agree, the product should have been designed better but there is a solution for people who are having issues with it. While _some_ degradation of signal is to be expected (I doubt there's a phone on the market that is unaffected by a hand holding it), the level of degradation that the iPhone 4 is reported to suffer is quite high (I'd guess the highest of all successful phones on the market). But, if someone is having issues with the degradation, there is a solution - buy a case. Odds are that will solve the problem and help one protect their phone from bumps and bangs.
Slashdot Mirror
The bottom line is people like to look at phones in the store.
Not true. I'm sure we can all think of at least one, if not a couple of examples that prove this to be utterly false.
The lesson Google should have learned, but apparently didn't, is that people trust hardware from a hardware company but are far less likely to trust hardware from a software company (*). Look no further than the company Google has been waging war with the longest - Microsoft. They have had one "success" in transitioning to hardware in the XBox (quoting "success" because that's highly debatable, I realize) and a large number of high profile failures (or outright flops...). The effort of transitioning from software to hardware is difficult and Google ran, face first, into a very steep learning curve.
*Yes, I know that the phone wasn't actually made by Google but that is certainly the perception amongst the vast majority of consumers.
The point that these photos generate is this - they were _caught_ manipulating these images. How many other images have slipped through, similarly manipulated, without anyone noticing? If they would do it for these images, what's to stop them from doing it to other images? If they're willing to lie to you when it really doesn't matter, would that not imply they are also willing to lie to you when it really does matter?
I'll spare you the car or girlfriend analogies...
You were once better than this.
Not to be an ass, but when? When were they better than this in a meaningful way? When did they make a morally "right" decision, regardless of what it meant for their bottom line when a substantial amount of money was on the line?
And I'm asking this seriously - I know they've "done the right thing" before but I cannot recall any example of them "doing the right thing" when a substantial amount of money was at risk. Doing the right thing when it might cost you a bit of pocket change is effortless. Doing the right thing when it really matters, however, is hard. And possibly, for a corporation, impossible. But, if I'm not recalling a time when Google made that tough choice, please feel free to remind me of when it was.
Reading through the comments and seeing the deluge of "who cares" comments, I'm simply baffled. Who cares about a major corporation deceiving the public? Who cares about this deception occurring while the corporation is dealing with an ecological/public relations disaster? Who cares about a corporation being caught outright lying?
Yeah. Who cares indeed. Let's invest our attention on finding a new reason to hate Apple instead - they are the new, cool target-of-hate, after all.
Seriously, when I watch people come up with bullshit reasons to heap hatred upon a tech company at the same time that an oil company gets a free ride when caught outright deceiving the public, I'm left wondering what the hell is wrong with people.
Mod me troll. Feel free. After all, who cares.
If you don't trust Apple, why are you buying an Apple product? Don't trust them, don't buy their product. Problem solved.
This isn't about the iPhone. All phones are capable of revealing your location. If you're concerned, as you say, about this then you need to make this not be about the iPhone because it isn't iPhone-specific. Any smartphone with a GPS has this ability. Any cellphone connected to a cell network has this ability. If this is a subject that matters to you than don't focus in on one product.
I'll respond to your logged in response.
If you are so concerned about keeping your location secret, as you appear to be, then don't buy a cell phone. Pure and simple.
They automatically opted everyone into sharing their every move all day long.
No. They didn't. You must approve their location services collecting the data for each app. Every. Single. One. They have location services turned on, by default, but you must opt in for each and every app to make use of that service. Every. Single. One. You are not opted in by default.
So, what is a logical reason, in my mind? One that isn't wrong. You're wrong. Find a legitimate reason to hate Apple and I won't give a rat's ass - people can hate whatever company they want - but if you make up reasons to hate a company that aren't founded in fact and someone's going to call you on it. Right now, it happens to be me.
You're wrong.
If you have a problem with it then - and I'll even bold the text so you don't miss it - TURN IT OFF! Their location services can be turned off on an app-by-app basis (and the pop up window that asks if they can gather your location is very clear and concise - nobody will be fooled into it) or can be globally turned off, system wide. If you are concerned about people knowing where you are, don't let them know. It's really not that hard.
Seriously, it's getting rather tedious watching the Apple haters come up with new and creative ways to hate Apple without an logical reason. If you want to hate the company, there are legitimate reasons to do so. This is not one of them.
Windows is good to newbies because they can get help more easily from friends, but it is not easier to use than Ubuntu.
Um, that's exactly why it's easier to use. Don't think of you and your circle of friends - think of your parents. When your parents fire up their computer and have a problem and ask a friend or family member, their life is made easier if everyone involved in the conversation is using the same computer system and that is likely to be Windows.
Understand, I'm a Mac user with Ubuntu on a partition on my Hackintosh MSI Wind. I don't use Windows unless I'm borrowing my GF's laptop. But, to ignore the ease of getting help from family or friends when discussing ease of use is a very big mistake. For new users, the ability to get help is pretty much the single most important thing for them.
Apple's numbers are suspicious. Everyone I know with an iPhone 4 has the issue(s) but NONE of them have called AppleCare or gone to the Apple store to complain.
Unless you know hundreds of thousands of people, I'm going to trust AT&T and Apple's numbers, which cover _MILLIONS_ of users more than your anecdotal evidence covering, what, a half dozen?
I think I will take Consumer Reports word for it over an engineers anecdotes.
So, what you're saying is you'll take Consumer Reports' anecdotes instead?
If they do the right thing (I'm not even sure what that could be at this point), will you admit it, or will you gloat, or will you just find something else to complain about?
You appear to fail to consider the gloating _and_ finding something else to complain about option that most here will select...
If you happen to have any bad opinions about Apple, their business practices or their products, they will march in. Apple stories are the only ones I need to read at -1 because of the modpoint abuse.
Yes, because that modpoint abuse only goes one way, after all. It's not like there's an army of people modding any positive comment into oblivion by people who rage and loathe all things Apple.
The amount of stupidity by Apple users (and their fellow applefags moderating them up) is outstanding.
Oh. Wait. It appears you're a card-carrying member of the Apple Hating Army (tm).
Seriously, there are few topics that bring out the worst in Slashdot like Apple... It's virtually impossible to read balanced opinions because people on both sides abuse their modpoints.
But you knew that already, didn't you.
Last I heard, Microsoft was also hardcore about the smartphone market. So, how is the Kin doing? Oh. Right.
It really is a shame that Microsoft has such lethal corporate politics impacting their every decision... Not that I thought the Kin was cool (it certainly didn't appear to be...) but to kill a product line mere months after launch is pathetic...
But, hey, Ballmer says they're hardcore about the tablet market so that clearly means they'll be serious about it...
Sorry. The contest is still in beta testing.
10 to the 27th power isn't unimaginable huge. I can easily imagine that.
Know what I cannot imagine, however? 10 to the 28th power... Now that simply boggles the mind.
*eyeroll*
Images of the ending of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back come to mind ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjWFZPJZTxU ).
:)
And those images are happy, indeed.
There was a time when Prince was an amazing musician, making some spectacular music. Purple Rain remains one of the better albums ever created. But. Prince has jumped the shark. He is so utterly out of touch with reality that the mind simply boggles. And he hasn't made any great music in a very long time. Well, that may not be true - he may have made a ton of spectacular music but it's all stored away in his vault, protected from pirates and music execs and, well, fans.
The man truly is insane.
Perhaps this is just another reason why I don't use iTunes.
Do you pay for everything with cash? And, I mean _everything_. No, really - you do realize that this situation is not unique to iTunes, right? Hackers could go after your Amazon account, your Hydro account, or even your bank account. If the information is stored on a computer, hackers can (and have) found ways to go after it. It is not unique to iTunes.
If you don't like iTunes (as you clearly don't), just don't use it because you don't like it - there's no need to make up excuses. Otherwise, back it up and cancel your bank account and start paying for everything by cash. (*)
*I've heard of some people, who were sufficiently concerned about their information getting into the wrong hands, who do exactly that. It's a bit extreme, in my opinion but they at least put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
So they're supposed to sit on the news until Monday? News happens when it happens.
Oh, and it's a holiday in _America_. That doesn't mean it's a holiday in the rest of the world. Just FYI.
Particularly since they forbid you from jailbreaking your device and letting the community fix it.
And, clearly, this has stopped people from exercising that option.
No - they shouldn't be providing cases free of charge. They should be designing the phone better before launch. I love their products (I am an unashamed Apple fanboy) but that was a design brain fart. They tested it in the field with a case on it that disguised the phone as a 3GS but the case hid the problem. They should have know the problem existed and adjusted the product design accordingly. The dropped the ball.
Regardless, claims that the problem won't go away are false. They will. There is a solution. It's not a great solution and it's an after-the-fact solution, but it is a solution. And nobody said you had to buy a case from them. There are a couple of third party vendors out there that make excellent cases.
Buy a case from someone else. I could be mistaken but I believe there are a couple third party vendors that make damn fine cases that are more than 3 cents worth of rubber...
It will go away (well, decrease dramatically) if people buy a case. I agree, the product should have been designed better but there is a solution for people who are having issues with it. While _some_ degradation of signal is to be expected (I doubt there's a phone on the market that is unaffected by a hand holding it), the level of degradation that the iPhone 4 is reported to suffer is quite high (I'd guess the highest of all successful phones on the market). But, if someone is having issues with the degradation, there is a solution - buy a case. Odds are that will solve the problem and help one protect their phone from bumps and bangs.