Useless iPhones Unbricked

This new development in the ongoing conflict between iPhone hackers and Apple has really caught my attention. Recently, “iPhone Elite,” one of the groups of hackers focused on thwarting Apple has posted instructions to unbrick an iPhone following the latest update. 

What gets me in all this is that we basically have small groups of independent people rebelling against Apple’s decision to hard-wire the iPhone to one service provider.  Apple probably has their reasons for doing so, and I’m not going to fault them for their decision because I’m not a tech guy, I don’t own an iPhone, and it’s not my place.  I will say, though, that this controversy is something to watch, because it raises a lot of questions about where manufacturer responsibility ends and consumer responsibility begins.  We’ve done it with cars for decades now, as anyone who’s had to hear the words “that’s not covered under your warranty” will attest.  As a result, there is a huge second market where you can have your car fixed by someone other than the manufacturer, and it has its advantages and difficulties. 

There is also the question of how much a company should accept people modifying its product.  I remember the first time I saw a modded Xbox, and I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.  Now I know at least one person for every one of the current generation of consoles who has modded their machine, and they all swear it’s the only way to go.  With the exception of the PSP, I don’t see a lot of manufacturers trying to thwart the people mucking about with their products, and to me this is the way to go.  The fact is that to hack an iPhone or an Xbox or a PSP, you have to own one, so the manufacturer has made money there.  As many safeguards and firewalls as they build into these things, there is always going to be someone smart enough and with enough time on their hands to think their way around the problem.  They have the right to discontinue the warranty if you operate on your system, and to me it’s an acceptable trade.  Keep your eyes out on this one, because it’s going to set precedents.