- Facebook: What's originality got to do with it?
- Geek Week: Firefox security nixed, Apple Safari fixed
- Top five myths about Steve Jobs
- Geek Week: Apple fans want 3G now, iPhones get 'wow'ed
- Diamonds are a CEO's best friend
- Geek Week: The Wiki Quickie Meets Apple's SDK
- Fear and loathing at Jobs World
- The score so far: Hackers 3, Apple 2
- Apple smacks hackers, hackers attack back
- Apple to iPhone fans: Bite me
June 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Facebook: What's originality got to do with it?
Pity the innovators -- always hounded by the jealous hordes who clamor for a sliver of their success. And so it goes with Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, though exactly who's the innovator in this scenario is a matter of some debate.
Zuckerberg is being sued by identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (distant descendants of Rip Van Winklevoss) and Divya Narendra, co-founders of also-ran social network ConnectU. In late 2003 the Winklevoss/Narendra trio hired the 19-year-old to do some coding for their nascent network, then called Harvard Connection. They say they never received a line of code from Zuckerberg; coincidentally, in early 2004 plucky Zucky launched his own Harvard-centric social network, which he later expanded to other campuses and then the world. Now Facebook allows you to throw sheep and otherwise annoy millions of your closest personal friends, making Zuckerberg a paper billionaire, while ConnectU languishes in obscurity.
ConnectU thought that smelled fishier than a three-day-old mackerel, so they sued Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their source code.
Here's the sticky part. Last February, ConnectU's founders reached a settlement with Facebook. But after a Cyber PI discovered a trail of instant messages possibly relating to the case on Zuckerberg's laptop, they had second thoughts. (Apparently, neither the PI nor ConnectU actually know what the IMs say, only that they exist.) Now a judge is deciding whether ConnectU's founders can back out of the deal, presumably so they can cut a juicier stake from the Facebook cash cow when the site goes public.
If the charges are true, this wouldn't be Zuckerberg's first taste of -- how should I put it -- expanding on someone else's idea. While an undergrad at Harvard, Zuckerberg created a knock-off of the popular Hot or Not web site called Facemash.com. It used photos taken from Harvard's online student directory (which was called -- wait for it -- the facebook) and let other students rate their relative attractiveness or lack thereof. Facemash lasted less than a day before being pulled by college administrators, who very nearly expelled the Z-man for illegally accessing photos stored on the school's computers.
Shortly thereafter he was hired by the Winklevosses, who were apparently caught napping when lucky Zucky quit a few months later and launched Facebook.
It seems especially fitting that this case is in news now, given that Zuckerberg is The Next Bill Gates (spoiled, brilliant, arrogant, and whiter than the inside of an Oreo). Because Billy G. was not a guy to let a multi-billion-dollar franchise slip out of his hands just because someone else had the idea first. Remember when Microsoft got sued by Apple for "stealing" the Macintosh graphical user interface? It took five years for that case to settle. Of course, the Mac owed more than a bit of its technological inspiration to the Xerox Alto. Likewise, Borland was sued by Lotus for "stealing" the 123 interface for its Quattro spreadsheet, despite the fact that Lotus 123 owed much of its look and feel to VisiCalc.
Fact is, ideas are stolen every day, and it's almost never the Joes or Janes with the original concept who end up cashing in. It's the execution of the idea that counts. And despite a few stumbles -- like violating its users' privacy -- Facebook has been executed rather brilliantly.
If a judge or jury decide ConnectU can back out of its agreement (or was fraudulently induced to settle) and Zucky doesn't own the code he wrote, that will make the ConnectU folks much richer, but it's unlikely to do much harm to Facebook. There are simply too many friends to be annoyed and too many sheep to be thrown.
Got any brilliant ideas? Post them below or email me: cringe (at) infoworld (dot) com. If any of them make a billion dollars I'll be sure to send a few bucks your way.... maybe.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on June 25, 2008 03:21 AM
June 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Geek Week: Firefox security nixed, Apple Safari fixed
Download this. Eight million Mozillians woke up the morning after Download Day to find they'd developed a killer hangover -- >a security flaw in Firefox 3.0 that could allow hostile code to take over their PCs. It took a grand total of five hours after FF3's release for the flaw to be discovered, according to TippingPoint, which pays researchers to come up with security bugs. Details on what the bug is or how it works are still a mystery to everyone but Mozilla, TippingPoint, and the now-slightly-richer researcher. Hey, at least we had 4 hours and 59 minutes worth of bliss. IE8 may be lucky to even get that much of a window.
Browser or bowser? In other browser news, Apple has finally gotten around to patching the "carpet bomb" bug in Safari 3.12 for Windows that could allow remote attackers to take over a machine. Apple had originally planned to ignore the bug -- presumably because it only affected Windows users, who really don't count -- but changed their minds and released a patch yesterday. Why? God only knows, and He isn't returning our calls.
Got hot tips or more browser bugs? Post them below or email me here: cringe (at) infoworld (dot) com. Top tipsters qualify for cool swag.
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• The InfoWorld News Quiz
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on June 20, 2008 07:30 AM
June 09, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Top five myths about Steve Jobs
In case you've been living in a cave, today marks the first day of the Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference and Steve Jobs' keynote, which Apple watchers have declared will be the venue where Jobs unveils iPhone 2.0 -- a 3G broadband, GPS-enabled model of the Jesus Phone -- along with some groovy third-party iPhone apps. And if he doesn't, well, we'll hear the caterwauling of Apple fanboys from Cupertino to Khartoum. I don't think I could take it. So let's hope that happens.
Rather than speculate what the announcement will or won't contain, however, I'd like to explode some common myths about Steve Jobs.
Myth #1: Steve Jobs walks on water. This is obviously not true. Jobs is just as subject to the forces of fluid dynamics as mere mortals. However, he can water ski without a boat, propelled by his own innate charisma.
Myth #2: Steve Jobs only owns one outfit. This is also not true, though if Jobs doesn't show up today in his trademark black turtleneck and jeans, I'll eat my fedora. (I keep a special licorice one for just such occasions.) What most people don't realize, however, is that the alleged black turtleneck is no turtleneck at all -- it's an extremely intricate tattoo. So when Steve appears on stage today, he will as always be shirtless.
Myth #3: Steve Jobs hates Bill Gates. It's true there's no love lost between the two tech legends. They don't go bowling together much. Yet Jobs realizes that he needs Gates, much as Batman needed The Penguin. Without Gates, Jobs might come off as, well, a bit of a nerd. But when Gates is in the room everybody else looks cool.
Myth #4. Steve Jobs' first words were "one more thing." It was years before Jobs uttered that immortal phrase. However, as he popped out of his mother's womb Jobs did offer a blistering critique of the OBGYN's birthing techniques.
Myth #5. There is no fake Steve Jobs. They laugh alike, they talk alike, sometimes they even walk alike, but the Real Steve Jobs (RSJ) and the Fake Steve Jobs (FSJ) are two separate entities. What most people don't realize is that the FSJ is an exact clone, created from RSJ's stem cells by Apple's board back when Steve had that cancer scare. He's been waiting in the wings for his chance to take the reins. And there's more where he came from. Macs and iPhones will come and go, but Jobs will be with us for all eternity -- a thought that's probably comforting to some and terrifying to everyone else.
What are your favorite Jobs myths? Are you buoyed or just bored by the iPhone hype? Post your thoughts below or email me direct -- cirnge (at) infoworld (dot) com. Swingin' swag awaits top tipsters.
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on June 9, 2008 06:01 AM
May 23, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Geek Week: Apple fans want 3G now, iPhones get 'wow'ed
Slouching toward Cupertino. It's not every day the Second Coming gives you advance notice, but the resurrection of the Jesus Phone -- in 3G, for the first time ever! -- is now (unofficially) slated for June 9. Or so says gadget blog Gizmodo, quoting "someone very, very close to the 3G iPhone launch." Who could be Steve Job's personal masseuse's second cousin's mechanic, for all we know, or Citi analysts Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee, who made the same prediction three weeks ago. Given that June 9 is also the date of Jobs' keynote to the Apple worldwide developers conference, the most eloquent response I can muster is "duh." Now if Jobs doesn't announce a 3G handset on that day, that will be big news. Memo to Apple fanboys: Please stop hyperventilating. It will all be over soon.
'Wow' now, brown cow. Meanwhile, I have the perfect trick to play on obnoxious fanboys who boast about their "hacked" iPhones (and don't give me that "who me?" look, you know who you are). VistaPerfection 2.0 lets you take a cracked iPhone and makes the interface look just like Windows Vista. You'll probably have to slip Ambien into their Krank2O, pry the phone from their soft clammy hands, and fiddle about with Secure Shell, but it will be worth it just to see their faces when they wake up. In other news: This item may be the only time in the history of Notes From the Field that the words "Vista" and "perfection" have appeared in the same sentence.
Small head Todd. So you've committed a heinous act and you desperately need a new identity so you can flee the country. (I know, happens to me at least once a month.) You could do worse than steal Todd Davis's Social Security Number. The CEO of Lifelock got famous for posting his SSN on his company's home page, and then infamous when a Texas drifter used Davis's identity to cash a $500 check. Now Lifelock is being sued by customers in three states, saying the company's ID Theft protection services don't work -- and they're using Davis's own experience as Exhibit A. Attorney David Paris claims he's found 20 instances where strangers have tried to use Davis' Social to obtain IDs. Davis says that's nuthin'. Thieves have nabbed his name 87 times, he says, but aside from the Texas drifter nobody's managed to get any money out of it. So the next time the Feds are pounding on your door, just open it and say "Hi, my name is Todd Davis, and my Social Security Number is 457-55-5462." If you're lucky you'll get to share a cell with all the other guys named Todd Davis.
Got hot tips or fake IDs? Post them below or send them to me: cringe (at) infoworld (dot) com. Top tipsters qualify for cool swag (but, sorry, no unlocked iPhones).
Think you've got the right stuff to pass our tech quizzes? They're not as easy as they look:
• The InfoWorld News Quiz
• Test Your Geek IQ
• Test Your Network Security IQ
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on May 23, 2008 06:15 AM
March 17, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Diamonds are a CEO's best friend
At the end of Friday's blog entry, I posited the question, "Is anything really worth $3000 an hour?" I was referring to Ashley Alexandra Dupre, aka "Kristen," the hard working and highly compensated escort who took down Eliot Spitzer (in case you were hiding in a cave last week and missed it). But Cringester J. T. responded quite rightly that, at that rate, the answer would include anyone earning an annual salary of roughly $6.2 million or more, assuming a 40 hour work week and paid vacations.
According to Forbes' 2007 survey, the average annual CEO compensation for 2006 was $15.2 million -- or about the cost of two 7-diamond escorts and one somewhat skankier 3-diamond model. Of course, whether these Chief Escort Officers are actually worth that amount is another question. Ashley earned high marks from her clients; not so Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr, for example, who brought home $9 million in '06 while his company's stock tanked.
It's not just business types, obviously. Among pro athletes, Tiger Woods' 2007 haul is estimated by Sports Illustrated at $112 million, mostly from endorsements. Can't complain about the man's performance on the links, but I think his vocal delivery is a little stiff. Highest paid entertainer is Oprah, at $260 million. Her vocal delivery is spot on, but she can't putt worth a damn.
Topping them all though, is none other than Steve Jobs, who took home a salary of exactly $1 last year -- barely enough to cover a single download from iTunes. Of course, he also pocketed vested stock worth $647 million -- which would give him a diamond rating of around 104, not accounting for tips. A bargain at twice the price.
Speaking of Jobs, Cringe fan W. M. has nominated the father of the Jesus Phone as the best tech exec to fill Bill Gates' tennies as a target of high-tech loathing. "Shed the Teflon and go after the king of the pod people," he urges me.
Thanks, but no thanks. I get enough hate mail as it is.
Got hot tips, preferably ones that won't get me flamed? Send them to me direct or post them below. Cool swag awaits Cringesters whose suggestions make it into this blog.
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on March 17, 2008 07:19 AM
March 07, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Geek Week: The Wiki Quickie Meets Apple's SDK
His wiki wiki ways. When Wikipedia papa Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales' sex life is big news, you know that either a) it's been a really slow week, or b) Armageddon is fast approaching. But that's what happened after his "ex" went public with the couple's dirty laundry, and I mean that literally. Rachel Marsden, former part-time Fox News Babe, put the clothes that Jimbo left in her New York love pad up for sale on eBay. This was in response to Wales posting a public announcement on his Wikipedia diary that he was not only not having an affair with Ms. Marsden, but that they'd spent a grand total of one night together, a month previous. It was apparently such a night of preternatural bliss, however, that he left without his clothes and Marsden spent the following three weeks doodling "Mrs. Jimmy 'Jimbo' Wales" on her Pee Chee folders.
She also apparently leaked their private IMs and e-mails to Valleywag, which has been having a grand old time with this story. These lead to allegations that Jimbo tweaked Marsden's Wikipedia entry to make her seem like less of a raving lunatic and that he misused Wikipedia resources for private trips and the like. You mean everything in Wikipedia isn't true, and executives use their travel perks for personal pleasure? Jinkies, Scooby!
True, this has little to do with tech. But it's a lot more interesting than, say, the BSA's legislative priorities. Also worth noting: It's the first time in recorded history where writing an encyclopedia has ever gotten anyone any nookie. Way to go, Jimbo.
Developers! Developers! Developers! In other news, Apple is doing its best to make the iPhone safe for work. Though they missed their February release date, the Cupertino crew finally released a Software Developers Kit yesterday, along with an Exchange app that will finally allow suit-and-tie types to ditch their BlackBerrys and come to the Jesus Phone. The SDK is only quasi-open: Developers are free to write any iPhone app they want, as long as Apple approves of it first. (So don't hold your breath waiting for that "Fox News Babes Go Wild" plug-in.) Disappointingly, during the announcement Steve Jobs did not prance around on stage soaked in sweat and screaming like a madman (video). Some people just don't understand marketing.
Are you developing for the iPhone? Have you slept with Rachel Marsden? Got any other news to spill? Post your scoop below or e-mail me here. Top tipsters qualify for cool swag.
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on March 7, 2008 08:09 AM
January 14, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Fear and loathing at Jobs World
I was on the edge of the desert just outside Cupertino when the drugs began to wear off. The last thing I remember was being in Las Vegas at the CES boondoggle, doing my best to purge the horror from short-term memory with my good friend Don Patron.
Suddenly it's three days later and I'm on my way to Macworld, clutching a bunch of semi-informed rumors (my favorite kind) about what Jobs & Co. would reveal, scribbled onto cocktail napkins. What happened in between is kind of a blur, but I wouldn't rule out an alien abduction.
Here's what the napkins have to say.
* iPhone 2.0. Like every other blockbuster, this one begs for a sequel. Unlike nearly every 2.0 production from Hollywood, however, this one will likely exceed the original. My more sober colleague Tom Yeager predicts that in addition to 3G support and more storage, the iPhone will sport GPS navigation, blowing away competitors like Garmin and TomTom. It will also cure world hunger and force Rudy Giuliani out of the Republican race. (Hey, the napkins never lie.)
* A sub sub-notebook -- one so small it will come with a magnifying glass so that you can read the screen. A touch screen may also be part of the deal.
* A new and improved version of Apple TV that will still suck, only not quite so much. The ability to play and rip DVDs to iTunes may be a feature, and maybe support for Blu-ray drives. (Though my notes are a little fuzzy -- key words are covered by dried pieces of lime.)
* A scheme for renting movies via iTunes using the not-quite-so-sucky Apple TV. This one is pretty much already out of the bag; the only question is which studios St. Steve can strong-arm into supporting him.
* The name "Macworld" is so 1997 that Apple will rename the show. The two possibilities: Jobs World, or simply One More Thing (OMT).
Now that I think about it, there was something not quite right about that waitress at the Golden Retriever Casino -- the shifty look in her third eye, the tentacles reaching out from underneath her carbon nanotube miniskirt. So if none of these things come to pass, blame the aliens. Or possibly the tequila.
Got more semi-informed rumors? Share them below or email me direct. Top tipsters may qualify for cool swag.
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on January 14, 2008 08:58 AM
November 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)
The score so far: Hackers 3, Apple 2
Apple has finally fired back at iPhone unlockers, releasing version 1.1.2 of its OS for the iPhone and the iPod Touch that relocks devices that had been unlocked by the "Jailbreak Software" released last month. Besides relocking the devices, v. 1.1.2 also kills any third-party apps users may have installed after unlocking. (I think I may be coming down with lockjaw.)
But wait, it gets better.
Before Apple even got the chance to say "neener neener" -- or even officially release v 1.1.2 onto the world -- hackers with handles like Pumpkin, Edgan, Dinopio, Drudge, and Kroo had managed to rebreak the app for the iPod Touch and activated iPhones. The re-unlocking process apparently takes about 10 minutes.
I don't know what's more galling for Apple -- having weeks of dev work scotched in less time than it takes to eat a hamburger, or being gamed by people whose nicknames make them sound like Teletubbies.
What the world needs now isn't just love sweet love, it's an open source Net-friendly device that legit developers and Teletubbies alike can create apps for. Oh wait, we'll soon have one: the Google Android phone.
Whether the Open Handset Alliance and Android can steal the iPhone's thunder and inspire the gadget lust of millions will depend largely on the gadgets it runs on. Build a compelling Google-powered Wifi-enabled Net/cell phone, and the world will beat a path to your Web site. With no need to waste tech resources worrying about hackers, telecom companies could even spend a few dev dollars building more reliable networks and solving a much bigger problem: crappy call quality.
Well, a person can dream, can't he?
Hacked your iPhone lately? Spill the beans below or email the ugly details to me directly. Top tipsters qualify for cool and completely open source swag.
Think you've got the right stuff to pass our tech quizzes? They're not as easy as they look:
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Posted by Robert X. Cringely on November 12, 2007 07:10 AM
October 01, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Apple smacks hackers, hackers attack back
So last week Apple Inc. released its expected iPhone re-locker, a bit of firmware that turned previously hacked open iPhones into expensive pocket-sized bricks. Take that, you anti-corporate scamps.
It took the unauthorized Apple development community all of 48 hours to figure out how to re-un-lock their phones by downgrading the firmware to its original state. The trick, as detailed by KMAC1985 on the Hackint0sh forum: holding down the power and home buttons for 10 seconds, then releasing the power button and restoring the old firmware. This apparently works for at least some iPhones.
The score as we head into the third inning: Hackers 2, Apple 1.
Meanwhile, as some users grumble about a class action suit against the Apple/AT&T Axis, comes news that the Apple Newton may be making a comeback.
No, I have not been huffing oven cleaner again. According to AppleInsider, developers inside Apple have been working for the last 18 months to re-animate the long lost equally beloved and belittled Newton, last seen in the wild sometime in 1995.
The New-Newt, allegedly on track to appear next year, will look like the iPhone on the Karen Carpenter diet -- almost painfully thin, with a stylus and a 'slate' you can write on. Think ultra-mobile PC, only without the hopeless geek factor. (Thanks to Cringester S. C. for alerting me to this tidbit.)
True or not, it's pretty clear that a pocket friendly ultra mobile always connected device is inevitable. And given who is vying to control this market, Apple has both the engineering and marketing savvy to pull it off, as well as a substantial lead with the iPhone. (Like who else is going to do it -- Microsoft?)
And if they come out with another proprietary our-way-or-the-highway device you can be sure that somebody will find a way to hack it (and hack it, and hack it again). That's something to take comfort in.
Has your iPhone been brought back from the dead? Post your thoughts below or email them here. Top tipsters will receive some cool and frosty swag.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on October 1, 2007 10:37 AM
September 06, 2007 | Comments: (0)
All those eager Appletons who waited in line to plunk down $600 for their new iPhones last June are probably feeling like they just graduated from Screw U.
At yesterday's 'Special Event,' Apple announced that it's killing off the 4GB iPhone and slashing the price on the 8GB models by $200, or 33 percent. Isn't that special? No word on rebates for those poor suckers who surfed the tsunami of hype into Apple stores on June 29.
Everybody pays a premium for being an early adopter. But usually that buys you geek-bragging rights for at least a year, not two months. It's not like Apple needs to spur demand -– the iPhone was the top-selling smartphone during its first month on the market. It's more like, 'these fools will pay just about anything, so let's go for it now and cut prices later.' This will surely test the faith of all but the most devout Apple acolytes.
[UPDATE: As some posters have already noted, Uncle Steve has agreed to split the difference with angry iPhoners by offering a $100 discount to anyone who paid full freight for their iPhones. However, the discount applies to future purchases -- it ain't no rebate. So no matter how brilliant some people think Apple's strategy has been, plenty of others are clearly ticked off.]
The rest of yesterday's announcement was distinctly underwhelming. The iPod Touch has a touchscreen, WiFi and a web browser? Terrific. But it's only 16 gigs for $399. The iPod Nano now has a whizzier display and comes in five fruitalicious colors? Wait a second while I grab the defibrillator paddles.
(Meanwhile, Taiwanese handset maker HTC may be singing 'U Can't Touch This,' having introduced the 'HTC Touch', a Windows Mobile smartphone, earlier this year.)
And despite all the blogther about a big Beatles announcement, the Fab Four were sorely missing from yesterday's Jobsapalooza. (Fortunately, there was nothing about Sonny & Cher either.) And Jobs' now tired 'just one more thing is'.... the ability to download tunes while waiting in line at Starbucks? Hello?
Maybe the King of Cupertino has finally run out of magic tricks.
Has Apple been playing us all for suckers? Post your flames below or spew napalm directly at me here. Operators are standing by, wearing asbestos shorts.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on September 6, 2007 06:25 AM
September 04, 2007 | Comments: (0)
New Apple iPods? The bleat goes on
The cryptic invitations have been emailed, the blogs are buzzing, and Steve Jobs has sent his black turtleneck out to be steam-fluffed. It can only mean one thing: another Apple 'Special Event' is coming.
Tomorrow, Apple will unveil ... something. Smart money is on a new iPod that looks a lot like the iPhone, runs the Mac OS, and updates via WiFi. Some folks are betting Apple might also roll out a new, less stratospherically priced iPhone Nano with a smaller form factor but limited Internet chops.
And then there are all those rumors about self-professed Beatles nut Jobs getting his dearest wish: to sell the Fab Four inside his Fab Store. Given Apple's DRM-free deal with EMI, owner of the Beatle catalog, it's only a matter of time.
Meanwhile, NBC is doing its best to pour icewater down Apple's back, declaring that its brand new shows will no longer be available on iTunes. The peacock network will presumably be selling its shows for higher prices on its new video portal, Hulu.com. That's like divorcing Angelina Jolie to marry Rosie O'Donnell.
How many special events can one company have before they're no longer special? Register your vote below or email it to me. As always, top tipsters qualify for special swag.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on September 4, 2007 07:21 AM
August 27, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Most high school kids spend their last summer before college bumming around Europe, chillin' at the beach, or hangin' with their homies. Not George Hotz. The 17 year old from New Jersey spent his summer with a soldering iron, an iPhone, and a case of Red Bull. The result? A wide open iPhone unshackled from the bonds of an AT&T Wireless contract. (You'll find all the sordid details on his blog.)
Even better for Hotz: After eBay scotched his plans to auction the phone he traded it for a $50,000 sports car and three more 8GB iPhones, which he plans to distribute to his partners in iPhone hackery (the phones, not the car - duh):
I will be sending the iPhones, unlocked if they wish, to jpetrie (the first donater),[sic] gray (the reversing genius), and iProof (who is truly amazing at finding stuff online). Thanks a lot everyone. I leave for college tomorrow, and this has been a great end to a great summer. If I ever do anything more with the iPhone, it'll definitely be posted here.
The new owner is Terry Daidone, cofounder of CertiCell, which deals in refurbished and recycled cell phones. No word yet from Daidone as to whether he sees commercial possibilities in the thing or just covets it as a piece of digital history.
Whether it's worth $50K is another question. I mean, it's not like it's a piece of cheese toast with the Virgin Mary on it (though I'm told that from certain angles, smudge marks on the iPhone's touchscreen look like St. Steven of Cupertino giving you the finger.)
What makes the iPhone hack a little less singular (no pun intended) is software that does essentially the same thing. UniquePhones and iPhoneSimFree.com both claim they can modify the phone's SIM card – no soldering iron required. The difference is that while Apple wisely has left the Jersey Kid alone (are you paying attention, RIAA?), it's less sanguine about the software hacks, threatening to unleash its legal beagles if UniquePhones releases its software.
Would you buy a hacked iPhone? Post your comments below or email them to me here. Top tipsters will receive some hack-proof Cringe swag.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on August 27, 2007 06:01 AM
August 07, 2007 | Comments: (0)
As die-hard Apple aficionados well know, today marks a special day in that magical land known as Cupertino. The Little Company That Could is planning yet another big hush-hush announcement this afternoon. Smart money is that the company will reveal a new line of slimmer, trimmer iMacs with 3D displays and an upgraded suite of iLife apps.
But Jobs has not chosen this date lightly. Ten years ago today he made his public comeback as "interim" Apple CEO, embarking on a quest to lead the lost Mac tribes through the desert and into the promised land.
This afternoon, after the iMacs have rolled off stage, Steve Jobs will pause as he always does, cock his head in that boyish way, and say "oh, and one more thing." Then he'll reveal the true shocker: He plans to step down as Apple chief, effectively immediately. Though Jobs will remain on Apple's board, he will be handing over day-to-day operations to the Fake Steve Jobs, aka Daniel Lyons, senior editor at Forbes.
"He does me better than I do me," Jobs will note.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will immediately declare a month of mourning. Sackcloth and ashes will be distributed to the Mac faithful, and Apple will issue a special black iPod to commemorate the passing of Jobs.
The normally loquacious chief will decline to explain his sudden departure, citing personal reasons. But I have the real, inside dirt. Careful observers may have noticed something different underneath that black turtleneck over the past year, something ...budding. After months of secret hormone treatments, Jobs can no longer hide the obvious. He has decided to begin life all over again as a woman.
Steve Jobs is now Eve Jobs.
The news will send shock waves throughout the valley. Shortly there after, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will reveal that he, too, is a woman trapped inside a man's body -- specifically, a stripper named Chesty LeBall. Larry Ellison will brag that he has been a woman since the early 1980s, and will marry for the fifth time, joining with longtime partner Scott McNealy in a civil ceremony. And in a straight cash transaction, Google will acquire worldwide rights to sex change technology and make it freely available to everyone.
Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the hype surrounding Apple's announcements has gotten a tad thick? Post your thoughts below or email me here. Top tipsters will be eligible for just one more bit of useless swag.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on August 7, 2007 06:25 AM
July 03, 2007 | Comments: (0)
The dust has settled, the news crews filming the crowds camped on the sidewalks outside Apple Stores have gone home, the iOrgy is over. And now it's time for the body count.
Apple sold between 300,000 and 700,000 units over the weekend, depending on whose guesstimates you believe. And though the predicted shortages did not come to pass, iPhones are still being hawked by eBayers -- including one optimistic auctioneer from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, who's hoping to unload his for $230,967.41. (You get the feeling they don't get out much in Buffalo Grove?)
Once the Appleheads had the dingus in hand, however, things weren't quite so peachy. Activating the handsets proved to be a pain in the AT&T. Maybe partnering with one of the nation's most poorly rated cell providers wasn't such a brilliant move.
One crowd that's clearly happy with their iPhones are hackers, who in a handful of days have managed to gain entry to the handset's file system, uncovered system level passwords, and found a security flaw in the phone's Safari browser (natch) that would allow remote code to execute on the gizmo. (But even with all that, the geeks at Errata Security say the iPhone is still more secure than phones based on Windows Mobile or Symbian.)
Since I've been in a sloganeering frame of mind lately, how about a new tagline for Apple?
Hard to get, harder to activate, easy to hack: the iPhone.
Or better yet: Think Dangerous
In a quasi-related note, I just saw “Live Free or Die Hard,” also known as “Bruce Willis saves the world while breaking every bone he hasn't already broken in the three previous Die Hards.” When Willis isn't busting something vital, hacker sidekick Justin Long (the Mac guy from those snarky Apple commercials) works his way through a variety of handheld gizmos – a Treo, a Palm, and a Sidekick, among others. (That's how it looked from the cheap seats, anyway.)
This raises the obvious question: How long before we see a computer caper film featuring the iPhone as a weapon of mass destruction?
Post your predictions below or email them to me here. Those who guess the exact date will win a free iPhone. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on July 3, 2007 05:42 PM
June 26, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Never one to let a free marketing opportunity go to waste, offshore gambling site BetUS.com is making book on the iPhone.
For example, BetUS says odds are better than even the iPhone will sell more than 12 million units in 2008 (5 to 6) and Apple's stock price will spike on June 30 (1 to 2). Other safe bets: people will camp outside stores waiting for one (3 to 1) and sell them on eBay for three times the original price (2 to 1).
But then BetUS gets downright weird. Gruesomely, they believe the odds of someone getting trampled while attempting to obtain an iPhone (20 to 1) are better than the dingus getting recalled (30 to 1) or that one of the units will spontaneously combust (150 to 1).
Any site with endorsements from former Minnesota governor/professional wrestler Jesse 'The Body Politic' Ventura and alleged comedian Andrew 'Dice' Clay can't be all bad, but I think BetUS is offering the wrong odds. Here are the right ones.
The odds that....
Your local TV news station will show cheesy video of people lined up outside an AT&T or Apple store: 1 to 5Fistfights break out between would-be iPhoners trying to get their mitts on the last one in the store: 3 to 2
Bloggers will race to be the first to complain about how the iPhone has been overhyped: 1 to 33
These bloggers will have actually seen an iPhone in person: 33,000 to 1
Some idiot will change his name to 'A. iPhone': 9 to 1
He will be sued for copyright infringement by Cisco: 3 to 2
The Golden Palace Casino will purchase a piece of cheese toast that looks remarkably like the iPhone: 25 to 1
The cheese toast will have a longer battery life: 2 to 1
The city of Cupertino will officially change its name to Appletino: 42 to 1
Microsoft will release an 'iPhone killer' device in 2008: 10 to 1
Anyone will care: 100 to 1
Steve jobs will appear in public on June 29 wearing something other than a black turtleneck and jeans: 15 million to 1
Got other odd iPhone predictions? Place your wagers below or email them to me directly. Top prognosticators will receive a Cringe bag suitable for holding their winnings (but not the winnings themselves – I'm not made of money, you know).
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on June 26, 2007 03:00 AM
June 13, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Pop quiz time. Please sharpen your number 2 pencils and complete the following sentence:
What the world needs now is
a) love sweet love
b) more media coverage of Paris Hilton behind bars
c) another Windows browser.
If you answered “c” you'll probably like Apple's Safari 3.0, now available in XP, Vista, and Original Mac Recipe. As for the rest of you, well, have you heard about Paris's latest public breakdown?
The new Safari beta brings some nifty features to Windows surfers, along with security holes big enough to swallow Steve Jobs' Mercedes. Security researchers claim to have found 18 vulnerabilities within 12 hours of the browser's debut, including some that would allow remote attackers to compromise a machine running Safari. It's gratifying to see Apple fitting so well into the traditional Windows framework.
Safari's biggest claim is that its rendering engine is faster than the rest; in my own extremely unscientific tests I found it a smidge quicker than Firefox, but nothing worth changing your boxers over. And as for IE, Opera, Netscape, and Mozilla... who cares?
The 'Snapback' feature, which lets you jump quickly back to your search results when you get lost following a Google thread, is a nice addition. There's a very cool bug feedback button, which has probably been getting a bit more action than Apple anticipated. And Safari has parental controls, which Firefox lacks, though they are grayed out and unavailable on my Windows XP system.
When I asked an Apple minion what was up with the ghostly controls, he replied they were there “to enable the parental control features built into Leopard.” In other words, that other operating system that isn't Windows. You get the feeling maybe they rushed this thing out the door so Mr. Turtleneck would have something new to talk about at the WWDC?
The question is really how much of Firefox's lunch Safari will eat. My guess is maybe the snack and some of the fruit. Unlike iTunes, Safari brings nothing essential that Windows browsers don't already have. IE haters have already switched to Firefox, and true Apple diehards already use Macs.
Safari could benefit from the introduction of the iPhone, which will have the browser embedded. There may be cool widgety things that work well on the iPhone and Safari and not so well on other browsers; that could bring a few Windows converts to the fold. Will that include all 10 million iPhone users Jobs plans to have by the end of 2008? Don't bet on it.
Apple may call it Safari, but this dog won't hunt.
Is Apple's browser a bowser? Post your opinions below or email me here. And please, check your flamethrowers at the door.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on June 13, 2007 03:00 AM
May 24, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Apple Inc.'s legal beagles have their BVDs in a bind over the iGasm, a personal pleasure accessory that plugs into an iPod and vibrates in response to the music. (Sotto voce disclaimer: This device should not be used while driving or listening to Metallica. Side effects may include dizzyness, mild euphoria, and a tendency to scream “Lars Ulrich is a god” at inappropriate moments.)
Apple's objection isn't to the device so much as the ads for it, which employ a silhouetted form wearing white ear buds, only with an extra cord leading due south. Apparently Apple believes it owns the trademark for the white-gizmos-on-black form, regardless of what the gizmo is plugged into.
What's your favorite iPod accessory, and can you get arrested for using it? Post your comments below or write to me here. And no, Lars Ulrich is not a god.
Posted by Robert X. Cringely on May 24, 2007 11:08 AM
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