"iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge."

That's news to me. Is there a citation to support this?
If I hit "don't allow" to the can I use your location prompt the app is barred from knowing my whereabouts. So how can others track me without my knowledge? (beyond what network operators can do with triangulation).

HardRockCamaro

one word: Jailbreak.

Parapraxis

As long as someone can convince you that you HAVE to buy the product, there is no stopping. And it's not only products but the ideas themselves, which will make you feel as if you are the "man". I personally buy some of their products but I don't go crazy.

cipotefello

The mere fact that you can't download or use software that Apple doesn't approve of and distribute should be enough for anyone.

Heck, what if I want to develop my own apps? And give them away/sell them?

I can do all of this on Windows Mobile without Microsoft's permission.

downstairs

i won't pay a cent more to apple for anything anymore until this company become honest.

clevin

Preaching to the choir here!

The new iPhone is tempting, but to get it at a reasonable cost you're locked to AT&T for 2+ years while my family's on Verizon.

One thing that we should keep in mind is to wait a little while after the Android phones come out, 1st gen stuff isn't worth dropping a truckload of cash just to be an early adopter.

Brad

....last comment .....I hope this article points out all the loyal fanbois and MacBois out there...who have broke their bank account.....one bad thing about eh....el-J

the_gank

Ooh and someone tells me Apple isn't evil and monopolist with these compiled list?

Everyone cries about M$ being the bad guy........even google is reaching that stage these days...just trying to hide his bad dealings...

the_gank

Fantastic article, and a lot of this stuff is why I'm personally waiting for Android. Well, that, and I hate AT&T with a passion.

You can bet your bottom dollar that, were I to receive an iPhone, the first thing I'd do with it is jailbreak (to be able to use free software) and unlock (to be able to stick with T-Mobile) it.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

I second that!

the_gank

exactly the reasons i won't be getting an iphone and waiting for a truly open alternative

artfuldodga

Wow. A straightforward, honest evaluation of someone who, while being a user, isn't completely infatuated with all that is Apple and understands some of the drawbacks.

Hat's off to you.

Norcross

How about the OpenMoko Neo Freerunner? It just came out, runs all open-source, and even comes with an optional hardware kit to hack the hardware (the specs of which are also released, apparently). Aside from a couple things missing, it looks pretty badass for a phone, and better that it's totally open.

Don't really know anything about it, but the initial specs make me want it bad.

ExecutorElassus

I don't really understand all the noise in the FSF community over the new iPhone. It's not like this is a surprise or anything. I mean, Zittrain already wrote and published a book about the first one. Why get upset now?

Apple has chosen several times now the ease of user experience over user flexibility... especially since the iPod. That's just who it is. OSX is a pretty good hybrid with the open core, but phone's are more tricky than desktops due to dominant market trends (not to mention their lack of power at present).

I suppose I'm just not surprised, and I'm confused as to why everyone else is.

Remixer96

For more on this point, see [www.newsweek.com]

Max

The iPhone does *not* support free software.

*IF* you redefine the meaning of the phrase "free software" to suit your own agenda.

Personally I think the article is well out of order and it's a lesson in spin that even Apple's marketing department could learn from...

HardRockCamaro

Just as a brief aside, I though DRM stood for "Digital Rights Management", not "Restrictions". Just wonderin.

bann3d

This is what PWNAGE is for. Let the hacktivation begin!

Sean Robertson

But iPhone can be opened. Dev Team anyone... ?

pantag2

you know what, I'm sick of people whinging about the latest tech! I have bought an iPhone because it is a great bit of kit. Find me an alternative that does things so well and I will switch phones, fact is there isn't one. So stop looking for problems that don't exist and just enjoy the experience that's available to you

pixelkid

@Carencey: Sort of depends on what you're looking for in a phone. Currently the iPhone has pretty much the best web browser on the market. Nothing even comes close to it in that respect. The touch screen itself appears to be the best in the market so far as well compared to other touch screens in terms of responsiveness and accuracy and speed.

Some downsides to the iPhone for some people are no AD2P (stereo Bluetooth) and MMS (basically embedding video/audio etc into an SMS message). For corporate users, while Exchange push is 'nice', the reality is that BlackBerry is the king of the hill and people want that more. Also the application space for the iPhone is new, while the BlackBerry, Palm and PocketPC market is very mature in that regard so you'll be waiting for either ports or equivalent apps for a while.

If you're comparing it to Japanese phones, it is in fact somewhat sparse in terms of functionality. But then again the iPod was exactly the same way compared to other mp3 players so maybe that's no so much of a factor.

satoru

Come on Android, I have been waiting for you long enough ...

LifesSweetDrug

Considering that there's a whole jailbreak community out there for free software, and that location services are opt-in, it's hard to take those points too seriously. And sure, it would be nice if the device supported more codecs, but really mp3 and mp4 seem to be where it's at these days. Beyond that, I'll definitely agree that it's a little weird that you need itunes to use your phone.

cbandes

I think the entire DRM/gateway policy is consistent with the way Apple has behaved in the past and is in reality the basis for how they present their products to the public. To me the main reason they do this is in an attempt to provide "It just works" experience to their users. You can totally see this strategy in their PC vs Mac commercials and its something that appeals to the current market place.

To me I liken it to a package travel deal vs planning it yourself. Sure the package deal costs more, and you're limited in what activities you can do. But for some people that's what they want. Not because they don't have the choice to go out and do it themselves, but because they don't want to deal with the hassle of it.

satoru

"iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora."

So if you go on limewire or download an album from a torrent, it will not play on the iphone???

civicsi98

and how much of the criticism here is iPhone vs. an ideal, rather than iPhone vs. other phones? for those of us who don't keep phone features and stats handy, what phones are considered better alternatives based on these criticisms?

Carencey

But Mobile Safari's tabbed browsing convinced me to trade in my principles for convenience.

Too bad. Opera mobile has tabbed browing and anyone can develop for Windows Mobile platform.

sleze69

What if I'm not a free software lover? I'm better off avoiding this article?

I'd like free software more if it didn't suck so much. In the meantime, the thing I like about the iPhone is that it's solid and polished. It's not built by some hobbyists during their free time; it's built by a corporation that invested millions in developing it. But sure, I wish it was open just like I wish KFC would reveal their secret recipe.

Someday, perhaps. In the meantime, we have the community to hack and unlock it.

(Also, the GPS/privacy thing is not unique to the iPhone. It's kind of a Catch-22 to fault it for one of the most-requested features.)

Michael Belisle

This article points out a few more reasons why I have refused to buy any Apple product or allow any Apple software on my computer since I finally threw away my Apple IIe (donated it to a school, actually).

I won't (knowingly) buy hardware that's crippled or music that I don't actually own. I switched to QT Alternative the first time QT installed the apple updater on my system without asking and then wouldn't let me install QT security updates without also installing effing iTunes -- either that or go to the site where at least there was an option to opt out of all the other stuff they wanted to "give" me.

stubear

I just realized that my current phone and MP3 player doesn't support free software either. And I've been using them for years! Should I be concerned.

astrosmash

It's somewhat interesting the article lists 5 points but they're really just the same point, which is that they don't like the locked down format. They also push the 'privacy' button but never address this argument in the article. It seems to be thrown in there merely to be a boogey man.

They have a philosophical difference with Apple which I respect. But if you're going to put together a 'list' like this they should have been a bit more thorough in their argument.

satoru

The location services of the iPhone, while really cool are really scary. I gave Twitteriffic permission to use my location, thinking it worked like Twinkle did on a jailbroken iphone (City, State). Nope.. Twitteriffic provides your exact GPS coordinates to everyone in the public. I had to delete a few tweets that pinpointed my living room.

Once you authorize a program a couple times, they seem to stop asking and I have no way to go back. I'm not even paranoid, but this is a privacy nightmare that nobody is talking about.

Think about that next time you tweet "Going on vacation for the weekend! See you Monday" with location services on...

azzy

@Gina Trapani: I respect your understanding that Apple is pulling some tricky stuff with the iPhone, even when you own it yourself. But on this point I disagree with you:

This job requires me to be online everywhere I go, and as far as I could see, the iPhone was the best way to do that.

I personally see no benefit to the iPhone over any other smartphone platform, Windows Mobile being my favorite out there. No doubt Android will be even better than iPhone or Windows Mobile in terms of freedom and control, but it seems like that might take a while.

geekblake

@satoru: Couple of points... Blackberry is key when it comes to corporate e-mail but how many years did it take to get there?

Working for attorneys, we have used Blackberry devices for a very long time (I'm on my 6th one). It is not until the last 2 years that useable software has become available for the Blackberry. As a matter of fact, that's one of the biggest complaints for the Blackberry.

Try browsing a web page on a Blackberry or pull up a PDF or Word document and let me know how it goes. It's fugly.

I think a lot of the locking down of the iPhone and offering only apps via iTunes is to prevent problems that occur when bad software is released into the wild (although a lot of the apps I have installed have been crashing and/or rebooting my iPhone). If you install some crappy software that bricks your iPhone, who will you be calling for support? Apple.

What's key to remember is that the average iPhone user is not a lifehacker. The device just needs to work. The average user doesn't care about jailbreaking the device. They just want it to work. Us Lifehackers don't mind tinkering around. Just ask an average person what DRM is or if they have ever heard of Ogg Vorbis? You will get something like the "deer in the headlights" effect with cricket noise in the background.

So really Apple does offer two different iPhones. The iPhone that is locked down designed to just work that is covered under warranty. Then there is the iPhone that gets jailbroken and opened up to whatever you want. If you choose to install software that bricks your iPhone that is one expensive brick.

jarhead

Pretty mediocre article - kinda Fox News like with the spin and all. Very un-likehacker like. :(

(1) Apple doesn't endorse DRM (most of iTunes is DRM-less, and S-Jobs publicly spoke against DRM usage), but supports the technology due industry requirements.

(2) DRM means Digital Rights Management (not restriction). I don't think you were making a pun, either.

(3) Your whereabouts are already exposed if you use any mobile phone since all phones are GPS equipped. Additionally other smartphones are far less secure than the iPhone since any potential trojan/spyware software can be installed from dubious sources.

(4) The iPhone doesn't support Ogg & Theora and neither does iTunes, I suspect dev priority for smaller codecs like that is below the copy-and-paste feature. :)

(5) The arguments here are often self-defeating and places the iPhone in a product vacuum. What alternatives do you suggest that don't fall subject to the same issues you raise? Enjoy Ogg and Theora on your BlackBerry, Treo, and WM... oh wait...

Weak.

You could have written a much more compelling and informed article.

aerotheque

This is one of the main reasons I moved away from the otherwise awesome Sidekick platform and am still sticking with Windows Mobile.

I can see both sides of this one - with a closed system you can offer the userbase some assurance that ANY software they get will work, the key downside is that the program you want might not be available or it might be available, but not at a price you're willing to pay.

With the open system, there's no guarantee the software you find will even work well, but there is a greater chance you'll find the esoteric software you're looking for in some form and if you really can't find it, you can always theoretically develop your own.

Hopefully iPhone will be better catering to a more "mature" demographic, but my main gripe with the Sidekick was that the focus was almost entirely on worthless games and ringtones. When I left, there was only ever one good non-game app and it wasn't all that great. The closed system isn't more than a philosophical bother as long as what you want is available.

Troy F.

> Just because an interface is different
> doesn't make it worse.

Tell that to people who study this stuff for a living. Inconsistent UI's *are* bad, almost by definition.

Rhywun

@nicholaspaul:
>> You're complaining about lack of Ogg Vorbis Support???? How many iPhone users even know what that is?!?!?? Get real. <<

Probably true, but it would be nice if it worked. Especially since Apple wouldn't have to license anything to do it.

>> I'm a big linux fan, and frankly, most of the 'free' software does suck. 9 times out of ten, the interface only makes sense to the programmer. If you like learning curves, go nuts. <<

I would guess more like 5 times out of 10 if you look at major free software. Learning curves will apply to anything different. Just because an interface is different doesn't make it worse.

>> Lose your paranoia, people. Who cares who knows what newspaper you buy, or how long you spend in the bathroom?! <<

I don't think it is paranoia...I may not care about those things, but what about people who have been stalked. Why make it easier.

>> As far as DRM goes, people only have themselves to blame. If enough people actually bought music, the industry wouldn't have to take such measures.
BUY MUSIC! <<

The industry doesn't *have* to take such drastic measures. They need to adapt to a changing marketplace. If the industry did *have* to use DRM then they wouldn't be starting to relax those requirements.

Dianoga

Jesus what happened to that woman's arms in that iPhone.
They arent supposed to bend like that!

Sweetrelease

The anti-Apple rants are as bad as the pro-Apple/Anti-MS rants. I just don't see how the average iPhone user is horribly handicapped.

I don't own an iPhone, but a RAZR from Verizon. I had to go through all kinds of crazy hacking just to debrand the thing and put on some pictures of my family. And adding a ring tone I like on the darn thing without paying for a lousy elevator music version.

CallMeNewt

iPhone will also...

*Eat your baby.

*Steal your girlfriend.

*Slash your tires.

NapkinSketch.org

Yeah, if your an ATT customer youre better off with the ATT Tilt. Or wait around for the HTC Touch Pro. Its coming out some time this quarter i believe.

Ayo

Wow no Ogg Vorbis or Theora support! STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

Totorototoro

also, you say the iPhone allows people to track you unknowingly - yet you post an image of a giant dialog box that has a "Don't allow" option and state that it pops up every time the phone uses a location based service.

Yeah... fantastic article right here.

robotleawesome

I own the iPod Touch (32 GB :D ) and am overall pretty pleased with it. I purchased it knowing it was "locked" to what Apple said it could and couldn't do. But I also knew I could unlock it and do what I wanted with it. The real reason for purchasing it was the fact that it has (arguably) the best user interface for a device of its type.

I am currently running the 2.0 firmware and I anxiously await the jailbreaking so I can install some of the apps that Apple doesn't want me to have.

Dianoga

@civicsi98: no, you don't have to worry about that at all. most of my music is DRM-free, and i have downloaded and converted plenty of AVIs to h264, loaded them into iTunes, and synced them on to my iPhone.

leemajors

@Scott D. Feldstein:

Does Apple really say that you can't make an open source application and sell it in their store? I guess that could be true, but it's news to me.

I don't think they actually say that, but the App Store approach prohibits an end-user from simply compiling source code and installing it on his iPhone, doesn't it?

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

You're complaining about lack of Ogg Vorbis Support???? How many iPhone users even know what that is?!?!?? Get real.

I'm with pixelkid.

I'm a big linux fan, and frankly, most of the 'free' software does suck. 9 times out of ten, the interface only makes sense to the programmer. If you like learning curves, go nuts.

Lose your paranoia, people. Who cares who knows what newspaper you buy, or how long you spend in the bathroom?!

As far as DRM goes, people only have themselves to blame. If enough people actually bought music, the industry wouldn't have to take such measures.
BUY MUSIC!

In closing, Apple take these precautions to protect their own brand. Most users are not smart enough to know the difference between software and hardware problems, so if someone downloads the wrong app and it screws up their phone, they blame the thing in their hands - the iPhone.

Kudos to Apple for making sure their product is always the best.

There are plenty of Motorolas out their if you want to go with the flow and buy what everyone else has ... good luck!

nicholaspaul

@Michael Belisle: Agreed!

The prima donna open-source/free software is really good - stuff like Linux, *BSD, OpenOffice, etc. But there is an *awful* lot of crap floating out there too. Poorly designed UIs (Engineers aren't UI designers and vice-versa), half-implemented features, etc.

Apple gives you the whole package in one shiny box. If you don't like it, don't buy it. But there's nothing wrong with them offering it. I for one am happy that they do. As someone who used to be an embedded Linux developer (for mobile phones specifically), I'm happy to use an iPhone over all the other platforms out there. Integration is key, and Apple knows it.

WoogleMuffin

@ExecutorElassus: The free runner would have been great if it came out 2 years ago, but the hardware + price combination is a bit off for today's market - and the software is still rather buggy.

robotleawesome

@bann3d: The people who invented DRM named it "Digital Rights Management". The Free Software Foundation and many others refer to it as the much more accurate "Digital Restrictions Management". The more sophmoric version is "Digital Rights Mangling".

Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

I'm sick of the free software hippies. You'd think they were singling out Apple because Apple was the most culpable player in their little free-the-software drama, but that's not really it. They complain about Apple because they can get a headline out of it, and people pay attention--because Apple has high profile, successful products. Kind of the same reason environmentalists target them every couple of years.

On to some specific rebuttal:

Lots of devices don't play Ogg Vorbis. Nobody cares.

Apple "endorses and supports" DRM? Okay. But if you want to point out that they're the largest online purveyor of DRMd music out there, I'll point out that they're probably also the largest purveyor of non-DRMd music out there, and that their CEO has issued public statements challenging the music industry to stop making DRM a condition of sale.

Scott D. Feldstein

I have no problem paying money for good software than works, rather than whining about how software that costs money somehow detracts from the free alternatives.

reachjer

I've always thought that if people inside the world of George Orwell's "1984" use IBM/Microsoft machines, then those in Huxley's "Brave New World" would use Apples. Pick your dystopia, but either way you'll still have a single entity dictating what you can and cannot do. The only difference is how cool the handcuffs look.

As for the issues raised by that article, I would only say that the same holds true for nearly every other piece of consumer electronics. What cell phone doesn't keep track of your location in some way or another? What cellphone doesn't lock you into something proprietary, whether its batteries or headphone adapters? What electronic device is thought of by its makers as something other than a continuing revenue stream by way of accessories and repair?

This is kind of like getting angry at a restaurant for not letting outside food in or discouraging substitutions in their dishes.

*disclaimer*
I just bought a 3g iphone the other day, so I guess that makes me a hypocrite too.

drftjgoj

wow, sensationalist article a bit here?

"iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge."

show me where the phone does this - go ahead and try it, maybe you'll become slightly more educated on the subject in the process.

robotleawesome

I disagree with a lot of what that article says, because they're trying to make points by selectively omitting pertinent information. For example, one of their points: "Phone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora."

Does this mean they've never heard of MP4? Or MP3? WAV? AIFF? Lossless? Their point is made invalid due to the intentional omission of all the DRM-free formats the iPhone DOES support.

Similarly: "iPhone completely blocks free software. " That's a fallacious argument. Since developers are given the freedom to price their software however they want - and that includes free - logically you can't say that the iPhone blocks free software. And yes, I know what they meant, but again they're making a point by leaving out pertinent information and not telling the whole story. Also, Apple doesn't charge developers anything if their software is free - only the initial cost to get into the developer program.

"iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology." OMG, the iPhone is a festering haven of DRM! That's what they want you to believe, right? And yet the iPhone also supports no DRM at all. They support both. The reason for that is because the record labels demand that their music be sold with DRM on it, and the movie studios demand that their movies be sold and rented with DRM on it. Apple is able to give you access to that media by supporting the DRM the studios want.

However, and this is the part that article left out, you can put whatever DRM-free media on the iPhone that you want. You are under no obligation whatsoever to put anything with DRM on it onto your iPhone. Another omission to make the iPhone look worse than it is.

And of course, the iPhone will not expose your whereabouts without your knowledge. There's a big fat Don't Allow button you can push to disallow that very thing. Of course the FSF would never admit that., because all they want to do is spread FUD about the iPhone.

Yes, the iPhone is a closed wall environment, nobody's arguing against that. However it is ridiculously easy and cheap to develop for the iPhone, and you can put your software up for free if you want to. The positive aspect of Apple's system is that your app gets instant, free and effortless exposure to *millions* of people without you lifting a finger. I dare the FSF to try to explain how that is a bad thing.

Xaqtly

iPhone or no, you can bet that your cell provider knows where you are if you're phone is on. Even if you don't have a GPS unit, cell tower triangulation gives a pretty good estimate of where you are at any given time, especially in urban areas.

The iPhone and other location-aware hardware takes that information and puts it to use for you. I still don't like that my provider keeps that information on record, but I feel a lot better about being tracked 24 hours a day when I'm getting something out the deal as well.

gmcmullen

does it allow mp3??

hamzahsa

This article is hanging on to its premise by a thread.

*iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.

You neglected to mention the Ad Hoc distribution which is an allowed distribution method. With ad hoc distribution you can distribute your app to up to 100 clients without any Apple intervention. Yes, that is limited, but, the feature is there.
Plus, there is no verbiage in the SDK agreement that prevents the use of FOSS in any application, the only mention in the agreement was indicating that the programmer has to comply with the entire license of the FOSS product.
Granted, that if you want to distribute the app to any more than 100 people, you have to pay the app store fee, so, your 'tax' argument is true in that respect.

*iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.

If a device or computer can play DRM'd files does not mean anything other than the device can play those files. The article assumes too much in this regard. Plus, you can play a lot of DRM'd files in Linux, or any other open source OS, does that mean that Linux (or it's contributors) endorse and support DRM?

*iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.

If the article is referring to the GPS, then it is completely wrong, you have to enable location support in any app that requests it. However, if the article is referring to the ability for cell phone companies to determine the location of a handset (via triangulation or other means) then, that is the case with every operating cellphone.

*iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.

This one point is the only one that is a complete fact, however, the SDK agreement does not prevent the development of an application to play alternative formats. However, the number of devices that can play any ogg format is slim. Plus, the number of people who keep their media in one of those formats is negligible

cristiana

I cant agree more with mzeal93 and this post. Apple wants us to think that it caters only to the leet and you are special with your apple product. I have 2 Ipods, neither work and 1 is brand new that stopped working after a firmware update. Apple also tried to sell me a laptop with less memory, and a inferior video card for $300 more than the vista I went with. I can only thank god that they arent trying to make a gameing system. Oh no are they?

cHiCkenCOW

@geekblake:
For work, the best remote connectivity with complete security is from BlackBerry. Paired with a BES - Blackberry Enterprise Server and access to your internal enterprise network is rock solid secure. Apps aren't free, but you won't be getting a virus on a blackberry provided it is properly locked down by IT. Locked down, means fewer support calls than WM6+ will trigger.

I've worked in the mobile field since 1998 - blackberry has the best solution by far for the normal manager type. Only really, really technical people should have a general purpose remote device.

The best feature I find the BlackBerry has? AutoOff/AutoOn.

Of course, I don't know the specifics of your requirement for connectivity so blackberry may not be the right answer. In general, it is the best answer for total cost of ownership to an enterprise.

TheFu

O finnaly a post on lifehackker which isnt telling you how good apple is.. apple is screwing you more then microsoft. 80% of people who buy apples shit is because everyone else saying how cool it is or it just looks good ... you peopel are what we call tools... speak for yourself and dont buy from a company which is screwing at everycorner... atleast Bill Gates gives to charity

mzeal93

@artfuldodga:

It is hard to say whether my Nokia N800 is proprietary or not. I can say that I saw an article yesterday where someone loaded Debian on an N810.

I've loaded multiple FOSS apps and have needed to pay for any other apps. That includes GPS, SIP, Skype, Gnumeric, ClawsM, mplayer, video and audio playback ... the list goes on and on. Almost any application that works with Maemo is compatible. Heck, mplayer works, what more can you want?

The N800 is not a phone, but it is a general purpose Linux machine with WiFi and bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth connect to a cheap Motorola phone with a data plan and you have your 3G data access. 4G comes out, just pair to that newer phone and keep your N800. Bluetooth to a GPS receiver ($40), and you have a GPS device. There appears to be 4+ free map resources. Want a better keyboard - bluetooth again; I have an iGo that is nice for blogging when overseas. WiFi B/G with WPA2 works great.

Battery life? Hard to say since I use mine for all sorts of things - video playback, mp3 podcasts, email, web browsing, RSS Reading, PDF, ebook, and for ssh back into servers at home. Add perl, ruby, php, python and you can roll your own quick solutions for free (assuming you aren't interested in C/C++ compiling your stuff). You aren't going to want to use mencoder on this ARM CPU, but you can playback almost any video file that mplayer supports. Worst case, you tell mplayer to skip frames if the processor is too slow, but normal SVCD sized files playback at 30 fps. Obviously, video playback will eat through the battery fastest. Audio - 4+ hours. Ah, speakers are built in, but a headphone/microphone was included.

Skype calls feel just like they do on a full PC with the same voice quality. Important if you're overseas.

The base N800 device was $219 6 months ago. I've added memory and a keyboard for about $70 more.

FOSS? Mostly. I'm not a purist. It is Linux.

iPhone - phfffft. Why? A $30 cheap phone that never leaves my backpack and my N800 gets me everything and more that an iPhone has - except the proprietary Apple garbage and bloated iTunes. Also, a cheap GPS receiver and I have a GPS device for car or hiking use - iPhone? Hah.

TheFu

@Rhywun: Exactly!

jarhead

I use open source. I love open source. But it's not a solution for consumers.

I'm a smart guy. I can upgrade my notebook, build web apps, and do things with hardware and software that amaze even other geeks. But I'm not a programmer. I don't modify hardware. So an open phone, like the Neo FreeRunner they mention, does me little good. Same is true of 99% of people.

The open source future FSF envisions is little changed from the open source past we left behind. Computers could not take off among consumers back when folks wrote and shared their own code and built their own machines because consumers don't understand that stuff. It's gotta be pre-packaged and ready-to-use. Apple delivered that then, and they're delivering it now. I imagine the talk among computer hobbyists back when the Apple Lisa was released is much like the rhetoric we're reading now.

sumocat

You don't buy an iPhone or a Mac or any apple product for freedom. You buy it because it just works. And that is the croud Apple caters and appeals to.

I would like to see a lifehacker post on the best iPhone alternatives.

nekcih

I agree with nicholspaul, Scott D., and some of the others. But, use what works for you. I'm not a developer. I want software to be easy to find, install, and (somewhat) supported. I want supported access to the services I already use (Evernote, Facebook, etc.). I buy music. I want to find what I like quickly and easily. The point is, the Apple model works for me. For me, it's the best thing out right now. Perfect? Nope. But name the perfect existing smartphone/software model/music model. If iPhone doesn't work for you...cool...find something that does. But to say, "I'd never buy an Apple product" or "Apple is evil" is silly.

LW

Great discussion thread here, all, thanks. I do ask that you differentiate between what the FSF wrote (which is in darker-shaded blockquotes) and what I wrote.

I specifically included the location Allow/Don't Allow image to drive home the point that the iPhone and its apps DO seem to ask (vs broadcast your location without your permission, as the FSF said)--that is, if you trust that no app is doing it withOUT asking. (I assume using this data is subject to authentication built into the iPhone software, but I don't know enough about iPhone dev to say for sure.)

The FSF said the R in DRM is Restrictions, not me. I linked DRM to the Wikipedia page which offers the correct word, Rights.

Also, I said above, and I'd like to repeat and emphasize: using any device or piece of software requires some level of trust that its manufacturer won't completely screw you. I'm well aware of this, and in buying my iPhone, I decided to trust Apple to not screw me too badly.

Gina Trapani

> Us Lifehackers don't mind tinkering around.

And some of us have reached a point where we're capable of tinkering but *don't want to*.

Rhywun

@geeniusatwrok: lol, yeeeah - I was hoping that was some satire or something there, just because if it were true it'd mean that I was reading an article written by a complete idiot.

robotleawesome

Thank you!

The iPhone was the final straw that convinced me to abandon all Apple products, for the sweet (if often frustrating) embrace of free software.

Darcy

Looks like lifehacker needs an actual hacker. You can jailbreak your iPhone and use free software, don't you know?

postnocomments

Wow, Gina, did you really have to steal the honey from the mac fanboy bees? lol

I think it should be obvious she is just saying she agrees with the FSF article, not that she wrote all the things she quoted.

I also think she is just pointing out a trend both on the internet that people have been trying to free themselves of these types of limitations by switching to Mac from M$, yet suddenly the same company we trusted is acting like it has a monopoly (which it's i-whatever's do have).

AzureWolf

"But even as I affixed duct tape over the Apple logo on my iPhone and Mac..."

oh, you go, rebel grrl.

geeniusatwrok

@Chutney: You're precious.

dantsea

@pixelkid: Or as the late, great Bill Hicks said, "Go back to sleep, America..."

Chutney

@Scott D Feldstein: Lots of devices don't play Ogg Vorbis. Nobody cares.

Yup! I've been an open source user and supporter for 14 years and I use mp3. Why? Broader capability for playback. I tried Ogg, found nothing could play it and gave up.

@robotleawesome: wow, sensationalist article a bit here?

Welcome to the FSF. It was founded by one of the most sensationalist people in the world: Richard Stallman.

Overall, I won't get an iPhone because I don't want to be locked into AT&T as my wireless provider. It used to be the cost, but I guess the new one is lower. It still doesn't have a slide out keyboard like the phone I'm planning to get: HTC Mogul (I have sprint).

jtimberman

Thank you for the second side of the iPhone issue. I have decided that only after the new phone get jail-broken I'm in for just the reasons stated above.

xam247

@Xaqtly: Summed up my thoughts on the article pretty well.

My main issue with the App store is the fact that the phone and iTunes work with Windows....but what if you want to make your own app? You need a Mac. That by itself will limit the App store incredibly. I'm not about to go buy a Mac or the OS just so I can develop on the iPhone.

I have plenty of DRM free music on my phone. In fact that's all I have...I have no DRM laden music...it's all mp3's I've had on my hard drives forever after converting them from the original CD's a while ago.

I also have plenty of DRM free videos on it as well. Converted from DVD's in my collection.

thor79

"atleast Bill Gates gives to charity"

Jeez. And conventional wisdom says that *Apple* fanboys are nutters.

Rhywun

Sheesh. See, the trouble with articles like this is they start off well, and the clipped points are completely accurate. They're valid complaints, and you can't really argue with their veracity.

But what winds up happening is that people come out of the woodwork to pick up the banner not because they believe in the validity of their complaints, not because they insist on devices and only using devices that live up to free software standards or that don't suffer from these same issues, but because they have to have something to hate. In this case, it's Apple. "Wait, Apple's popular now? I can't like them anymore! I have to hate them irrationally! I have to be different like everyone else!"

All the while, talking past the very real complaints and issues with a device like the iPhone -- which I totally love but simply can't bring myself to own -- and instead focusing on disliking a device simply because it's popular. That kind of bandwagonism weakens the case for open standards, and does nothing to convince any company, Microsoft or Apple, to embrace their users instead of pretending they need to be protected from them.

phoenix

Give me a break. I'm even less keen on recompiling my kernel and fighting with semi-functional drivers on a phone than I am in a desktop world.

Free software is great up to a point but having something that works comes way higher on my list than any political views I might have.

I do think that Apple are cruising for an anti-trust case though.

MattHall

what a bullshit. Is this what Lifehacker is degrading to?

monomyth

I think the first issue is the only truly valid one, but even that is circumvented by jailbreaking (I know, you're still giving money to Apple even if you jailbreak and install your own apps, thus encouraging the lockdown anyway). The FSF is like the ACLU or Greenpeace. They have an important message full of ideals. But when it comes to actual practice, they will complain about things that will probably only cause problems in Free Software theory, and not in any real practical way, and they end up getting in the way of people who just want to do their thing and get on with their life.

After all, how many phones don't provide some sort of location information at least to the carrier, either via triangulation or GPS? (Probably none.) How many pmp's support Ogg Vorbis and Theora? (A few.) How many pmp's avoid DRM altogether? (None.) Where can you legally buy commercial music online in patent-free formats? (Not in any developed nation.)

The point where the Free Software movement loses me is the point where they try to take away my choice to use some devices. Sure, Apple won't allow me to install GNU software on the iPhone unless a developer pays to put it in the online store based on legal grounds, but Richard Stallman wouldn't allow me to use a powerful, well-designed, easy-to-use mp3 player, phone, and web surfing device, based on philosophical/moral/ethical grounds if he had the choice.

So what are we supposed to use, Richard? The FreeRunner? The phone that's just barely been introduced, which is out of stock, and which will have less refinement over the course of its lifetime than the iPhone had at its initial launch? (I do like the idea of the FreeRunner, and I may even buy one someday, but they're not practical for most people.)

Now how much utility do you get out of an iPhone? I'd say enough for a lot of people to justify buying it and living with its shortcomings. I think the FSF message here should not be "Don't buy this phone, it's morally wrong!", but rather "be aware of what you're getting if you do buy this phone".

FWIW, I don't own an iPhone or any type of smartphone. I would probably buy an iPod Touch if I had the cash laying around. I also prefer to use GNU/Linux and other free software when I can. But we have to live in the real world, which means that we often have to put up with products and services which are less than ideal.

krn

The writer of this article studied George Orwell's "1984" quite well - and used every trick Big Brother did. The article is a fantastic collection of partial truths, lies, and misdirection. What a crock.

As for AT&T - just about every terrible thing you can say about the company can be said for every other mobile company. And for me, AT&T is the only game in town. Of the carriers that 'service' my area, AT&T is the only one I can use at home and at my two workplaces. With the rest I lose service in at least one of the locations.

davidwb

The fact that the iPhone supports DRM is essentially meaningless to the end user, since it in no way forces you to use DRM. MP3s and MP4s work just as well - DRM is just a condition of most iTunes content.

I was not interested enough in the original iPhone to get one, but after using the 2.0 software on my Touch I am sold. Pandora alone is worth the price of admission.

brundlefly76

@Michael Belisle: Well said.

@mzeal93:
"O finnaly a post on lifehackker which isnt telling you how good apple is.. apple is screwing you more then microsoft."

How so? In what way?

"80% of people who buy apples shit is because everyone else saying how cool it is or it just looks good"

Wow. 80%? do you have any actual proof to back that up? No. I assume it's an arbitrary # you came up with. Did 90% seem too high? 79% too low?

"you peopel are what we call tools... speak for yourself and dont buy from a company which is screwing at everycorner"

Who is this "we" you speak of? YOU are what MY people call illiterate.

"atleast Bill Gates gives to charity"

Do you think Steve Jobs doesn't give to charity? I know he doesn't publicly donate like Bill Gates, but my guess would be that he donates plenty. However, since I have no proof to back this up, I can't say for certain just like you can't say for certain he doesn't because you don't have proof. See how it works?

@cHiCkenCOW:
"I cant agree more with mzeal93 and this post."

Really? Wow.

tptcat

@robotleawesome:

If the information and capability is there, someone can get it if they really want to do so.

metaslugx

It's like Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like has said a number of times: Big corporations like Apple and Ikea are still big corporations, which cause so many of the big problems, but their somehow having good aesthetic design makes them palatable, and, in the case of Apple, a kind of religion. It's pathetic. You pay more money to feel like you're part of some elite group that can figure out different UIs. Ooooh, baby, the revolution starts with you.

Apple has never gotten a penny from me and they never will.

Props to you, Gina. Ignore all the loser fanboys here.

lily_bart

So what phones would anyone recommend to someone that doesn't want to be apart of the iPhone madness? I'm currently with Verizon and I'm eligible for a new phone September. I have my eyes on the Samsung SCH-i760, but maybe there is something better. Any suggestions from anyone?

@Gina Trapani: Maybe there will be a future post on good iPhone alternatives for each carrier? I think that would be useful for a lot of people.

lilparker780

"So, Lifehacker readers, this is a hypocrite's confession. I purchased and use an iPhone, but I hate being locked into Apple's proprietary system."

This doesn't make you a hypocrite. You weighed the pros and cons of your purchase, saw some flaws, and then decided rationally that the purchase was still worthwhile to you. That makes you a sensible person.

TPIRman

@krn: I was thinking some more about this column on the bus home and you pretty much said everything I was thinking. Great post.

On a similar note, Nokia recently opensourced their Symbian operating system. Did all the phones using this OS magically become better overnight? Politically, yes. Functionally, no. Unless the POTENTIAL of opensource actually translates into FEATURES the distinction is meaningless.

Gina, you stated "I hate being locked into Apple's proprietary system". What exactly about being locked into the system do you hate? Is it just the idea of being locked in or is there a specific thing that you want to do that you can't which is so bad that it evokes feelings of hatred?

MattHall

the iphone is ugly. touchflow on it when I tried it in the store made me seasick.

Can't use it as a modem when I'm on the road? Can't just go online and get an app someone invented and is giving away? can't brose the folder structure?

Lets software beam my location to...anyone?

I've had the xv6700, 6800, 6900 and they allow me to be online and accessible everywhere I have been, on several cross-country road trips, reliably, for the last few years. Not all that hard to hack to bits either. The iphone just seems like a lower-level version of that, to me. Has less capability and is probably easier for someone with little knowledge to use out-of-the-box.

and using itunes and apple proprietary software just doesn't appeal to me. Back to wm5 for me, for now.

resonanteye

"Gina, you stated "I hate being locked into Apple's proprietary system". What exactly about being locked into the system do you hate? Is it just the idea of being locked in or is there a specific thing that you want to do that you can't which is so bad that it evokes feelings of hatred? "
@MattHall: Let's see, a few off the top. I hate having to launch iTunes to do anything with the phone, but especially install applications. Related to that, I hate linking to applications here on Lifehacker which launch iTunes instead of a regular web browser on my readers' computers. I hate that developers can't just offer their apps for download on the web. I hate that Apple approves applications first before they go out to users in the App Store. I hate that I can't use the iPhone and the unlimited data connection that I pay for every month, like I could my Nokia, as a modem with my laptop. I hate that I can't browse the iPhone as a hard drive the way I can other MP3 players. I hate the iTunes Store's DRM is built into songs that you purchase; instead I use Amazon MP3 whenever possible, which DOES NOT have those restrictions. I hate that I can't replace my battery, or properly delete my data from the device when I want to sell it or give it away. I could go on....

Anyone else?

Gina Trapani

No time to complain...move with the cheese already. Technology costs money and security requires conflict. If you don't want anybody to track you, get an old rotary phone.

Be happy, the limits listed above will just spark more creativity. Eventually someone will figure out a work-around and most likely you'll see it posted on LH.

PS: Gadgets are expensive, regardless of which one you pick.

bitbot

@Gina Trapani: Thanks, that was a very interesting list! I've been thinking about getting one of these and it was interesting to hear specific examples of the shortcomings of the phone.

It does sounds like a lot of those problems aren't related to the iPhone being a closed-source platform. Most Windows Mobile and (pre-opensourcing) Symbian 3G handsets don't have those issues.

As far as the app store is concerned, Apple having the lock and key on the apps worried me a bit too, but when I saw that vast array of apps it didn't bother me so much. Does anyone know of some specific apps that have been blocked or is there a class of applications that we expect Apple to block? Given some of the weird apps that I've seen in the store it seems like the bar is set pretty low...

MattHall

I think this article is a great way to get the readers to avoid gadget lust:
[lifehacker.com]

goodywitch

@hamzahsa:

@civicsi98:

mp3 is not a free format. you have to pay to have the codec used in your hardware and software. That's why the mp3 format wasn't included in many versions if Linux.

newgalactic

Answering my own question... the other one is a SIM unlock app which Steve Jobs explicitly stated would not be available :)

MattHall

@Gina Trapani:
I hate having to launch iTunes to do anything with the phone
How do you propose communicating with the device? You need an application. Apple chose iTunes. There are others out there if you don't like it, they just aren't as functional.

I hate that developers can't just offer their apps for download on the web.
They can, through iTunes.

I hate that Apple approves applications first before they go out to users in the App Store.
This is actually the best part of the App Store. On one hand, the article argues to allow one to install anything. It then criticizes the phone for potentially disclosing information. One thing that is clear is that any phone that allows any app the run of the house will become an ideal tool for those hoping to track you down or steal your identity. The App Store limits the risk of malice and allows Apple to stop it right away. And it's not just malice; people can write some pretty crappy apps. My assumption, which I hope will hold true, is that bad apps will get pulled. Anyone who thinks that a users will blame a crashing phone on the 3rd party software they installed is pretty naive.

I could my Nokia, as a modem with my laptop
I can do the same w/ my Blackberry. Don't know about you, but my provider charges a completely different rate. I have a colleague at work who racked up a $10k bill in one month, not realizing that the "unlimited" applied only to the phone itself and not laptop connections. The browser on the iPhone is awesome, so I guess I don't care because I have no need to connect my laptop. If you do, then I recommend another phone.

I hate that I can't browse the iPhone as a hard drive the way I can other MP3 players.
Some iTunes alternatives allow this. Again, one reason is so that people don't pooch their phone. If you really need this, then don't by an iPhone.

I hate the iTunes Store's DRM is built into songs that you purchase; instead I use Amazon MP3 whenever possible
You may want to check out iTunes Plus. Given the choice, everything on the iTunes store would be DRM-free. This is not for Apple to decide.

I hate that I can't replace my battery, or properly delete my data from the device when I want to sell it or give it away.
The battery issue is form over function. People want a thin device that looks great and weighs nothing. If you make a battery user-replaceable, it adds just enough infrastructure to the device to change the look and affect the size/weight. Apple has decided that for the minor inconvenience of getting your battery replaced that their target customers prefer the trade-offs they made. I don't know about you, but I rarely need to replace a battery during the lifespan of my phone.

There are ways to completely wipe your phone, if you're really the tin-foil-hat type that fears that people will extract the flash memory and try to scrape the remnants of data that the built-in Wipe process missed.

I don't understand the source of your hate. Do you hate all of these things because you truly want an iPhone but on principle you can't get one? Did you buy one without doing any research and now feel cheated? Or are you just the hating type? It seems to me that this is just not the right product for you. Perhaps all of your hate comes from the fact that you represent such an insignificant portion of the market that such a device really does not exist.

barthrh

If only Gizmodo knew this.

bryanarr

@MattHall: Pretty much anything that runs in the background (e.g. IM Clients), for one.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

Does anyone know of some specific apps that have been blocked or is there a class of applications that we expect Apple to block?
@MattHall: I don't know of any apps that were turned down. BUT, I'll be shocked if an Amazon MP3 downloader app ever makes it into the App Store.

Gina Trapani

The FSF is prone to acting like the PETA of their movement. While I might agree with a lot of what they say, their petulance makes me want to slap them upside the head.

* iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.

Actually, this is not true. You can get a limited distribution license and hand out your own apps. But that's corporate, so fine...Apple controls the installation channel. Calling Apple's cut of every sale a "tax" is both inflammatory and a mischaracterization. It carries the implicit understanding that it's overhead being charged "because they can." Which, naturally, it isn't. Developers let Apple handle all the details of the distribution for a reasonable fee.

iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.

Yes. Yes, it does. And when you, O All-Knowing FSF, can convince music and video distributors to renegotiate their distribution contracts with Apple, in keeping with Jobs' stated preference for DRM-free content, then perhaps that will change. Until then, simply note that neither "endorse" nor "supports" == "requires".

iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.

Uh, really? No, c'mon...really? You mean a GPS-enabled phone actually _knows your location_? Really? What the hell will they think of next?!

iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.

I'm afraid, sir, that any comment containing the phrase "Ogg Vorbis" causes me to immediately stop paying much attention to you. That argument is basically over.

iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.

Ah, at long last...the nut. "Buy a geek phone, not the cool one from Apple." Look, if you're in the market for a Freerunner, you are plainly not an iPhone person. But odds are, if you prefer the iPhone, you're not going to have much interest in the Freerunner, tinker-ability notwithstanding.

Get over yourselves, FSF. What you're essentially doing is calling iPhone buyers stupid for not realizing all the ways the expensive little toy they just got sucks. That's not much of a way to win converts in any fight.

Brian Little

"Apple, through its marketing and visual design techniques, is manufacturing an illusion that merely buying an Apple makes you part of an alternative community."

Yea, like free software is NOT an illusion.

If free software or products are such convincing argument, then why isn't everyone everywhere on every device running nothing but free software?

The fact is, nothing is free; not even free software.

Joe Alien

has the new firmware already been hacked to include both app store applications and jail-broken apps?

nick

how bout i still hate touch screens.

I'd like to send and receive picture messages to and from friends who still have a cell phone.

its the little things.

I dont know why i complain tho, i'm on Verisuck still.

kirksucks

@clevin: well, it is a company with monetary intentions, so i highly doubt they'll ever be honest.

Bonding Age

For those of us that really only care that it's a phone with a web browser, DRM concerns are on the level of wacky conspiracy theorists.

shokk

Most people who are infatuated with a product or a company usually seem to be those who know nothing about the company's history of behaviour. The writer's description of Apple's attitude towards customers and the iphone is the same (but worse) as their attitude toward the Macintosh during the 1980s. The same goes with Bill Gates worshippers or any others.

Proprietary bullshit is why I've never bought a Mac, not any "superiority complex"; I was using the Apple II from 1980-85, so I was not anti-Apple. It's the same reason I will only buy generic MP3 players and cell phones of a particular brand (I will not plug them): I want things that I can control how it works.

KJones

"Iphone is not three devices in one any more than my laptop is you morons. Using Jobs' loose definition of what constitutes a separate device, technically my laptop can be considered 8 devices in one:

A clock
A calculator
An "Internet communications device"
A phone (I can make voice calls with my modem)
A pornographic media storage device
A video player
A word processor
And an "iPod" (see below) "

[[www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net]]

mzeal93

Actually,for what it's worth, DRM should really be renamed "Fair Use Circumvention Kits"
The acronym's so much more catchy that way, and more accurate to boot.

ameyer

@tptcat:

i dont spend 30 minutes writing something just to point out what an ass i am unlike you .. as [maddox.xmission.com] sais : ""The iPhone is a piece of shit, and so is your face. Nokia uses a technology that's even more advanced than the iPhone's tap screen, allowing you to actually feel the keys you press as you're pressing them! The technology is called "tactile response," and it allows you to do things like dial a phone number without staring at your screen like a shit-chucking ape. In fact, every other cellphone ever made has this technology, sometimes called "buttons." ""

mzeal93

Remember when all we had were CB radios and that was good enough for everyone?

cheesebubble

@Xaqtly: they're trying to make points by selectively omitting pertinent information.

Totally agree. Seems like they're just trying to balance out all the apple love that has been going around with this post.

gent

Well, honestly, I must say this isn't too balanced and reasonable argument. There seems to have been lot's of that counter-culture buzz around the company recently.
All this jabbering about exploiting customers, and so on - people have just found another corporation to bash.
No, I'm not apple-geek, who won't accept any single argument against the company, but those are stupid and not far-sighted.
For instance, any mobile phone can "expose your whereabouts and provide ways for others to track you without your knowledge".
And secondly, about Open Source - common, that's ridiculous! It was hacked thousand times already. Like anyone can be stopped by the fact that Apple doesn't approve that. So what? Who cares?

Yes, and actually, the post should have mentioned the quality and durality of those gadgets - that's where the real problem lies.
Luxury prison... pfff... that's silly.

Dereks

The one thing that surprised me about the iPhone 3G is that it is not really innovative in any real way except for the multitouch screen. The software is mediocre, with terrible settings and you can't even configure your hardware. It's a wannabe geek's phone.. Real geeks, with a bit of knowledge of modern day servers etc will definitely be going for Android. I already found ssh clients, vnc server & client, irc clients, etc.. What does the iPhone have? I couldn't even figure out how to read RSS feeds who the f*** left out an RSS reader?!?!?! Fire the bastard!

I used the iPhone for a couple of hours and it just doesn't give me any kind of WOW feeling.. It's just a phone with a slick interface and no options.. Most of the new phones I have used have impressed me more tbh. I hate the way it locks you out of everything and treats you like a computer nub. This thing's an iPod with phone capabilities..

Especially contact management was horrendous.. Utter and utter crap imho.. There's no difference between mail & phone contacts. Who came up with that bright idea??

snek

It seems like apple may be out to protect itself when limiting the apps available however, they seem to try and protect the user also. The phone asks if you want the application to use your current location, that way the app can't go "willy nilly" and shout your location to everyone. If they were to allow "free" applications who knows what could happen to your iphone. In my opinion, it's just a fun little toy.

cynu414

Any apps which have developers who do not want to pay an inclusion fee to apple, have been blocked.

resonanteye

I think where a lot of this acrimony originates is in the age-old belief that Apple really is different and they came to save the computing world (and now, the entertainment and communications world) from the evil overlords (IBM, Microsoft at that time). They were hip and innovative. Sure, a lot of their stuff didn't work so well, but they drove home that idea of "Think Different" and continued to sell themselves as regular people who strive to just "do things." Not geeks, not corporate overlords, not hackers... regular, cool, hip folks (just like you, right?). Well, that shine has been rubbed dull from all the money being thrown their way. It is sad to wake up one day to discover that your hero is just a normal person (or worse). No, I am not saying Apple is evil or manipulative or unfolding another part of a long-term plan for world domination. All I am saying is that they are a business and they want your money. They make some great stuff. In the end, it is about money. The admission fee to their club is voluntary. I am thinking it might be time for folks to decide if they actually need all this crap. Fortunately, we're still free enough to NOT have to spend money (for now). It is just a phone. A damn interesting one, but a phone, nonetheless.

FrankBlack

"I hate the iTunes Store's DRM is built into songs that you purchase; instead I use Amazon MP3 whenever possible, which DOES NOT have those restrictions. I hate that I can't replace my battery, or properly delete my data from the device when I want to sell it or give it away. I could go on.... Anyone else? "



Yeah - why didn't you just go with a 1st generation unlocked iPhone? Is EDGE really that unbearable if you can't get a wifi connection? This way you can avoid all the DRM, iTunes, no-browsing, etc BS that is Apple.... Or you could get an openmoko, if they were actually available

kneemoe

@mzeal93: So you DON'T have any evidence to back up your previous claims? Right? I thought so. Well done.

Read this post by snek. THAT is how you state an anti-iPhone position without coming off like a total idiot throwing around wild opinions as fact.

tptcat

I've been enjoying all of the iPhone's features (and more) since January of this year on my AT&T Tilt. The interface isn't as elegant, but it's still a great UI. There's no substitute for a hard keyboard (the Tilt has the best of both worlds--a hard keyboard that slides away when you don't need it). Out of the box, the OS may lack the refinement of the iPhone, but it's as customizable as you want it to be.

onesix18

I'm waiting for Android :)

remi

Good thing i didn't get an iphone!

Ken

@Bonding Age: oh, phones that would sync with apple, if possible. >.>

Bonding Age

@nekcih: "I would like to see a lifehacker post on the best iPhone alternatives."

AGREED!!

Bonding Age

If loving the iPhone is wrong, I don't want to be right.

taborro

@mzeal93 -- "apple is screwing you more then microsoft. 80% of people who buy apples shit is because everyone else saying how cool it is or it just looks good"

Yawn. Don't you get tired of hating so much?

Apple is a corporation. They exist to make money. Just like MS. Generally, their products are good and useful, but sometimes they screw up--and they need to be called on it (as they have with this effed up 2.0 launch).

Do you seriously believe that people would become longtime loyal customers of a company whose "good-looking" products suck? People might be dumb but not that dumb.

I've been a Mac user since '93. I have issues with Apple, too, but they make products that work for me. The "cool" factor is all well and good, but IT'S GOT TO WORK. And geenrally, they do.

Apple single-handedly made selling music downloads viable. They had to do the DRM thing (which I also hate, but understand) for the major labels to go along.

Say what you want about Apple, but they are the company that leads the market--not necessarily in pure innovation, but in innovation combined with marketing (creating mass appeal). Geeks innovating but not selling doesn't mean shit.

When the history of handheld wireless computing is written, the iPhone will be one of the (if not THE) most important milestones. This doesn't mean others won't build cool, breakthrough stuff. They will.

But Apple continues to lead. That this very conversation is happening (all over the Net), with it's legitimate criticisms, simply illustrates this fact.

Re: "apple is screwing you more then microsoft"
Not sure what to say about that except to laugh.

PrinceBuster

Where to begin...?

1. The iPhone DOES NOT "completely block" free software. It's remarkably simple to jailbreak an iPhone and install whatever crap you want on it (and the jailbreak for the 3G will be available within days). Apple traditionally makes it difficult for the average user to muck around with the file system on their devices, whether it be a MacBook, an iPod or an iPhone because honestly, would YOU want to handle those tech support calls? "Uh, yeah. I deleted UNIX kernel and now nothing will work. Why on earth would you build this piece of crap so that it doesn't work?"

Also, her assertion that developers pay a tax to Apple is crap. Did you have to pay to get the SDK? Neither did I. And Apple doesn't charge a fee to load free apps onto the App Store. Pay apps must pay a fee to be listed, but Apple is providing a service by offering a marketplace to sell their products. I consider that fair.

In addition, you don't HAVE to install apps ONLY from the App store. The apps are located on your computer's hard drive in a folder that sycs with your iPhone. All you have to do is put an app in that folder and the next time you sync your iPhone you can. How, exactly, does Apple have control over that?

2. DRM- this claim is pretty vague, and it's all been hashed out before. But here goes... Yes. Music purchased from MOST of the music companies on the iTunes store is DRMed. But that's only at the insistence of the music companies. Steve Jobs has come out publicly and said that he doesn't like DRMed music (and contrary to her assertion, his open letter to the music industry was not due to public pressure - at the time it was completely out of the blue and DRMed music was hardly on the public's radar). Her assertion that Apple hasn't done anything on the matter is complete crap. Music from BMI is available in iTunes as non-DRMed MP3s. And there's nothing stopping anyone from loading non-DRMed AAC or MP3 files on their iPhone. Same with movies. It's at the insistence of the movie studios. But there are ways around it, such as ripping a DVD and putting the file on your iPhone. Those same files will work on my iPhone as well as the next guy's.

3. The iPhone DOES NOT expose your whereabouts. There's feature called Location Services that will use cell towers and WIFI hotspots to determine your rough location (or GPS in the 3G iPhone). It asks you EVERY TIME it tries to access this feature, which has been my primary complaint with the 2.0 update. How is that without my knowledge? And how about other phones or devices that have GPS? Wouldn't the same be true (if it were true)? Why is that not mentioned?

4. So the iPhone won't play non-mainstream codecs like Ogg Vorbis and Theora, which I've never even heard of. Boo frickin' hoo. The fact is that neither do iPods or the MAJORITY of other MP3 players out there. The main reason that Ogg isn't supported is because it's open-source and not a "standard." From Vorbis' web site: "Note that developers are still free to use the specification to write implementations of Ogg Vorbis licensed under other terms." Imagine trying to figure out why different implementations of Ogg don't work on a device. It's why Linux isn't mainstream - it's for geeks and not for the general public.

5. "iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner." Yeah. iPhone isn't the only option., There's Blackberry, Palm, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, etc., etc., etc., etc. And I'm supposed to wait for something that's "on the horizon?" How far on the horizon, exactly? Like, flying cars and personal jet packs "on the horizon?" A quick glance at the FreeRunner site reminds me of the Obama campaign. Lots of pretty pictures, but not much substance there. What does it do? What carriers will it work with, or is only WIFI? That's hardly convenient. And what does it do, exactly? It doesn't say. Maps? Internet browser? Games? Movies? Music? GPS? Camera? Who knows?

And there are only two places to buy one in North America. And only one in the United States. Well, crap an apple, that DOES sound like a better. more convenient solution. What happens if my phone has a problem? Do I just run to my local AT&T or Apple store to get a replacement? Oh, crap I have to go to freaking Freemont, California.

This story is bullshit, plain and simple, designed to stir up hits.

DestructoTex

Just love these articles about open-source. Like someone has commented already my Nokia phone never allowed open-source stuff to be installed, should I panic now?
The open-source community went from a fun and interesting stream (Early days Fedora etc... for instance) to a omg th