Why are the iPhones in such great demand?

[Ronnie]

so is there a law out there saying your company HAS to go with more then another company? If your game developer you can choose to be exclusive with one console right? is that against the law? its the same principle

 

[Nitestick]

it's not the same principle. phones are inherently capable of running on other networks. software however has to be coded and compiled for a particular hardware environment. Apple are deliberately crippling the device whereas software designers are simply choosing not to do further work for extra compatability.

i also recall some legal battles regarding use of the iPhone on other networks. they've gone beyond the choice of carrier to the point of actually bullying the customer. i can not approve of any company that tries to dictate how their product should be used after it has become the property of the customer.

 

[Ronnie]

^i can understand the feeling of "i bought it i should be able to do what i want with it" but thats not how things are

if you buy a new car, you cant cut off the cat converter
if you buy a shotgun, you cant cut the barrel (laws very)
if you buy a console its illegal to mod it

 

[Nitestick]

^i can understand the feeling of "i bought it i should be able to do what i want with it" but thats not how things are

if you buy a new car, you cant cut off the cat converter
if you buy a shotgun, you cant cut the barrel (laws very)
if you buy a console its illegal to mod it

we're not talking about law here though, we are talking about a company that wants to overreach it's authority. catalytic converters are government mandate to meet emissions standards, shotguns are controlled for safety reasons, the illegality of console modifications is questionable and laws vary a lot on this. the difference with the first two cases is no company is dictating the use of their products to you and there is a good reason for both to be prevented. where is the benefit for anyone but Apple and AT&T in a lock in contract? it is a monopolistic practice between two greedy companies.

i definitely do not agree with any laws preventing console modification (aside from perhaps laws regarding electrical safety prohibiting anyone without the appropriate qualifications from working on it). they are another example of corporations trying to infringe on the rights of the consumer.

 

[Kharn]

look Apple decided to make it O2 exclusive in the UK - which was a good decision O2 are the best network in the UK best coverage with best call rates etc. But i can understand that people own the hardware but to use the software you have to accept the EULA the EULA states that it's only intended for use with AT&T or O2 networks even to use the phone you have to accept the EULA people just click the I ACCEPT button without realy reading the terms and conditions if you don't like it don't use it. It's not a prity document nothing in legal English can be prity but its worth spending 5 min to read them, it will tell you what your entitled to and what you can do with the hardware / software in question.

Oh in france it is law that if you make a device dependant on use of a servace you also have to offer a version that will work on any network but the iphone can tell if you are out of country for to long (i belive it's 2 months) an it will lock its self till you put a O2 sim card.