Jobs says Apple will fight iPhone unlocking hacks

Gregg Keizer   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Macintoshes Stories  

IT Leadership Strategy: How to Provide World-Class Help Desk Support Forrester Best Practices: Improve IT Service Delivery and Support with Remote Services Make Customer Experience a Cornerstone of Your Revenue Strategy Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World Centralized Data Backup and Your WAN Business Value of Performance IDC Whitepaper An Apple for Your Enterprise? Computerworld Technology Briefing: Intelligent Users Use Business Intelligence Virtual Reality Sign up to receive Macintoshes Resource Alerts

September 18, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs said today that it's his company's job to stymie hackers who try to unlock the iPhone -- the first time the company has officially said it would fight attempts to use the popular device on unauthorized networks.

At a London Apple retail store where he announced the iPhone's Nov. 9 U.K. debut, Jobs responded to a question about whether Apple would put a stop to the unlocking hacks that have mushroomed recently. "It's a cat-and-mouse game," said Jobs. "We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it's our job to stop them breaking in."

In last few weeks, people have unveiled several unlock hacks that let users swap the iPhone's included SIM card with one from another cellular service provider so the phone can make calls on that carrier's network. With the iPhone limited to domestic sales until November, unlocking is the only way consumers living outside the U.S. have been able to use their phones.

Last week, the iPhone Dev Team posted a free unlocking hack, then followed it yesterday with anySIM, an unlocking tool tucked into a graphical interface. Just a day before the iPhone Dev Team released its free hack, a group called iPhoneSIMFree began selling an unlocking tool of its own through a network of online resellers at prices ranging from $45 to $99.

Carolina Milanesi, a Gartner Inc. analyst who was at the London presentation, said she wondered if it matters much in the long run whether Apple stays a step ahead of hackers, as Jobs said it must do. "At the moment, as a consumer, you need to be very careful about unlocking the iPhone, and know how you want to use it," she said. "If you unlock it, you are not going to have a flat rate, and you will not have access to the 7,500 hot spots."

O2 Ltd., the iPhone's sole carrier in the U.K., will offer three flat-rate plans -- dubbed "tariffs" in Britain -- that range in price from $70 to $110 per month. Flat-rate plans are relatively rare in the U.K., said Milanesi. "If you unlock and then use the Internet and e-mail, you may be surprised by your first bill," she added, referring to the pay-as-you-go data rates charged by most carriers in the country and elsewhere in Europe.

O2 has struck a deal with a Wi-Fi provider called The Cloud that will give iPhone users unlimited wireless access to some 7,500 hot spots in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"There's a difference here, too, compared to the United States," said Milanesi. Because Apple plans to release its iPod Touch, an iPod-cum-Internet device, in the U.K. by the end of the month, consumers will have a choice between that and the iPhone when the latter launches five weeks later.

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"I've spoken..." Read more... "What do you call Microsoft offering free Windows 7 upgrades to Vista PC buyers after July 1, 2009? A good..." Read more... Read more Hardware posts or See all Blogs

Hack forces Twitter into 'full security review' 10 must-have free BlackBerry apps Microsoft to push IE8 via Automatic Update, issues blocking tool More top stories...

Fake LinkedIn profiles promise prurient pics, send patsies malware instead Cisco down to business with gear for digital home Lenovo to lay off 2,500 staff, cut management pay

The 9 hottest skills for '09 The downturn has softened the IT talent market but done little to weaken demand for SAP, .Net and other technical skills. Fast fixes for common PC problems Every computer user hits a speed bump now and then. Here are some speedy, simple solutions to hardware, software, network, Internet and mobile-device crises. Apple's 5 biggest moments in 2008 From the iPhone 3G to 'unibody' MacBooks, 2008 was a standout year for Apple. Hands-on Linux: New distro versions push the envelope We've got reviews and videos of the new Ubuntu 8.10, Fedora 10 and openSUSE 11.1. Windows 7 Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system More Continuing Coverage Windows 7 Voting Technology Google's Chrome browser Economy in turmoil: Latest news and tips iPhone 3G Bill Gates moves on Windows Vista A to Z Mac A to Z 2008 Salary Survey Find wage data for 50 IT job titles. More Special Reports 2009 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2008 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2008 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2008 Salary Survey 2007 Salary Survey 2006 Salary Survey 2008 IT Forecast 2007 IT Forecast 40 Years of Computerworld Top 12 Green-IT Users The FAQs About Going Green IT Schools to Watch iPhone: One Year Later Global Mobile Your Next Data Center Management: Reinventing IT Stop Data Leaks Web 2.0 Security Surviving Disasters Managing Storage Virtualization The Lean Storage Machine Storage on Trial Can Web 2.0 Save BI? Bypass These BI Potholes All Zones Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone The Enterprise Search Zone Software as a Service Zone The Security Zone See your link here

Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  An Apple for Your Enterprise? (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's a MacBook Pro or an iPhone, Apple is finding its way into the business world. Desktop Macs are moving into every department, server products are working in small businesses and data centers are rolling out Apple storage. They're everywhere. Are you ready? This guide, from the editors at Computerworld, will put you at the head of the class. Download this executive briefing  Advances in SSL and Certificate Management Advances in SSL and Certificate Management View this webcast now! Go to the webcast  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Extend Your VPN Smart Security Choices for Mobile Workers Leverage Web-based Remote Access to Boost Productivity View more whitepapers

• Hack forces Twitter into 'full security review'
• Fake LinkedIn profiles promise prurient pics, send patsies malware instead
• 10 must-have free BlackBerry apps
• More top stories