Apple plans 'abuse spy' for your phone

Apple plans 'abuse spy' for your phone

www.newscientist.com

Apple says it has had enough of giving people replacement iPhones and iPods when, in their view, it is the consumer who has abused the gadget and rendered it inoperable.

So today the firm has filed a patent on a kind of spy system that sits inside gadgets to record "consumer abuse events" and reveal them to Apple staff when you ask for a replacement.

Apple's plan is to use sensors that can detect liquid exposure, high temperatures, high g-force shocks, and the opening of the sealed casing for the "adding, removing, or altering of the internal components".

(visit the link for the full news article)

Not sure what to make of this. Judging by the bad press surrounding the iphone lately i.e. exploding / overheating, it seems like apple are trying to pass the buck back on to the consumer to make up for their shoddy and probably hastily released upgraded phone.

My brother has had two replacement phones already, which both stopped working on their own.

When you consider the unit cost of the phone in production terms, surely each replacement handset is only worth the material costs? Which can't be more than a few £'s?



www.newscientist.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

How many cases of exploding iPods/iPhones have there been, compared to the number of manufactured products?

People just need to learn to take care of their electronics, is all.

I had a 2g for almost a year and never had ONE problem with it until a friend dropped it and I had a cracked screen. It still worked fine and it was my fault or well my friends but I wasnt about to take it back and ask for a new one when I was irresponsible with it. I just got a new 3g last week and I love it! I know people who have gone through these phones like crazy but it's their own careless handling of it. It's not like most phones so you have to be careful with it. The best thing I can suggest if you own one is to buy this cover

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/89ecc28302f1.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/630f06f25ce5.jpg[/atsimg]

Its a clear acrylic cover by Belkin which can be found all over the internet for about 15-25 bucks depending on where you buy it. Many kiosks in malls have their version and its cheaper at about 12 dollars. I put this on my 2g after the screen cracked and it was great! I even had a moron friend spill a glass of water on it and it was protected, had I not had this case my phone would have been done. The case protects the screen which is the one thing people are always breaking on this phone. There are slots for the headphones, battery and the two buttons on the phone. I personally think its great! Some come in color but the screen part is obviously clear.
As for the iphones and ipods that exploded I dont think it was that many compared to how many sold. I think people need to just take care of their phones and not throw them around or shove it in their pocket and then sit on it and then get mad it broke! Hello you sit your 150lb butt on a phone its gonna break. When I got my new 3g I immediately got a new case for it and it's worth it not having to replace my phone because of something I did not Apple.
Now about this spy software they plan on putting on phones, well as much as I LOVE Apple this is just stupid guys!! How are we supposed to really know what this software does?? I dont like the idea of anyone spying on my phone and not even to see if I am mistreating it! If people are going to be careless with their phones then they should be responsible for replacing it! A guy I know from work does construction and he has an iPhone and he has had 3 in 6months! He complains until they give him another one and I think it's his fault not Apples. He is very careless with it. Now if your phone just stops working because of nothing you did then yes they should have to replace it because it would seem something is wrong with their phone.

If apple is so worried maybe they should have put a cover on it themselves. It would have saved them a lot of time and trouble. It isn't like these builders don;t know that phones take a beating. Specially if you use one in the construction business or other avocations that cause you to move around a lot. They get squished into pockets and bumped against desks and other hard impacts. It's not too hard to figure out that maybe these electronics get used hard!

Zindo

Well that sucks... Heres the thing I took my Iphone that I damaged (I actually ran over it with my car) but I had a rubber case and a screen protector so the only damage was the screen got shattered it still turned on and worked! I took it to apple and asked them how much it cost to fix the screen I wanted to replace it because I had stuff on there that would not transfer via itunes nothing major but I still wanted to keep it. The apple tech told me "oh just pay $200 and get a new one" I didnt ask for a new one and knew it wasnt their fault I would pay to fix it even if it was liek $300 but he said its around $200 to fix the screen and you have to wait if you pay the $200 now you can get a new one today. So really they are the ones who tell you to do it at least in my case.

I could see why they are doing that but I can also see why people would get upset if I drop my phone and it continues to work fine then a few weeks later craps out unrelated to the fall then they can say oh theres signs that you dropped it thats why it doesnt work so we wont replace it? but really are they losing money by swapping them out I know it didnt cost them that much to fix my screen and resell the phone I took in for $300 as a refurb I dont get it!

Another good reason to avoid apple like the plague. Thanks Apple.

Soon you'll probably have to clear it with Apple to call your mom. You might be using your phone to discuss something illegal after all.

Apple is seriously paranoid about the hardware and that is the primary reason why I havent gone iPhone yet (well that and the hideous overprice, an iPhone in my country will go for about $1500 US in total)

im attracted to extremely overpriced, bright, shiny, flashy gadgets that make pretty colors and lots of neat sounds.
im also prone to dropping things i have picked up because, like my limited mental capabilies, my dexterity is #.
please reccomend me an apple product i can still drop and break and get replaced for free.
thanks in advance,
loyal apple consumer.