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Bug Businesses Cellphones Apple

Apple Error Leaves iPhone Developers In the Lurch 379

Posted by kdawson from the pretty-glass-bricks dept.
canadacow writes "iPhone developers enrolled and active in the iPhone OS 2.0 beta program got a nasty surprise today when Apple inadvertently 'expired' the recently released version. While for a beta program this typically would not be an issue, Apple has yet to release a new deployment of the iPhone OS. So developers like myself who use their iPhone for both actual phone and iPod use are bricked. Of note, this particular expired build is just 11 days old."
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Apple Error Leaves iPhone Developers In the Lurch More

Apple Error Leaves iPhone Developers In the Lurch

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  • In Apple's defense (Score:5, Funny)

    by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:08PM (#23004624)
    They tried to call you and apologize but you didn't answer your phone.

    • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:4, Insightful)

      by hackus ( 159037 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:26PM (#23004874) Homepage
      It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.

      I believe that people are getting incredibly stupid about all this EULA terms of service.

      I mean, on the Apple forums I am seeing posts "Well, they turned my $800 dollar phone into a brick, but schucks, I guess I deserve it because it is in the EULA."

      I mean people go BERZERK over Microsoft shutting down their systems after upgrades and their keys fail to match the hardware anymore so Vista doesn't boot.

      Apple users are just happy and content they spent $800 bucks it would seem for a phone and the company just turned it off, with no recourse.

      I can see it now: "Damn, stuck out in nowhere with a flat tire.....Darn...looks like my EULA is gone, so I will have to die out here in the heat. Darn, but I guess I deserve it."

      Absolutely amazing. I wonder if the EULA comes with a agreement that your IQ must be reduced to a 2 year old?

      The only person who is ever going to shut my phone or PC off is going to be me and when I and only I hit the off button.

      Mac Customers=Stupid

      -Hack

      • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Otter ( 3800 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:36PM (#23005000) Journal
        Apple users are just happy and content they spent $800 bucks it would seem for a phone and the company just turned it off, with no recourse.

        These aren't users whose phones are gone forever, they're developers (or "developers") whose platform (or phone) is down temporarily. Apple screwed up here, but "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic" might be overstating it a bit.

        • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:4, Insightful)

          by poetmatt ( 793785 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:44PM (#23005096) Journal
          So how do you like your ibrick? After the first brick today, or after the second brick today?

          I mean seriously, how many times has this phone been bricked lately? I could be building myself a house by now with all of the bricking. /half sarcasm, half facepalm

          • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

            by truthsearch ( 249536 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:51PM (#23005186) Homepage Journal

            I mean seriously, how many times has this phone been bricked lately?
            0, if you're a regular customer who uses the device as intended. No one should be surprised to find problems when signing up for a beta program.

            • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

              by ta bu shi da yu ( 687699 ) * on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @06:56PM (#23006496) Homepage
              Yes, but is Apple seriously trying to discourage all development on their platform? That's what's going to happen if they keep this up.

          • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

            by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:52PM (#23005196)
            Comment removed based on user account deletion

          • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Sentry21 ( 8183 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:35PM (#23005716) Journal
            What is it with the overuse of the term 'bricked' lately? These phones are NOT bricked. They are not usable as phones right now, but they can be easily fixed by restoring older firmware, or installing newer firmware. There's even a way to keep using the current firmware without the PSOD.

            So, ignoring the fact that you can only 'brick' a device once (after which point is is worthless anyway), anyone who installs as-yet-unreleased beta firmware on their phone should be fully aware that something unpleasant could well happen. If this were foolproof, Apple would have shipped out the new firmware to *everyone*.

            To mix some metaphors, if you want to play with the big boys, you're going to get burned.

          • It's HARD to brick... (Score:5, Informative)

            by RudeIota ( 1131331 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @07:32PM (#23006812) Homepage
            The iPhone is hard to break... If you hose it through a firmware update or jailbreaking it - recovery mode works regardless.
            • * Turn your iPhone on
            • * While it is on, hold the lock (button on the top) and home (button on the lower front) buttons down.
            • * Continue holding both buttons until the screen goes black (just a few seconds after the apple logo appears)
            • * Let go of the top button. Continue holding the Home button for several seconds.
            • * Plug your iPhone into your computer. iTunes will detect your phone in 'Restore mode' Recover your phone using the latest firmware. If you want to use older firmware (1.1.4 works just fine with Ziphone, BTW), hold the shift key as you click on firmware update button and you can browse for a firmware file (You will have to download an older firmware manually to load onto your iPhone using this method).

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by Swift2001 ( 874553 )
            Well, jeez, how long did it last? Four or five hours before the new version of iPhone 2.0 became available? My God! The humanity!

        • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Funny)

          by Mr. Underbridge ( 666784 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:57PM (#23005272)

          Apple screwed up here, but "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic" might be overstating it a bit.

          Come on, this is Apple. They practically have a 100% market penetration among emo kids. *Everything* is tragic to them.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by drinkypoo ( 153816 )
          It's worth mentioning that no one else is doing this. I mean, my RAZR may suck, but I don't get bricked if I'm putting MIDlets on it. Qtopia's not bricking your antique green phone. Get it? Why is Apple doing this crap at all? Why do they have it locked down so hard? Why should they make it so hard to develop software for their phone? And why are so many Apple fanboy developers willing to put up with this kind of abuse?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by HTH NE1 ( 675604 )

        I can see it now: "Damn, stuck out in nowhere with a flat tire.....Darn...looks like my EULA is gone, so I will have to die out here in the heat. Darn, but I guess I deserve it."
        I think Jubal Early said it best: "Well, here I am."

      • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

        by truthsearch ( 249536 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:39PM (#23005042) Homepage Journal
        I think you missed the part where these are people choosing to explicitly install beta development software on their mobile phone. If want to be sure your phone will work, either don't install early beta software on it, or buy a second phone.

      • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Interesting)

        by syzler ( 748241 ) <david@syzde[ ]et ['k.n' in gap]> on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:41PM (#23005076)
        I would agree with you if the people you refer to used stock firmware, however we have requested and gone out of our way to use Beta firmware in order to get a head start on developing for the platform. Although I am frustrated that my phone has had bugs since I loaded the beta firmware and I am upset that my phone is not working, I recognize that I placed myself in this situation by switching to the beta software despite Apple's warnings posted in their portal about doing so. However I am mostly angry with myself for being too "cheap" to buy a test device (an iPod Touch maybe) and instead opted to use my primary phone for development.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Lucas.Langa ( 922843 )
        Yes, Apple did a poor job here but it's in fact not Mac Customers=Stupid, it's rather Beta Users Wanting Production Quality=Stupid. Usually I even go saying Version 1.0 Users Wanting Production Quality=Stupid...

      • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Insightful)

        by His Shadow ( 689816 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:50PM (#23005174) Homepage Journal
        Jesus. Drama Queen much? A piece of beta software exploded. It will be fixed in days if not hours. It's probably fixed by the time you posted your whiny rant. So dry your tears, Princess, and turn down the hyperbole a little.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by wattrlz ( 1162603 )
        Apple users aren't (necessarily) stupid. They just have completely different expectations. When Mac people buy something they expect it to make them cool. Any other functionality is just icing on the cake.

        • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:4, Insightful)

          by DECS ( 891519 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @06:22PM (#23006200) Homepage Journal
          No, Mac users expect their stuff to work flawlessly, never have any bugs, never wear out (plastic crack, batteries die, etc) and maintain its value.

          It's other users who have zero expectations. Windows users expect things not to work, expect to spend hours futzing around, expect to replace parts frequently, and are blown away whenever anything works.

          That's why they disdainfully look down upon Mac users as "needing to be cool." I have never talked to any Mac users who were enraptured with being cool (and I've worked with lots of Mac users as a IT consultant for lots of small Mac shops). They like design, functionality, simplicity, and other things, but being cool is only an old saw dragged out by Windows Enthusiasts to account for their embarrassment in dealing with crap.

      • Re:In Apple's defense (Score:5, Funny)

        by Cornflake917 ( 515940 ) * on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:26PM (#23005616) Homepage
        You got away with a +5 insightful after calling Mac users stupid on Slashdot...

        You, sir, are a genius.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by tiny-e ( 940381 )

        It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.

        I believe that people are getting incredibly stupid about all this EULA terms of service.

        I mean, on the Apple forums I am seeing posts "Well, they turned my $800 dollar phone into a brick, but schucks, I guess I deserve it because it is in the EULA."

        I mean people go BERZERK over Microsoft shutting down their systems after upgrades and their keys fail to match the hardware anymore so Vista doesn't boot.

        Apple users are just happy and content they spent $800 bucks it would seem for a phone and the company just turned it off, with no recourse.

        I can see it now: "Damn, stuck out in nowhere with a flat tire.....Darn...looks like my EULA is gone, so I will have to die out here in the heat. Darn, but I guess I deserve it."

        Absolutely amazing. I wonder if the EULA comes with a agreement that your IQ must be reduced to a 2 year old?

        The only person who is ever going to shut my phone or PC off is going to be me and when I and only I hit the off button.

        Mac Customers=Stupid

        -Hack

        Dude - You're a tool. Too hard for you to figure that out? Too Bad.

        I'm sure the phone can be restored to operable status by putting the official released OS back on it. You'd almost think that a person with the word "Hack" in his/her username would consider this....

        Hopefully (actually I don't really care) my flame-bait post can be modded +5 insightful as well.

  • I have an idea! (Score:5, Funny)

    by anss123 ( 985305 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:09PM (#23004636)
    Let's complain about BETA software!

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by initdeep ( 1073290 )

      Let's complain about BETA software!
      Here's a better idea. Let's complain about DEVELOPERS having bricked devices so they cannot test out the Apps they are you know.... DEVELOPING! Tool.

      • Re:I have an idea! (Score:5, Insightful)

        by truthsearch ( 249536 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:23PM (#23004814) Homepage Journal
        Here's an even better idea. Let's complain about developers who use beta software for their primary mobile phone!

        • Testing? (Score:3, Insightful)

          by phorm ( 591458 )
          How else are you supposed to test something thoroughly than to use it as your primary device?
          I can understand perfectly why devs would use the iPhone as their primary. It's hard to catch the bugs unless you're regularly testing your software in a real-life environment... or do you really want the bugs (usability or functionality) to show up when the customers start using the tool in a real-life way.

          • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

            by shawnce ( 146129 )
            His point was you don't put the beta firmware onto an iPhone you need for day to day use. You put it on an iPhone(s) reserved for development work knowing that it is a beta firmware and things could go wrong.

            In general many developers don't even need to use an iPhone to test on given the simulator (granted some applications do need an iPhone to fully develop).

          • Re:Testing? (Score:5, Informative)

            by truthsearch ( 249536 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:48PM (#23005152) Homepage Journal
            Corporations who do serious mobile phone development do not have their developers use personal phones for development and testing. They purchase separate phones for them.

            Independent developers can order a separate line with a cheap phone and have their calls redirected. Then if their development platform breaks they still have a usable phone. It's the cost of being a beta tester.

    • Re:I have an idea! (Score:5, Funny)

      by th1nk ( 575552 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:14PM (#23004694)
      Let's read stories we're not interested in and complain about them!

  • "Brick" (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:15PM (#23004714)
    It is not a brick. It's a perfectly functional device with a software problem. That is not "bricked".
    • A software problem that leave the device not functioning at all.

      • Re:"Brick" (Score:5, Informative)

        by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:20PM (#23004774) Homepage Journal
        It's only bricked if you cannot get it to work again without cracking it up and digging into some special programming connector or replacing some chips. That is, the device can serve no other purpose than to be a brick without highly technical intervention. The fact that you can update the software back to the non-expired non-beta version seems to be completely overlooked.

      • Re:"Brick" (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:21PM (#23004796)
        The device functions enough that you can restore the original firmware, you know, the firmware that is stable and fully supported and not recommended for development use only.

        • Re:"Brick" (Score:4, Informative)

          by BitZtream ( 692029 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @06:02PM (#23006004)
          Ah, but theres the problem, you can't just restore the original firmware using iTunes as the baseband has been updated by the 2.0 firmware.

          iTunes will choke at the end of the restore process if you try to 'restore' to 1.1.4 (the latest public version). When it chokes, it leaves your phone in restore mode, unusable.

          It is however, not bricked.

          The solution is relatively simple. You restore to 1.1.4 and let the process fail, which will leave you with an error 1015 at the end of the process.

          At that point you use one of the jailbreak apps to put your phone back in normal mode, which will allow the old software to work with the new baseband. I found this out the hard way myself this morning, but after being rather upset, a little googling for the 'pink screen of death' pointed me at the solution which is:
          1. 1. Put the phone into restore mode by holding the power button and the home button down until the phone shuts down.
          2. 2. Release the power button and wait for it to boot into restore mode
          3. 3. Plug the phone in and iTunes will tell you it needs to be restored, restore to the latest software iTunes will give you (1.1.4).
          4. 4. The restore will fail with Error 1015. The software was however restored, just not the baseband, and iTunes leaves the phone in DFU mode wanting to restore completely.
          5. 5. Use one of the jailbreak apps to set your phone back to normal. I used ZiPhone, worked fine first try.
          6. 6. Restart iTunes and restore your backup.
          Working phone, new baseband, but it works all the same. Am I pissed off? YES. The first thing I thought was that it expired (which Apple warns you about during the development setup process on several occasions), so I went and checked for new firmware to find that I was indeed using the latest build. Since this is my primary phone its partially my fault, but Apple certainly screwed the pooch by letting this happen when they put in such anal measures to make sure people update the software.

          If it wasn't for the fact that my company wants to port one of our products to the iPhone, at this point I would be done with iPhone development due to this mistake, there is no excuse for a company the size of Apple allowing this to happen.

    • Re:"Brick" (Score:5, Funny)

      by Sentry21 ( 8183 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:38PM (#23005744) Journal
      I bricked my Macbook the other day, it sucked. I had to move the cursor so the screen woke up, then type in my password. Damnit Apple, why do you keep bricking this thing every five minutes? *rage*

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by fonik ( 776566 )
      They're just beta testing the new iPhone feature: iStopWorkingAllOfASudden.

  • Seems easy to fix on Apple's side (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CannonballHead ( 842625 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:15PM (#23004716)

    Couldn't they just re-release the exact same beta OS but fix the expiration date? They must know about this by now, and it doesn't seem like it'd even take that long. Maybe they are having a day off or something.

    I know this will be the theme for the whole slashdot story, but I have to say that if MS did this, I think there'd be public burnings, see-I-told-you-so's, etc.

    • Hehe. In a similar vein, Microsoft's OS X Remote Desktop application Beta 2 expired on March 31 2008. You can still use it but you get a great nag screen to download the latest beta (whcih links you to, you guess it, beta 2).

      Oh, and that probably affected more users than the iphone beta expiration.

  • You forgot to mention (Score:5, Informative)

    by anotherone ( 132088 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:16PM (#23004726)
    You forgot to mention that Apple SPECIFICALLY told you NOT to put it on your phone because it was unstable- and you hacked the lockouts and did it anyway. You also didn't mention that you could simply do a restore in iTunes and get a working firmware in about 2 minutes.

    But, I guess that getting on the front page of slashdot is more important.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by wizardforce ( 1005805 )

      "iPhone developers enrolled and active in the iPhone OS 2.0 beta program
      you forgot to read the first line of the summery. These aren't typical users, they are developers, they are supposed to be working with the beta.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by j_166 ( 1178463 )
        "you forgot to read the first line of the summery."

        You forgot to spell summary correctly.

        I kid, I kid.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by whisper_jeff ( 680366 )
      I would be curious, with the name "canadacow", assuming he is Canadian, how the author is using the phone as his regular phone. Given that the iPhone is not yet (officially) available in Canada. Only people who've jailbroken their phones are using them north of the border.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by e4g4 ( 533831 )
        Okay - first of all, some of us (Canadians) live here in the US, and second of all - the word you're looking for is "unlocked" not "jailbroken".

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by iONiUM ( 530420 ) *
      Right, so we'll just use the emulator forever, shall we? Hard to develop when we can't even test it on the fucking units. Seriously, why bother "releasing" an SDK if you didn't even put in a visual designer until last week, and still are unable to put it on actual units? Nice "release".

      • Right, so we'll just use the emulator forever, shall we? Hard to develop when we can't even test it on the fucking units. Seriously, why bother "releasing" an SDK if you didn't even put in a visual designer until last week, and still are unable to put it on actual units? Nice "release".

        Last I checked, a beta is not a release.

      • Re:You forgot to mention (Score:5, Insightful)

        by cowscows ( 103644 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:01PM (#23005318) Journal
        Wah wah wah! Apple released this fancy new phone but there's no SDK and nobody can develop apps for it, this sucks, Apple sucks, everyone sucks!

        *Apple releases beta SDK*

        Wah wah wah! Apple released an inital version of an SDK for their fancy new phone and it isn't perfect and doesn't do everything we ever wanted, this sucks, Apple sucks!

        All some people do is complain. Even when someone listens to what you're asking for, and tries to meet your needs. Even when they're just starting out and testing the waters in an area that is very complex. Apple released what they had because obnoxious people wouldn't shut up about how much Apple sucked for not releasing anything.

        It'll get better. Half-finished software is the price the world pays for being whiny and impatient.

      • Re:You forgot to mention (Score:4, Insightful)

        by rockmuelle ( 575982 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:08PM (#23005412)
        "Right, so we'll just use the emulator forever, shall we?"

        Kinda like those of us still waiting for access to the beta program? We have no choice but to continue to use the emulator forever, even if we did go out and buy devices specifically for development.

        Seriously, it's annoying enough that Apple limited the beta to a lottery, but it's even worse to hear the lucky few complain that they're unable to continue development because the beta software broke their phone.

        The whole point of a beta program is to test software and procedures on users willing to put up potentially buggy software to get valuable feedback prior to a real release. Things like this should be expected. If you don't want to be a good participant in a beta program, don't sign up for one (and release space for those of us who are fine beta testing things and made proper preparations for the inevitable bugs that will turn up).

        -Chris

  • You've been Steved! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:16PM (#23004732) Homepage

    Consider the open source alternative, OpenMoko [openmoko.com] No worries about some sudden "change in corporate direction" screwing you over.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Of course, then you have to worry about the corporation actually selling the damned devices. How far behind is the OpenMoko project now? How long have we been waiting for the FreeRunner's release?

      In the OSS world, we have a saying: "Release Early, Release Often." Apple's been following those rules to a tee, users sometimes get a bad experience, but the software rapidly converges to a usable state, as it is now. OpenMoko on the other hand, is lagging way, way behind, to the point you now have to be curiou

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by outZider ( 165286 )
      Just what I wanted, an operating system with no devices and no users! Can it play ogg vorbis too?

    • Re:You've been Steved! (Score:5, Informative)

      by Microlith ( 54737 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:58PM (#23005286)
      Yes, OpenMoko, the opensource alternative that is unavailable and doesn't even work.

      Oh it boots, but you can't make a phone call from in the UI. And while the command line dialer does work, no audio does. So you can call someone but not speak to or hear them.

      While I have every hope for OpenMoko, don't go flinging them as some open-source solution when it doesn't even do what it's supposed to.

    • Re:You've been Steved! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Phroggy ( 441 ) <slashdot3@ p h roggy.com> on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:13PM (#23005468) Homepage


      Consider the open source alternative, OpenMoko [openmoko.com] No worries about some sudden "change in corporate direction" screwing you over.

      No worries about some sudden "phone call" either. :-D

  • Bricked? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kindgott ( 165758 ) <soulwound@god[ ]ead.com ['isd' in gap]> on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:18PM (#23004756) Journal
    Is anyone else getting tired of the sensationalist misuse of the term "bricked" around here?

    Unless it's nigh unrecoverable, your hardware isn't bricked.

    • Yes (Score:2, Offtopic)

      by tkrotchko ( 124118 ) *
      "Is anyone else getting tired of the sensationalist misuse of the term "bricked" around here?"

      Yes, and not because I think there's a "right" and "wrong" term. It's just that I have no idea what they're talking about anymore when they say "bricked".

      I've bricked stuff before. When that happens, you throw it in the trash. If we want to use "bricked" to mean "I have to restore from backup", then somebody come up with another term for "permanently inoperable".

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by exultavit ( 988075 )
      Yes, the term has been misused a lot lately. A device can only really and truly be "bricked" if you have intimately introduced it to a significant amount of anti-matter.

      In any other situation, you can always recover the device's full functionality simply by rearranging its constituent atoms and free electrons appropriately.
    • I'm tired of sensationalist stories that play fast and loose with the facts. This guy puts some BETA development software on his phone, and has a cow when it expires, and forgets to mention that it's stupid to run BETA development software on something you use in the real world, and that he could have rolled it back without any problems.

      The whole "story" is a NON story.

    • It's a shame Apple did this. Bricking your phone is the kind of thing a hacker would do!

    • Re:Bricked? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Hatta ( 162192 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:58PM (#23005284) Journal
      This begs the question, if everyone uses the phrase incorrectly is it still incorrect?

  • Not Bricked (Score:5, Informative)

    by addikt10 ( 461932 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:18PM (#23004760)
    "Bricked" is unrecoverable.
    "Bricked" is permanent.
    "Bricked" is having absolutely no way, ever, of interacting with the object in a manner that is inconsistent with interacting with a brick.

    This, on the other hand, will be fixed by tomorrow.

  • Uh....no..... (Score:5, Informative)

    by iMouse ( 963104 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:23PM (#23004828)
    Beta testers were notified by e-mail of the software expiration that night. A new copy was available immediately from the AppleSeed site.

    My phone is fine and probably a lot of other beta testers who have a clue have a working phone as well.

    Maybe people who beta test software should have a good understanding that it is a BETA test and Apple highly recommended that the BETA software not be installed on personal or business-related phones that need to have 100% accessibility and reliability.

    How many beta testers in this program understand how to use a web browser to go grab the new release? If you're gonna be a n00b about it, don't sign up to be a tester.
  • Not that I suspect there was any question about the matter, but Apple is in control of your destiny not only as an iPhone developer, but also as an iPhone user.

    The expectations of developers are being shifted from the norm by actions such as these... Apple has effectively halted or paused development for the iPhone.

    The expectations of end users haven't been completely altered yet, but there's strong potential for that sort of thing to happen at Apple's whim... and it's probably already in the EULA that Appl

    • Re:This is just a reminder (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Damvan ( 824570 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @08:46PM (#23007392)
      The common meme on Slashdot is always the delusional Apple Fanboi, who loves all things Apple, no matter what. But what I see on this site more often is the exact opposite. The raving Apple Hater, who will hate all things Apple, no matter what. The time these people spend detailing their hatred amazes me.

      If you don't like it, don't buy it. There are other alternatives out there to Apple products. Buy one of them.

      Personally, I hate dark chocolate. I think I will go on some foodie forums and post a few pages about my hatred of dark chocolate, insisting that chocolate manufacturers make dark chocolate for my taste, and insulting all those who disagree and do like dark chocolate. I am sure that will make all the difference.

  • Um, what are people smoking? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jerkychew ( 80913 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:34PM (#23004976) Homepage
    I don't get it - My "friend's" iphone expired at midnight but guess what, there was an email from the Apple beta program in my "friend's" email telling my "friend" to update their iPhone. Update, start using the phone again.

    This is just a sensationalist article using the Dvorak Method (TM) to get more hits.
  • does anyone else also feel that companies should not be legally able to remotely alter or even disable a product once you have fully paid for it, without your express agreement each time?

  • Flambait as a front page article (Score:3, Informative)

    by Auckerman ( 223266 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:45PM (#23005108)
    There are a few things wrong.

    1. Apple specifically told you not to use it on a iPhone. You decided it didn't belong in the SDK emulator, unlocked it, and put on your iPhone. The fact that this didn't work out well for you is your problem.
    2. You can put the proper firmware for a phone, and not the one designed for development, on your iPhone at any time using iTunes.
    3. A new firmware is available. The SDK program specifically states that if you don't download the newest SDK from time to time, you will have the old one stop functioning.

  • Maybe this is a misdirected AskSlashdot (Score:5, Insightful)

    by indros13 ( 531405 ) * on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:52PM (#23005194) Homepage Journal
    Folks, don't tell him the phone isn't bricked, it just encourages him. Instead of going to a forum and asking "hey, what happened to my iPhone with this devkit installed?" he comes to Slashdot and hyperventilates about a bricked phone. And whaddya know, several people already gave him a solution (rollback firmware through iTunes - hey, great idea!) I propose we no longer act as Apple Technical Support for the Un-Bricked.

  • ziphone ftw (Score:3, Informative)

    by chiantii ( 950637 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @04:54PM (#23005234)
    This whole thing can be fixed with ziphone. I was able to restore my phone back to 1.1.4 in less than a minute. simply downgrade you bootloader and you're golden.

  • New SDK just posted (Score:3, Informative)

    by tylersoze ( 789256 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:32PM (#23005686)
    Just put up on the iPhone dev site, go get it.

  • Google has killed beta (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Telvin_3d ( 855514 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @05:41PM (#23005772)
    Part of the shock that some people are feeling comes from the fact that 'beta' doesn't carry the same weight it used to. While others have jumped on the bandwagon, Google has been the big one for devaluing the term. Beta is supposed to mean a potentially unstable build released for testing and feedback purposes. It is labelled beta precisely because it might have some show stopping bugs lurking inside.

    However, many people are now used to Google's beta software, which means a functional, polished release that happens to be missing some of the blue sky features that are planned. Oh, and it might get a UI redesign at some point.

    The two uses are very different and anyone expecting one should be quite shocked to find the other.

  • New SDK Is Up (Score:4, Insightful)

    by vertigoCiel ( 1070374 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @06:06PM (#23006048)
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog reports that the new SDK is available [tuaw.com], which should rescue any iPhones or iPod Touches from the Pink Screen of Death.

    It's surprising to see Apple drop the ball like this. You should probably post a new SDK before the old ones expire and prevent developers from working. This is an amateur mistake.

  • This story has become MOOT (Score:3, Informative)

    by ChrisA90278 ( 905188 ) on Tuesday April 08, 2008 @07:11PM (#23006632)
    Yes Beta 2 exppired today but Beta 3 was also released today. There was a gap of a few hours. This software is for DEVELOPERS and has not effect on end users.

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