October 30, 2007
Woziness.
You can always count on The Woz to tell it to you straight.
Steve "The Woz" Wozniak and Steve "Steve Jobs" Jobs started Apple Computers together in the 70's. Nowadays The Woz likes to collect Segways, cellphones, date D-List Celebrities, and serve as an advisor for many admirable non-profit organizations. He also likes to be the unwitting subject of unauthorized, improvised plays in Atlanta, but that is a story for another time.
Also, here is a mysterious photograph of The Woz, and his doppleganger.
Who is who?!?!
This is an interesting interview with the Woz for Laptop Magazine. In it he talks about the new OS X operating system, and more insterestingly to us, the locking of the iphone by Apple:
Laptop Magazine: So you're in favor of the unlocking and jailbreaking for third-party applications?
"Steve Wozniak: From a business point of view, Apple owns what they have done. They have a right to lock it. But I am really for the unlockers, the rebels trying to make it free. I'd really like it to be open to new applications. I'd like to install some nice games. Why in the world can I not install a ringtone that I've made? How would that hurt AT&T's network? Here is Steve Jobs sending letters to the record companies saying [they] should provide music that's unprotected, but here he is taking the opposite approach with the iPhone. I don't know to what extent AT&T is involved in the thinking and direction."
Snaps Woz.
Did you know that "jailbreaking" (the process of granting yourself root access to your phone files) has become so reliable and stable that the iPhone Dev Team has written a webpage that'll do it all for you!
All you do is navigate to the AppSnapp webpage on your phone, and IT DOES EVERYTHING AUTOMATICALLY. This new way to jailbreak your iphone even fixes the TIFF security exploit, making your phone even safer from being hacked. The Dev Team has also developed a "re-virginizing" program that'll reset SIM unlocked iPhones back to their factory settings. This effectively de-voids your waranty, and gives you a fresh iPhone.
I just don't see how anyone, including our beloved Mr. Jobs, could not see these hacks and mods as anything other than beneficial for the iPhone.
This is why regardless of where my fluctuating attitude on Apple the Company is at any given moment, I still gotta love the Woz.
Posted by: Rob at October 30, 2007 12:02 PMBut isn't this all moot after Jobs' announcement that Apple will be opening the IPhone up to developers? With the Developer's Kit they're releasing in 08? Here's the link.
Posted by: rp at October 30, 2007 3:49 PMThat's what I thought originally. I was just going to wait until Feb, and load all the programs I wanted, guilt free.
But it's not going to be that easy, I mean maybe it will, but I seriously doubt it. I'll tell you why:
1) Pricing
Is Apple going to charge us for 3rd party apps? If they are distributed through iTunes, you can guarantee they'll charge us something. What's the appropriate price for one of these programs? $.99? Some are priceless (ebook reader) some are novelties (turn our screen into a "flashlight") Music and movies both have standardized pricing through iTunes.
2) Licensing
Kiss the NES emulator goodbye.
3) Availability
Right now, as soon as someone submits an app to any of the 3 community source lists, it shows up on my phone. It is up to me to determine what is safe to install and what isn't. But the flip side is I get them almost as soon as they're written.
4) Customizing
Jailbreaking the phone gives you access to all the graphics that make up the menus. Apple has made no indication of whether they'll allow this level of customizing. In fact, they keep saying the phone "is more like an iPod than a Computer." And anybody who owns an iPod can tell you how easy they are to modify. (not very)
I see. That is kinda gay. You know what's not gay? That young Steve Woz up there. That guy is sexalicious. Rowr! (Not "Rowr" like a cat, but "rowr" like Roy Orbison used to do.)
Posted by: rp at October 31, 2007 2:47 PMIt cool to hear the Woz still has that hacker spirit. An I think you made the exact same ringtone statement to me in conversation.
Posted by: cdubthebabyshooter at October 31, 2007 5:40 PM
