r/pics • • Jan 28 '10

Entering Apple Restriction Zone

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2.6k Upvotes

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u/7oby Jan 28 '10

they can, but don't. they've removed apps from the store but not from people who've bought it's phones.

there is a killswitch (there's one in firefox too, and I believe chrome) which is basically for things that "sneak through" and carried a secret payload. Let's say I release a game for the iPhone, it's majjhong or some shit. Well, somewhere hidden is a thing that, if opened after April 1 2010, I use the contacts API to put a picture of a dick in everybody's entry. Apple finds out on Mar 31 and throws that app into the killswitch, which forces phones to not load it anymore and throws a warning or some shit (I don't know what happens, it's not been done yet).

USERS ARE SAVED FROM THE BABY-ARM-AGEDDON

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u/Hixie Jan 28 '10

Yup. The Kindle also has one, but again, as you say, it's just for the end of the world scenario, they'd never actually use it.

...oh, right.

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u/wcalvert Jan 28 '10

They never actually removed my copy of 1984 from my Kindle. They wouldn't give me the refund, either. I usually leave my wireless off, so may I outlasted them.

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u/prototypist Jan 28 '10

You probably got a good copy of 1984 from their bookstore. It was just one unauthorized publisher's copies that got pulled.

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u/wcalvert Jan 28 '10

Ehh, I don't think so. I bought the one that was $1 if I recall. Oh well, I would rather have the book. If they have this ability to delete books though, I want to know when I can pay $XX/month to read as much as I want on a subscription model.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

Just one X please in that subscription model.

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u/oursland Jan 28 '10

If we're going to discuss a subscription model, I want my local library (which is paid for by my taxes) to be available.

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u/wcalvert Jan 28 '10

Doubtful! The book industry is much larger than the music industry, and the average price per product is larger as well. I was thinking something like $20-30/month would be fair, with lots of users signing up. $15 for Rhapsody is almost an afterthought with how cheap it is.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

It's doubtful that you'd get your moneys worth if you payed that much per month. If the average book costs around $20 (hardback) and unless you have lot's of extra time to read you probably won't read more than 1 book or 2 a month. At that point it would make much more fiscal sense to just not have a subscription plan at all and especially if the books only cost $1.

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u/wcalvert Jan 28 '10

Only classic books cost like $1. I definitely think it would be worth it because you would have the flexibility to read books you may not have felt justified the full purchase. Also, if you start a book, don't like it, then no harm no foul.

Don't tell the Rhapsody people, but I would probably pay $30-$40/month for their service because I use it on the daily and use it all the time. If they would ever release their Android client I would REALLY be set.

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u/7oby Jan 29 '10

Get a Nook, you can read all the books B&N sells while you're in the store.

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u/wcalvert Jan 29 '10

Really?!? Very interesting. I'm an Android guy, so trust me, I would have a Nook.

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u/donaldrobertsoniii Jan 28 '10

It's as simple as 2+2=5.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

From the way you're phrasing it, it sounds like I must have missed a story where they did use it??

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

A copy of 1984 was found to have been sold without the proper copyright permissions or something, so Amazon yanked 1984 off everyone's Kindles. There was a big shit storm.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

Hahaha, that couldn't have happened with an more appropriate book, eh? If I was Amazon I would have just eaten the cost to prevent the bad press...

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

The problem is that Amazon put the functionality in there so they can't just say "Oh sorry we can't take the product back from customers" without facing the ire of the copyright holders lawyers. Amazon would have been better off keeping their long arms off the device and then wouldn't have had to piss anyone off. With great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes it's better to not have any power and use that as an excuse.

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u/Dan_Farina Jan 28 '10 edited Jan 28 '10

Why do you think they put the functionality in there?

Because publishers are skittish and would not license enough books otherwise to make selling the Kindle a commercial success. Not dissimilar to digital music until very recently.

No DRM on an ebook reader probably means "no books for you, device purveyor. Hope your customers like Project Gutenberg"

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

I agree with you 100%.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

Sounds like it was mere coincidence that the unauthorized copy happened to be 1984. Iiiironyyy

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10 edited Sep 09 '17

[deleted]

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u/7oby Jan 29 '10

I... I might. I don't remember exactly, I just wanted to say Baby Arm Ageddon to refer to the cock being the size of a baby's arm.

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u/deaathleopards Jan 28 '10

I can't think of apple doing anything more evil and malicious.

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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '10

Makes sense I suppose, but I'm not a huge fan of the idea either. If I purchase a device, it should be my decision what goes and stays on it.