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See the original image at engadget.com —

Steve Jobs: confirms kill switch, 60M iPhone apps downloaded

engadget.com — Steve Jobs, presumably speaking from a hyperbaric chamber where he's being nourished with an infusion of liquified developer-souls before his next public appearance, had a few interesting tidbits about the AppStore for the Wall Street Journal this morning. Namely, users have downloaded some 60 million programs for the iPhone representing sales of

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  • GMills, on 08/11/2008, -21/+9engage
  • poorbusker, on 08/11/2008, -13/+148where's my video camera function Steve??
    • AaronH, on 08/11/2008, -6/+3Thank you
    • fuxxx, on 08/11/2008, -4/+44COPY AND PASSSSSSTTTTTEEEEEEEEE
    • Falldog, on 08/11/2008, -5/+26On my BlackBerry ;p
    • Mediaright, on 08/11/2008, -7/+2Yeah...because he both reads these comments and thinks they're completely relevant to this article...Geez.
    • Nouman6, on 08/11/2008, -0/+4he ran out of time before they could introduce that function. 'but that's not all.....'
      so they decided next year :/
    • Naskin, on 08/11/2008, -16/+7You know what really sucks? Apple. I hate Apple so freaking much. Steve Jobs is probably the lamest person on earth. Who names their company after a fruit? What's next, Kiwi? Kiwi would actually be much better than Apple, which is just stupid. Also, why the rainbow colors? I'm pretty sure if I saw a rainbow colored one, I wouldn't eat it. Yet some moron took a bite out of it. Probably Steve Jobs. And then, to top it all off, he names his computers Macintosh. So clever, he picked probably the lamest apple of them all and named his stupid company's computers after them. The only lamer computer name you could have would be Granny Smith. I take that back, Granny Smith would be cooler. You know another thing that's dumb about Apple? Why is their stock called AAPL. Would you like A APPLE. No, *****, it's "an" apple. And it's rainbow-colored, and Steve Jobs probably took a bite out of it, so no thank you, I very much would not like "A APPLE."

      P.S. I just got an iPod
    • flapanthers87, on 08/11/2008, -4/+5Agreed! How the hell does the iPhone not have video?!?!
    • Armstrong3, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1http://www.polarbearfarm.com/About_PBF_%22ShowTime ...
    • ACiDGRiM, on 08/11/2008, -9/+8I love how fanboys will run to a store, wait for 8 hours, and throw down hard earned cash, for a device that can't do BASIC phone tasks. I have an old school razer, and even IT can take videos.
      • divisional, on 08/11/2008, -5/+2LOL! Enjoy your "Razor"
      • coldfusion1970, on 08/11/2008, -2/+2But i dont need video.
        What i need is copy and paste.
    • rpgmaker, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1Pulled out of the AppStore.
    • toetagger, on 08/11/2008, -0/+5Stop whining and jailbreak it already... you get all kinds of goodies!
    • toetagger, on 08/11/2008, -0/+6http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8crcXYh7EuY&feature ... (streaming video from iPhone beeeeotch!!)
    • sailadayaway, on 08/11/2008, -0/+5MMS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!1!!?!?!/
      • billbugger, on 08/11/2008, -1/+1Ever heard of Email?
        and before you go all "my sister can't check her email until she gets home", look at:

        http://networking.ringofsaturn.com/Telecommunicati ...

        On the other hand, it would be nice to somehow build those email suffix's into the email app, if possible.
      • sailadayaway, on 08/11/2008, -0/+3yea, I've heard of email, but MMS belongs on a phone. I used to get the "view my message" texts, and I would have to go to safari, then put in the password, etc... Why can't they just send a text with a link??

        Although since 2.0, I have not gotten ANY notification that I have an MMS, and I know that people have tried sending them to me, is AT&T just ignoring MMS sent to iPhones now??
      • Schda, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1I don't know how upgrading changes things, but I noticed an MMS block under settings today. My phone (3g) had it automatically enabled.
    • digitallysick, on 08/11/2008, -0/+3Its in the same place as MMS , and a 5 + megapixel cam
  • sfacets, on 08/11/2008, -29/+7So no apologies..?
    • nblsavage, on 08/11/2008, -6/+23for what exactly?
      • Vincent21212, on 08/12/2008, -0/+2What do you mean "for what"? This community goes ***** ***** over the governments illegal wire-tapping program, and you think we shouldn't be outraged by this? ITS THE FACT THAT HE WAS SO SHADY AS TO NOT TO DISCLOSE THIS DISTURBING PIECE OF INFORMATION, you biased *****.


        *this statement isn't only directed to nblsavage, but also to the people who dugg him up, and buried sfacets.
    • rebrad, on 08/11/2008, -5/+4Big Daddy Steve needs to protect you from your own folly. He only takes this dour responsibility because he loves you and wants to protect you. Remember Steve loves the little children, all the children of the world.
  • sdimm, on 08/11/2008, -3/+33Holy crap, thats alot of money even if just a sixth is payed for.
    • rpgmaker, on 08/11/2008, -6/+3Yes, but I'm still trying to get my head around the Kill Switch thing, I'm reading about it now (was off of digg for a week or so). http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/07/iphone-hacker-s ...

      That is sick and twisted. Apple is really going overboard overlooking and controlling the device, IT'S NUTS. And the users doesn't even care! I wont talk about the average joe but the folks at engadget or gizmodo? Their fanboyism is worst than what I could imagine. I for one won't be buying the iPhone.
      • divisional, on 08/11/2008, -4/+2Your post cracked me up :-) It's all about making a product that WORKS. Nothing sick and twisted about it... no reason to overreact. Not a fanboy here by any stretch, but the iPhone is great device. Period. If you "hate" them or whatever, then buy something else. What's the point in hating things because they are popular?
      • coldfusion1970, on 08/11/2008, -0/+3Apple have already said that the kill switch is for malicious software.
        Would you rather it was left on peoples iPhones and delete/steal their data, because they didnt know to check apple.com to see a urgent bulletin.
        Idiot.
    • recalcitrantid, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1http://www.hulu.com/watch/30868/the-colbert-report ...
  • Cheezeburgar, on 08/11/2008, -31/+7I get all my iPhone games for free whether its Crash Bandicoot or Monkey Ball, thanks to some 1337 russian hacker at www.ihacks.ru

    seems like apple got to the site already. Here is the google cache: http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:acPsRIx2qbYJ: ...
    • MacParrot, on 08/11/2008, -7/+13Hey that's great! And when one of those "free" Russian games turns your phone into slag, I'm sure you'll be back here blaming Apple.
    • kotatsu, on 08/11/2008, -6/+25Ever heard of actually paying developers for their work? Or is that a foreign concept to you?
      • sjmulder, on 08/11/2008, -2/+13I don't know who dugg you down but that person is an ass.
      • flashback99, on 08/11/2008, -1/+15You mean like paying musicians for music? or filmmakers for films?

        double standards anyone?
    • yabos, on 08/11/2008, -2/+10Good job you cheap *****. You can't even pay $10 for a game?
      • 11oops, on 08/11/2008, -1/+15Most people on Digg can't even pay $0.99 for a song.
      • Cheezeburgar, on 08/11/2008, -2/+2Nope, I rather buy two gallons of gas with my $10.
    • psychomuso, on 08/11/2008, -2/+4I hope no-one pays you for work you've done as you seem to think it's okay to do the same to the developers
      • Cheezeburgar, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2Stealing music isn't okay, son.
    • bjornski, on 08/11/2008, -2/+4And when those developers you stole from go out of business, I'm sure you'll be wondering why nobody develops software for your platform anymore, too.
      • Cheezeburgar, on 08/11/2008, -2/+2I'm guessing Adobe is going to go out of business because of that little icon on your desktop.
      • sjmulder, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1If you'd ever take a look at the App Store you'll see that a far majority of developers are indies.
  • EmperorPsiblade, on 08/11/2008, -7/+16Wait a sec, wasn't this shown to only be for restricting app usage of CoreLocation?
    • DesdinovaEL, on 08/11/2008, -1/+11By rumor sites, yes
      • neonfunk, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2it was on daring fireball... the rumor sites picked up on it afterwards:
        http://daringfireball.net/2008/08/core_location_bl ...
        "An informed source at Apple confirmed to me that the “clbl” in the URL stands for “Core Location Blacklist”, and that it does just that. It is not a blacklist for disabling apps completely, but rather specifically for preventing any listed apps from accessing Core Location — an API which, for obvious privacy reasons, is covered by very strict rules in the iPhone SDK guidelines."
    • Ampidire, on 08/11/2008, -0/+4This confirms there is *another* kill switch, not the Core Location one, the Core Location switch is so that apps can't be used to track someone via the GPS, where as this larger kill switch is some other sort of mechanism, probably a lot more involved.
  • nonsequitur668, on 08/11/2008, -27/+2Parts of what follows below were actually painful to write. However, because of the ongoing misinformation campaigns launched by Steve Jobs and his chums, I feel it is my duty to write this. With this post, I hope to deal with the relevant facts. But first, I would like to make the following introductory remark: Once you get past the initial crowd-pleasing theatrics, the remaining parts of Steve's communications are merely the same clueless vision that he has been espousing for years. Don't make the mistake of thinking otherwise. Steve does, and that's why life isn't fair. We've all known this since the beginning of time, so why is he so compelled to complain about situations over which he has no control? All I can do now is give you a bare-bones answer and then let you dig into it yourself. To understand the basic answer you need to realize that Nature is a wonderful teacher. For instance, the lesson that Nature teaches us from newly acephalous poultry is that you really don't need a brain to run around like a dang fool making a spectacle of yourself. Nature also teaches us that ignorance is bliss. This may be why Steve's lackeys are generally all smiles.

    Steve thinks we want him to grant jejune carpetbaggers the keys to the kingdom. Excuse me, but maybe his ability to capitalize on the economic chaos, racial tensions, and social discontent of the current historical moment can be explained in large part by the following. If I had my druthers, Steve would never have had the opportunity to do exactly the things he accuses horny mob bosses of doing. As it stands, Steve is absolutely determined to believe that he is the way, the truth, and the light, and he's not about to let facts or reason get in his way. To Steve's mind, the average working-class person can't see through his chicanery. So that means that granting him complete control over our lives is as important as breathing air, right? No, not right. The truth is that I have a dream that my children will be able to live in a world filled with open spaces and beautiful wilderness -- not in a dark, argumentative world run by insensitive buggers. This has been a long commentary, but I feel that its length is in direct proportion to its importance. Why? Because all people, including the most dissolute losers you'll ever see, ought to be kind and sensitive to one another.
    • WarezAppz, on 08/11/2008, -3/+12For all that long winded Horse ***** you just wrote I can sum up what you said in 10 words: "I am an idiot and I like hearing myself talk!".

      You did a right good job of saying much of nothing above, at least much of nothing that the average person with a little common sense cares to hear . . . .

    • jamesdew, on 08/11/2008, -1/+12I've never read so many words without recieving any information before.
      • bjornski, on 08/11/2008, -0/+11Watch the "State of the Union" speech sometime....
  • GordonFree, on 08/11/2008, -27/+160 million? Yeah right. *****

    These guys don't even care about stats anymore, they just make up numbers because people will believe...
    • sewollef, on 08/11/2008, -1/+8How wonderful it this kind of fantasy could be true. It probably is in your head, but in the real world things are a little different.

      It's a lame response to a claim that has to be supported by actual sales. And those actual sales have to be verified or the markets would crucify him and the SEC would have something to say. In other words, you can't openly lie in a publicly-listed company, or you get to go to jail.

      If you're going to comment, try and sound intelligent, or just stay away from the keyboard and go back to school.
      • artfuldodga, on 08/11/2008, -1/+1Its not like Jobs was ever under investigation before...
      • GordonFree, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1sewollef:
        ohh if there's an idiot here, it's not me.
        The problem is, you actually believe the system is watching out for you and justice is a given. How naive you are...
  • Kyan, on 08/11/2008, -2/+17So, where is the link to the WSJ article?
  • artfuldodga, on 08/11/2008, -14/+16can i play w/ the switch? >:) ... a cell device calling home, perhaps without the users knowledge is probably a bad thing for privacy! did the rest of you miss the point of this story? yeah earned 30 million, nice... privacy anyone?!
    • Defuser, on 08/11/2008, -8/+2Since I'm not a Luddite, I don't care about your paranoia. Use a different phone when you're cheating on your wife, and you won't have to worry about it.
    • NoahK, on 08/11/2008, -5/+4Phones can been calling "home" for years. Verizon does it, AT&T does it... they all do it.
    • FredFredrickson, on 08/11/2008, -2/+6Mac OS X calls home without telling you - why should you be surprised that the iPhone does it too?
      • artfuldodga, on 08/11/2008, -6/+5i don't use a Mac, i use vista and ubuntu.. which do not call home, unless i let them
      • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -3/+1Mac OS X does not send out any personal info without telling you. Do you realize what kind of a stink it would create if it WAS sending out personal info back to Apple? Apple would be submerged under an avalanche of class-action lawsuits if they were found to be doing something like that. What specific evidence of privacy violation are you referring to?
      • TheWindBlows, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2@artfuldodga: XP and Vista call home without telling you too.

        Otherwise you would get tons of request saying. Can i check on this now? Ever hear of Windows Updaters Update Check that automatically is run and cannot be stopped without being listed.
    • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -2/+9The info it calls home with is simply an information request for blacklisted app names. There's no personal info being sent out, and there are many security researchers with hacked iPhones out there checking for privacy violations. That's how this kill-switch was discovered in the first place. If Apple is sending out any actual private information about you, then we WILL find out about it. Until then, you're just speculating.
      • FredFredrickson, on 08/11/2008, -5/+2It shouldn't call home in the first place.
      • remccain, on 08/11/2008, -0/+5and the day it doesn't call home, and something really nasty happens because of a poorly written app, you'll be the loudest one bitching.

        /not an apple fanboi
      • Vincent21212, on 08/12/2008, -1/+1@remccain


        Funny how if you just change a couple of words in your statement, it reads like something diggers hate with a passion, but is fundamentally the same:

        "And the day we stop illegal wire-tapping and another terrorist attack happens because of poorly gathered intelligence, you'll be the loudest people demanding answers"

        So while diggers are busy bashing our government for this infraction (and I believe it is an infraction), they also have the time to swallow all of Steve Jobs cum, and seem to never be satiated of him.
  • Lawr, on 08/11/2008, -24/+13Buried for tasteless crack about his health.
    • dafragsta, on 08/11/2008, -0/+13Actually, it almost sounded like it was written by someone who isn't as familiar with his health, but rather his infrequent public appearances.
    • spidoman, on 08/11/2008, -0/+7If he insists that he is in fine health then we should be able to make all the cracks we like.
    • Drifton, on 08/11/2008, -3/+8Wow, wanna ease up off jobs *****?

      It's a joke pussy.

      I'm going to slap your mother and call her a dirty name.
  • AaronH, on 08/11/2008, -8/+2thats a f-ing huge number
  • jeuhrn, on 08/11/2008, -12/+3That's a cruel ***** joke in the first paragraph. Engadget gets bad karma if the dud has some horrible disease that's eating him away from the inside.
  • FrozenGonad, on 08/11/2008, -12/+1Bwhahahahhaa... He looks sick.. hahahahhaha.. Maybe he has cancer.. Bwhah lol... Cancer and disease is funny because it's only a joke and you're rich.. hahahhahaha...
  • alphadog, on 08/11/2008, -29/+73The kill switch goes beyond what a cell phone manufacturer should have control over.
    I think that Steve Jobs and Apple have gone too far. I truly want to purchase the iphone, but Apple keeps putting up these roadblocks. !st it is AT&T, and now it is this kill switch. It sounds to me that it is just another form of DRM. How much time do you think it will take Apple to put this kill switch into OSX and have it on every MAC?
    What gives Apple or any other company the right to tell me what I can use on a computer that I paid for? Remember it is not free.
    • Cimlite, on 08/11/2008, -9/+14Also... next up:
      Being able to activate the microphone, camera and GPS via remote and phone home automatically case of crime/terrorism/Steve Jobs gets bored.
    • znicket, on 08/11/2008, -20/+40I don't get this paranoia. What are you afraid of? That Apple will deactivate your phone arbitrarily?
      That it will scan your device for stolen software and brick the phone?

      Hey, if that happens I'm with you - but right now none of this has happened. Chill down and see it for what it is. A protection against run-amok software that is designed with evil intent.
      • tunapez, on 08/11/2008, -19/+10"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.."
        -Ben F


        For the life of me I don't know how people can embrace Apple with all them shackles.
      • bjornski, on 08/11/2008, -10/+23It's no more far out than the "OMG, Microsoft is tracking all of your messages and websites, tapping into your microphones and activating your webcams!" crap that I heard for years, and STILL hear.

        But when Apple does it, it's peachy.

      • znicket, on 08/11/2008, -4/+12Well..
        Being able to have pirated software is hardly an _essential liberty_ .
        Ben Franklin would say: "Dude, I meant freedoms such as free assembly and free speech. Not if you could have malicious software on your iPhone".
      • Mediaright, on 08/11/2008, -7/+5Apple may have the kill switch, but I rather it be them than AT&T. They'd be even worse.
      • tunapez, on 08/11/2008, -4/+2Split hairs, point fingers, relinquish personal responsibility to another. It's not about pirating, it's about freedom of choice...if I buy media, I will use it anywhere(my home, truck, RV, friend's home/car/boat) on any system without buying more over-priced hardware any time I like. If I buy hardware, I will use it however I see fit(within the FCC guidelines...usually). Your money is your vote, keep in mind you're setting precedent for your future rights and your children's future rights as well.

        It's not OK for MS to do the same, XP phones home 5 ways, all easily disabled. Vista at least 19 ways, easily circumvented: upgrade to XP or Linux.
    • digjam, on 08/11/2008, -9/+4Apple becoming the new china, first it makes you pay for the half baked product full of quirks and then controls what you should do and what you shouldn't
      Hello Mr Steve,
      I am a grown up adult and I dont need your supervision to tell me what I am supposed to do, just leave the effing decision to me. I have already paid you, so go sell it to some one else instead of sitting on top of my head and dictating terms.
      - digjam.
      PS Spend some time on bringing some useful functionalities like Bluetooth 2.0 OBEX profile etc, instead of spending time and money on how you should control the public.

    • bovox, on 08/11/2008, -4/+21"What gives Apple or any other company the right to tell me what I can use on a computer that I paid for?"

      Ummm, how about the Terms of Service that you signed when you booted up for the first time?
      • Ziggy7273, on 08/11/2008, -3/+4Yeah but should they be allowed to put just anything in there?
      • PMartinez527, on 08/11/2008, -1/+8well, they did create it.
      • remccain, on 08/11/2008, -0/+10and you voted for it by forking over your cash.
      • crestfall, on 08/11/2008, -0/+2Maybe it has something to do with jail breaking, and future hacks in that vein? I don't know how it works, so feel free to mock my ignorance.
      • tunapez, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2Wanna buy some Yahoo Tunes? Fire-sale prices just for you, 1/2 price. Get em while they're hot!
    • neonfunk, on 08/11/2008, -3/+12but they aren't just a cellphone manufacturer. they also run the App Store, which is a completely different model of distribution than what we're used to with desktop software. apple is going to take much more heat if something goes wrong with an iPhone app than if someone downloads some random desktop app that ***** up their PC. they are essentially lending their name to any company they allow on the store, making them much more responsible if something goes wrong. to me, this is just like mccain attacking obama on "not visiting the troops"-- apple would have been attacked all the harsher if some app was stealing location data and there was no kill switch, just as obama would also have been attacked for "politicizing the military" had he visited the troops. damned if you do or don't.
    • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -1/+7If you're worried, you can jailbreak your iPhone, and then you have complete control over its functionality, including disabling the blacklist check, installing whatever you want, and modifying any of the OS's settings, installing network sniffers, etc. Once jailbroken, an iPhone is pretty much a mini Mac OS X box, under your complete control. If you're truly paranoid, there are options out there to mitigate the problem while still having access to its advantages.

    • 80hd, on 08/11/2008, -2/+9The intention could be to disable any rogue application that gains popularity but turns out to have a massive fault or becomes malicious.

      What if some free game becomes massively popular and it turns out to have some hidden spyware function or worse? Many people even when told that they are being spied on, won't react when told that they need to get rid of their favorite game/screensaver etc.....
    • aristotle0dude, on 08/11/2008, -3/+2"The kill switch goes beyond what a cell phone manufacturer should have control over."
      Do you work for one of AT&T's competitors? Are you bitter about the potential loss of control that Apple represents? I would rather have cellphone manufactures having more control than the current situation where wireless providers install their own media players and lock down devices to only support ringtones from their expensive download services.
  • Bluezdood, on 08/11/2008, -21/+12iPhone buyers = suckers in Apple's eyes apparently. I hope those who were thinking of buying the iPhone think twice since the kill switch has been confirmed. No one should have that much control over something YOU paid for in full. It's like the cops having a switch to shut off your engine because they don't like the fact you added a supercharger.
    • fatfreddyscat, on 08/11/2008, -12/+6Be careful Steve "blow" Jobs is a god around here. And what's good for him is justified.
      • MacParrot, on 08/11/2008, -3/+5Saying Steve "blow" Jobs is about as funny as saying M$...as in not very. Grow up
    • Zippo, on 08/11/2008, -5/+13They can't kill anything you added yourself. Even if you jailbroke your iPhone and added 3rd-party apps - Apple can't do anything. Apple doesn't give a ***** what Jim or Sally does individually with their iPhones. There are far too many iPhone users out there for it to be actually possible for Apple to monitor what one person does with their phone.

      What the kill switch does is deactivate (and probably delete) any known app that came from the official App Store that has been found to be malicious.

      I imagine it works like this. Apple finds out that an App is malicious and blacklists it. When an iPhone logs into the App Store and scans for updates, it references apps installed to the server. The server has the malicious app flagged and the iPhone's "kill switch" flags the app as malicious, therefore deactivating and/or deleting it.
      • missingnoh4x, on 08/11/2008, -0/+3I would hope it can only spot non-jailbreak apps, but do you have any source to confirm this?
      • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1@missingnoh4x: Jailbroken apps get installed in a separate directory, and don't show up in iTunes app scans. Without some extra effort on Apple's part, they can't touch the unofficial apps you've installed. It's not impossble for them to add by any means, but there's been no indication that they're working on the capability, and doing so would be a declaration of war on the iphone dev community, which Apple has been fairly restrained with until now. As soon as Apple tries to move in the direction of messing with jailbroken apps, it will just be an arms race to outmaneuver one another, in which the jailbreaking community has the advantage of a long time between Apple updates, and user control over applying those updates (or not applying them).
    • znicket, on 08/11/2008, -4/+5Which brings up a good point. Aren't cars now fitted with electronic chips that control how fast you can go on that vehicle? Oh my god, they are limiting your experience on a device that you purchased!!!
      • EtherGnat, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3I'm sure a lot of people aren't happy about speed governors limiting their top speed (generally to speeds well over 100mph). It's not really a fair analogy, though--GM doesn't have the ability to deactivate the devices you can buy to disable or reprogram the limits.

        If peoples' cars were phoning home to determine what modifications they could use on their car people would justifiably be upset as well.
      • znicket, on 08/11/2008, -2/+1Ethergnat - Maybe not a perfect analogy but in both cases the production company is activating a security/safety feature that limits the way the user can use his device.
      • EtherGnat, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2znicket: But in the case of the iPhone they have the ability to both monitor your device and alter it after purchase, which I think are important distinctions.
    • colincornaby, on 08/11/2008, -0/+4They can only kill apps that have signatures. The only apps with signatures are the ones on the app store.

      Jailbreaking people have nothing to be paranoid about.
  • KevInTx, on 08/11/2008, -7/+30Dugg for "Steve Jobs, presumably speaking from a hyperbaric chamber where he's being nourished with an infusion of liquified developers-souls before his next public appearance". Made me LOL
  • psychomuso, on 08/11/2008, -4/+7Never mind kill switches, how about giving us acceptable backup times with backups that are actually useable!!!!
    • flashback99, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3Do a device restore and the backup bug will go.
  • breakaway, on 08/11/2008, -7/+2That's over 9... forget it.
  • flashback99, on 08/11/2008, -8/+2List your top 3 apps now go:

    Wordpress
    Stanza
    Beatmaker
    • b4cheung, on 08/11/2008, -2/+1Bloomberg
      Spend
      Brainchallenge
    • fani, on 08/11/2008, -1/+1What does this have to do with the current topic ?
  • yaosio, on 08/11/2008, -17/+78When apple builds in a kill switch, it's cool. When Microsoft does it, this place turns into slashdot.
    • zephyr42, on 08/11/2008, -5/+4MS Fanboys > Apple Fanboys
    • hx219, on 08/11/2008, -6/+12When ***** builds a kill switch, it's to ***** you over; when Apple builds a kill switch, it's to make sure your iphone doesn't get ***** over...
      • afruff23, on 08/11/2008, -5/+2Yeah, cause I'm sure the tethering app is out to get your iphone...
      • Ymeg, on 08/11/2008, -5/+2Fan Boy, I choose you!
      • Me1000, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1uh, that kill switch has NEVER been used, likewise the tethering app still works. I just used it today.


    • jabberwolf, on 08/12/2008, -1/+2You guys know what's seriously ironic?

      That the iphone network doesnt send viruses via the phone communication. It could spread but only via the contacts on the iphone.

      But the kill switch could possibly BE used against iphone users to spread a virus to EVERY SINGLE IPHONE USER, if someone found out how to use it.
  • digjam, on 08/11/2008, -5/+13Verizon/Motorola was sued for not providing a full fledged Bluetooth device after advertising its a bluetooth phone. Verizon had to pay millions back to the buyers... and the cost of the phone at that time was less than $100, with iphone at $200, I think Apples in big trouble, if and when the fanboys get up from the deep slumber.
    A dominant apple is not good for the consumer market!!! PERIOD!
  • srodolff, on 08/11/2008, -0/+5There goes my idea of having an iPhone installed inside the chest of Ironman........
  • Weip, on 08/11/2008, -0/+128 of them bought the "I'm Rich" apps -_-
    • s0l0s0ul, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2I just Googled the I Am Rich "button" image, and made my own with the "add to homescreen" bookmarking option on my iPhone =D
  • todamax, on 08/11/2008, -7/+6That kill switch program is way too much control for Apple to have over your phone. There should be an option in settings that let you turn it off or something. For Jobs and co. alone to decide whats ok for your device is insane. But i bet first program to go will be that lightsaber program.
    • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -0/+2George Lucas's company convinced the phonesaber developer to pull his app from the Appstore, so it's already too late for that one... It's gone. Note that they didn't trip the killswitch on that app, so people who have it installed (like me) can keep using it.

      Agreed that this killswitch functionality should be optional. If you jailbreak your iPhone, you can MAKE it optional...
    • drummer17, on 08/13/2008, -0/+0I agree. Imagine what people would say if Miscrosoft were to do that in Windows....
      Here are my views on the Kill switch issue:
      http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Kill-Switch-on-the-App ...
  • Ziggy7273, on 08/11/2008, -6/+14We are in new territory with these mobile applications and the threat of malicious software is a real one. Apple takes a long time to approve new applications because they are responsible for them. It would be big news if a trojan got through and they couldn't kill it from the very start. This will allow applications and updates to be deployed more rapidly.

    That's it.
  • boredcollegekid, on 08/11/2008, -6/+1there goes my netshare
    • WiseWeasel, on 08/11/2008, -0/+6They're not triggering the kill switch for Netshare, as it's not malicious. People who downloaded that app can still use it.
  • CokeBear, on 08/11/2008, -7/+13To those complaining about the kill switch: For a cell phone with the capabilities of the iPhone it would be irresponsible not to have one. The risk of a cell phone virus getting out in the wild is too great and the damage that it could do could be catastrophic (think... virus that dials 911 repeatedly, as a bad case scenario, I'm sure you can think of worse).
    • afruff23, on 08/11/2008, -0/+4Why yes sir, I am afraid of my iPhone so please let me take it up in the ass.
      • Ymeg, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1Well Sir, you could always find a different provider if you do not like the way they do business.
      • afruff23, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1I never said I owned an iPhone. For these types of things, I don't own Apple products. They're too proprietary (has Apple ever heard of mini-USB B?) and lack essential features (a keyboard).

        It's all just fear-mongering, and I don't like the way they do business so I don't use their products. Although, I will be soon getting a free iPod touch, but that is out of my control as a consumer.
    • franksands, on 08/12/2008, -1/+2Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

      Benjamin Franklin
    • logandurand, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1Every other smart phone in existence hasn't had problems like this, why would the iPhone be any different?
  • Radioactivate, on 08/11/2008, -2/+1And to think only about 8 of them can say they are rich
  • FredFredrickson, on 08/11/2008, -6/+6Anyone trumpeting the idea of a kill switch needs to ask him / her self how they would feel about it if Microsoft did it. If that would make you hate MS (or hate them more) then you shouldn't be okay with it for an Apple product.
    • Ziggy7273, on 08/11/2008, -1/+6Why would I feel any different if Microsoft did it?
      • FredFredrickson, on 08/11/2008, -0/+2You shouldn't - that's my point.
  • owenkun, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2Was this killswitch ordered as part of a UNATCO program?

    Lilliputian machine, flatlander woman.
  • Reiben, on 08/11/2008, -5/+1Ok, I really hope I'm not the only one wondering this.. What the hell is this "killswitch" we are talking about?
  • ShyGuy91284, on 08/11/2008, -2/+5I don't mind the kill switch for now. Apple is being way more flexible with the approval process than anyone ever anticipated any company would be in these circumstances. If it turns out an app had a sinister motive that would be activated after a while, who do you think customers will blame (and probably attempt sue)? When you are downloading or distributing software from hundreds of no-name developers, you have to take precautions. This is Apple taking a precaution. I would expect (and accept) this from any other company as long as they didn't misuse it and handled it with care.
    • franksands, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1Imagine if MS would say that in the next WinMobile there would be a kill switch for dangerous applications. We would never hear the end of it. Why does Apple get away with murder? This is the most outrageous thing I've ever heard: The OS gets to choose which apps can remain installed ? I don't know what's worse, this idea or that people are ok with it.
      • ShyGuy91284, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1If MS was distributing them directly to the clients, it would be understandable. If John Doe installs an application on his PC that causes BSOD's every time he tries to get online, he's going to call Dell or whoever built it probably (which would be Apple in this case). Some may say the App store is a stupid idea and prefer to hunt all over the internet for applications, but I like to find them all in one centralized location (Linux FTW in that respect).
  • DelMonte, on 08/11/2008, -5/+18People that don't seem to mind this kill switch don't mind because:

    1. It is meant to be used against malicious apps only. If they wanted to use it to remove apps they simply don't like they would've used it for netshare, and they didn't. Until proven otherwise, we have to assume that they'll only use it for malicious apps.

    2. It doesn't send any information to Apple, no ID, no list of your applications, nothing. It only reads a blacklist and the iPhone itself compares it locally to your applications.

    3. It doesn't use some custom encrypted protocol, the blacklist is publicly accessible by anyone so it's easy to see which apps are blacklisted.

    The "If it was MS the same people would be angry" thing is a straw-man argument. If MS was to implement the same mechanism with the same intent my reaction would be the same. If anything, I'm angry at Microsoft for having been extremely lax when it came to malware in XP, and NOT implementing features like this that could've reduced the problem.

    But if MS were doing a kill switch by making the OS send the list of your application to their server (which I repeat, the iPhone kill switch doesn't do), or if they were using it to kill apps that are not malicious, I would be angry at them, just as I would be angry at Apple if they did the same, but this is not what they're doing.
    • franksands, on 08/12/2008, -1/+2who decides which apps are "malicious"? Why give Apple that much control?
  • buckrogers1965, on 08/11/2008, -11/+2I don't own an iPod, I looked at them and the supporting application iTunes and found the device to be poorly engineered and poorly designed and the application to be completely useless to me. You can't even change the battery, how piss poor can they be engineered.

    I bought a sansa player and installed rock box linux on it instead and that allows me to easily manage the music content in ogg vorbis format on the player using standard file tools.

    I heard the price they wanted for the iPhone and just laughed that people are so gullible that they would pay that price.

    I also watched as everyone was forced to get rid of the first generation iPods inside of a year, and upgrade to never versions and the same thing is happening with the iPhone.

    Wake up and smell the coffee people, apple does not make that good of products.
    • buckrogers1965, on 08/20/2008, -0/+1I guess I was dug down without comment because I criticized an apple product. *L*
  • greenpizza13, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3I wouldn't be worried about privacy. If Apple was planning on doing anything malicious to their customers they wouldn't have a very good marketing strategy. I think it's very good of them to have that "lever." If someone made an app with that same lever, lets say someone flips a switch and iPhones and iPods get a message pushed to them and they get infected with some bug, the only remedy would be a patch or this kill switch of Apple's. It might have been a good idea from the start to inform people about it, though.

    And what does everyone have to hide?
  • Gee1004, on 08/11/2008, -2/+4Still no flash
    • waluigi14, on 08/11/2008, -2/+2I assume you've never used flash under Mac OS X. The performance is horrible. I'll keep my battery life, thank you very much.
      • Palaceguard, on 08/11/2008, -1/+2Who cares about performance. People need flash to run websites that need flash. There is an option button to turn it off
      • Me1000, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1Well I hope that teaches the developers of those websites a lesson. If you build a site using proprietary technology when something comes along that wont support it you get screwed over. Open standards FTW!
  • wedges, on 08/11/2008, -4/+1i think he used the killswitch on my first-gen iphone. ever since 3G came out, wifi is sketchy and almost never works, the keyboard locks up, and apps crash left and right. i think i'm being forced to get the new one.
  • tomarocco, on 08/11/2008, -10/+4The iPhone: built for iSheep
    • Palaceguard, on 08/11/2008, -2/+1and the rest of the sheep come in and spam
    • tomarocco, on 08/11/2008, -0/+2Baahhh, Baahhh, iSheep!!! Don't you know that iTroll, not spam?
  • ptrix, on 08/11/2008, -2/+3Guess what! the Space Shuttle, and all similar rocket launch vehicles have a self-destruct system on them that can be remotely activated from Mission Control too! HORROR OF HORRORS! THEY MUST HATE THE PEOPLES OF EARTH! FOR SHAME! NOOOOOOoooo!!!

    Actually, not unlike the "iPhone Kill Switch", those systems are in place in case something bad happens during the mission that would threaten the population, and can be activated to destroy the launch vehicles and payload (or in Apple's case, remotely deactivate particular iPhone applications or functionality at the touch of a keystroke). It's a system meant to prevent people from coming to harm from malicious applications that may threaten their security and/or identity if Apple discovers that an app they sell has been discovered to pose such a threat. In other words, it is there to protect you.

    You people need to calm down and think rationally about that. And if that's too hard for you, or if you disagree with the way Apple conducts or controls its business and products, then return or sell your iPhone, and get another wireless device instead. Nobody removed your freedom to do that, last I checked.
  • someology, on 08/11/2008, -5/+2Definitely not getting an iPhone now.
  • josepablos, on 08/11/2008, -1/+8Steve when my iphone will run Crysis!
  • Cheezeburgar, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3Don't ***** act like you haven't pirated a song or a software before.

    By the way that Photoshop icon on your desktop was pirated.
  • s0l0s0ul, on 08/11/2008, -1/+4Step 1. Google "I Am Rich App Button" image on your iPhone
    Step 2. Position the icon so its blown up in the Safari window
    Step 3. Create a bookmark and choose "Add to homescreen" name it I Am Rich
    Step 4. Laugh at the people who paid 1000 dollars for this button, because you just created it for free
  • DeuceDiggalow, on 08/11/2008, -3/+0What's next, sharks with frickin laser beams!!!!!!!!1
  • Palaceguard, on 08/11/2008, -0/+2Apple is trying to take over the world with these iPhones and control their users with their evil corporation domination and rip the freedoms of every citizen
  • TheDiggin, on 08/11/2008, -1/+3Wow that would really ***** suck...
  •  

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