KansasFest 2010: ACTION RETROCOMPUTING CONFERENCE

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So, I guess it’d be a good idea to blog about my first time at KansasFest, an annual Apple II convention held at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO.

(For the benefit of any readers of this blog that don’t know… I have absolutely no problem with the Apple that made the Apple II, and as I grew up with an Apple //c and a couple Apple II clones, I kinda have to be a fan of that Apple. 😉 The Apple that I have a problem with is Apple, Inc.)

Due to the length of this post, I’ll use the intro feature, so everything else is after the break. Continue reading “KansasFest 2010: ACTION RETROCOMPUTING CONFERENCE”

Why Apple is evil: More blocking apps for possible uses… that iOS features can do, too

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Apple has removed iChatr, a Chatroulette-style app for the iPhone 4, from the App Store, due to too many people exposing themselves.

OK, that’s something to be expected on a Chatroulette-like service, but here’s the thing. You could very easily make a Chatroulette-like service that uses phone numbers, completely avoiding the app store, and then making FaceTime calls. (Granted, Chatroulette and iChatr have better privacy than that approach.)

Or, you could even have a single number for a FaceTime service that acts like Chatroulette. Call the number, hit FaceTime, get a random partner. Want to switch partners, hang up and call back. (Or, if the other person hangs up, it could autoswitch.)

And, there’s nothing stopping people from exposing themselves on FaceTime.

Source: Gizmodo

Why Apple is evil: Jobs confusing signal drops with call drops, smearing competition

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This one’s what I intended to post last night, but didn’t get around to it.

So, there was a press conference about the iPhone 4 issues yesterday. In it, Steve Jobs announced what many were asking for – bumper cases for the iPhone 4, free for everyone.

But, before he announced that, he decided to smear the entire rest of the cell phone industry, by saying that all phones have signal drops when gripped a certain way.

The problem with that is, sure, most any phone WILL lose signal when gripped a certain way. But does that translate to dropped calls to the extent of the iPhone 4? Most likely not, because there’s not really complaints about the other phones, just the iPhone 4. Oh, and among my phones, I’ve got a Bold 9700 on AT&T, so I just tried it. I could reproduce a SLIGHT signal drop with a normal grip, and a moderate drop with an extremely tight grip, but not what Apple got. (This paragraph, I will note, is my own opinion.)

Seriously, Apple, just admit that you have a problem, don’t drag others into it when they’re not nearly as bad as you are.

Source: Engadget

Why Apple is evil: Claiming that jailbreaking caused an iPad to dangerously overheat

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This is a disturbing one.

A reader of The Tech Report has reported that his iPad’s charging cable melted, and the iPad itself got dangerously hot – to the point that he reflexively dropped it, causing the screen to crack.

So, he took it into his local Apple Store, expecting a replacement.

But that didn’t happen.

The Apple Store rep noticed a Cydia icon on the screen. At that point, the reader was told that his device was completely not covered under warranty, and that the crack also meant that it wasn’t covered – never mind that the crack was caused by the overheating incident.

Here’s the thing. Let’s say that the iPad did overheat due to software. It should still have thermal protection circuits to protect users from fire hazards. The fact that those failed means that Apple should at the very least make this go away, because otherwise it’s bad PR. Oh, wait. Apple didn’t make it go away, and now it’s bad PR time.

The other thing is… Apple has a burden of proof, under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, that the jailbreaking caused the machine to fail. If they can’t prove it, then they’ll be forced to replace the iPad.

Seriously, Apple, this is just getting ridiculous. (And there’ll be another article later today.)

Why Apple is evil: Trying to hide the problems with the iPhone 4

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I’ve been out of town for a while, and hadn’t gotten a chance to post about Apple lately. But now I’ve got a chance to post, so…

In addition to the problems that have been previously reported, it’s also been reported that there are issues with the proximity sensor malfunctioning, causing face-hangups and such.

In light of all of this, but especially the antenna issues, Consumer Reports decided to recommend against purchasing the iPhone 4. This is a pretty major blow against Apple. Now, a non-evil company would admit to their problems, and do something like provide free bumpers, or even publicly recall all the phones.

An evil company, however, would delete any mention of this on their forums, and deny that there ever was any problem. And seeing as this blog is about Apple being evil…

To be fair, there are rumors that there may be a stealth recall, but that’s still not admitting their screwup. That’s not letting people know their phone might be affected, but rather, trying to make a problem go away.

Source: Engadget

Why Apple is evil: They can’t design a phone worth a crap

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Well. Looks like Apple can’t make a phone worth a crap.

For starters, the iPhone 4 has antenna issues, it seems. Remember how Steve Jobs made a big deal about the antenna design? Turns out, if you hold the phone in your left hand, it might stop working. Great design, Apple. Oh, and what does Steve Jobs say? “Just avoid holding it in this way.” (Alternately, one of those iPhone 4 bumpers will apparently fix it.) Yeahhhhhh. It’s totally user error, not a design flaw.

Of course, there’s reports of yellow spots on the displays of new iPhone 4s, too. The rumor mill says that this is because they’re shipping the phones before adhesives have fully cured, and it’ll go away for a few days… um, if they haven’t fully cured, then you’re not supposed to ship them.

Next up, Apple’s said that the iPhone 4 is extremely scratch-resistant. Umm… no, it seems, even in normal use, despite being 30x harder than plastic.

So, let’s say you’ve somehow avoided all of these problems, and then you drop your phone.

Yep, it shatters. (Actually, the fact that it’s 20x stiffer might be part of the problem, there.)

Good job, Apple.

Sources: Engadget (1, 2), CrunchGear (1, 2)

Why Apple is evil: Want iOS 4? You have to agree to location info being shared

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First things first, yes, Android and webOS do the same thing… but on the implementations I’ve seen, you get an option upon first run, and are forced to choose between enabling location (and therefore opting in) or disabling location.

Disable location, and you don’t have to agree to that.

It looks like iOS 4 changes all of that, by requiring that you agree to Apple sharing your location data with third parties upon install. Apparently, there is an opt-out option at http://oo.apple.com (visit on an iOS 4 device if you wish to opt out,) but you’re still agreeing to the terms. Which are…

To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.

I don’t have a problem with companies using the data. On the webOS device that I had for a week, and on the Android builds I’ve run on my HTC Touch Pro, I’ve opted in. It was clearly presented, in a separate screen from all other setup processes, and gave me my options. (As I understand, Apple’s location sharing is buried within a EULA. Agree to the EULA, and you automatically agree to that.)

I have a problem with companies requiring you to agree to them using the data, even if there is an opt-out option later on.

Source: Gizmodo

Why Apple is evil: Allowing critical browser flaws to remain unfixed

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Seems that Safari has a flaw allowing the browser to become a zombie (usually has NSFW ads,) even behind a firewall, essentially.

Well, the desktop version was fixed, but the iPad and iPhone? Still vulnerable.

I’ll stress that merely having the security flaw isn’t being evil, but when fixing it, not fixing it on a platform that’s also affected (and was shown in the initial disclosure) is evil against the entire Internet, and against customers of the platform.

Especially given AT&T’s new 3G limits, that’s just lovely.

Source: Engadget

Question for how to proceed with my “Why Apple is evil” series

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So, you might notice that I’ve fallen behind in my posting schedule for this blog. My goal was to post a piece of news about why Apple is evil every day.

I’ve failed in that goal, so far – at this point, I should have 61 articles up, yet I only have 26.

So, how would you like me to proceed? There’s two options.

My first option is to stick with the date that I had originally planned to end this series, in September 2015. I’ll post articles as I get them, but I most likely won’t hit my target of one article per day, even averaged out – so there won’t be 1,984 days of bad PR, but the series will last 1,984 days still.

The other option is to only stop once I have 1,984 articles posted. My fear with that is, I’ll still be trying to update this thing 20 years from now, to catch up. Apple may be evil, but that doesn’t mean that they’re CONSTANTLY doing evil things – news of them doing something evil seems to come out in bursts.

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