Big Brother 1984 and the Apple iPhone

[flamesong]

As an avid Mac devotee since 1984 I feel a little queasy reporting this but I have been reading some disturbing reports on Mac forums about the new iPhone.

As desirable as it may be, it is already well known that having shelled out a huge wad for this iPod/Archos chimera the hopeless consumer will then have to sign a contract with a fixed service provider, in the US this is Cingular.

But the bad news doesn't end there. Apart from having to divulge one's credit card details one must register the phone with one's social security number. Given that the next generation of the phone is expected to incorporate GPS the consequences are fairly clear.

[festival of snickers]

alex jones says people can hear you through phones unless you take battery out and with theiphone the battery doesnt come out-not that i care or im hiding anything

why buy every device that comes out-who cares?

[WyldeChylde]

Well festival, I think quite a few people care that they get the latest gadget, otherwise Apple wouldn't be one of the richest companies in the world...

As for not caring that the FBI can hear you and you haven't got nothing to hide - is that really the point?

[kc]

all mobile phones regularly send out a bounce signal to find out where the nearest mast is (thats how the signal bar in your phone reports strength)

ergo all phone providers can provide a pretty pin point report of your whereabouts by calculating your signal strength to different masts. Its nothing new, it was used to pin point a mobile phone during the Soham murder investigation.

[flamesong]

Anyone who has seen the original Mac adverts from the year 1984 will be wondering if this is perverted irony.

More here:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2007/180707_b_spyware.htm

[karlos]

What happened with the court case between Cisco and Apple.
As you know cisco owns the rights to the name I-Phone and apple has to either change the name or pay them a big royalty.