For as long as I have owned a smartphone, I have been a supporter and avid proponent for “unlocking” a new smartphone. On both Android and iPhone operating systems, a user can tweak various parts of the software on their phone to allow them to access capabilities that cell phone companies do not want their users utilizing. Opportunities such as allowing your smartphone unlimited hotspot tethering, making use of cell phone towers from other carriers, customizing software, and even downloading experimental non-approved apps are all features that come with unlocking a smartphone. For the Android world this process is called “rooting” and for the iPhone community unlocking a phone is known as “jail-breaking”. In the article “The iPhone Freedom
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To support his argument, he notes that in the United States it is legal for individuals to tamper with copyrighted technology as long as it is intended for “fair use”. Fair use is a broad term, but essentially manipulation of Apple technology is allowed as long as it doesn’t pose as a detriment to Apple as a business. I believe that Tim Wu is correct in his argument; in the United States, people have a right make use of their property in any manner deemed legal. In “The iPhone Freedom Fighters” Wu buys an iPhone from Apple that is exclusively allowed to work on the AT&T cellular network. Wu wanted to have a cell phone plan with T-Mobile so he decided to inquire about the details surrounding jail-breaking. During his time dedicated to research, it was revealed that Apple thinks negatively upon the concept of jail-breaking. Apple employees and the Apple community inform their customers that jail-breaking their product is illegal, unethical and a bad decision. However, Wu found out that the action of unlocking his cell phone is in fact legal, and to many technologically sound people it is considered both ethical and a good decision. In my own experiences I have found many of these sentiments regarding jail-breaking …show more content…
Until my most recent smartphone, I have taken the time to research and undergo the process of unlocking my device. When I first began to take part in this culture, I wanted to understand for myself what features I was missing out on. I soon realized that there were numerous advantages to unlocking my Android phone that I never would have had the opportunity to experience if I had conformed to the standard Android expected of me. As the years have passed, I have associated the act of unlocking my phone as a right rather than a risk that Android allows me to take. Wu’s article notes that there are risks to tampering with a smartphone’s software, but taking on those risks should be a personal choice and not something a phone manufacturer can force upon a customer. Apple and Google will not make less money or sell less of their smartphones if people decide to unlock their devices. I would venture to say that both of these organizations may produce a greater profit because there will be people attempting to unlock their phones that will ultimately “brick” their device, causing it to be a giant expensive paperweight, and proceed to buy a replacement. Objectively speaking, it is wrong that Apple or Google frown upon the act of unlocking their cellular devices, considering the fact that this action does no harm to their business operations and allows their customers the freedom to make use of their property in any
To support his argument, he notes that in the United States it is legal for individuals to tamper with copyrighted technology as long as it is intended for “fair use”. Fair use is a broad term, but essentially manipulation of Apple technology is allowed as long as it doesn’t pose as a detriment to Apple as a business. I believe that Tim Wu is correct in his argument; in the United States, people have a right make use of their property in any manner deemed legal. In “The iPhone Freedom Fighters” Wu buys an iPhone from Apple that is exclusively allowed to work on the AT&T cellular network. Wu wanted to have a cell phone plan with T-Mobile so he decided to inquire about the details surrounding jail-breaking. During his time dedicated to research, it was revealed that Apple thinks negatively upon the concept of jail-breaking. Apple employees and the Apple community inform their customers that jail-breaking their product is illegal, unethical and a bad decision. However, Wu found out that the action of unlocking his cell phone is in fact legal, and to many technologically sound people it is considered both ethical and a good decision. In my own experiences I have found many of these sentiments regarding jail-breaking …show more content…
Until my most recent smartphone, I have taken the time to research and undergo the process of unlocking my device. When I first began to take part in this culture, I wanted to understand for myself what features I was missing out on. I soon realized that there were numerous advantages to unlocking my Android phone that I never would have had the opportunity to experience if I had conformed to the standard Android expected of me. As the years have passed, I have associated the act of unlocking my phone as a right rather than a risk that Android allows me to take. Wu’s article notes that there are risks to tampering with a smartphone’s software, but taking on those risks should be a personal choice and not something a phone manufacturer can force upon a customer. Apple and Google will not make less money or sell less of their smartphones if people decide to unlock their devices. I would venture to say that both of these organizations may produce a greater profit because there will be people attempting to unlock their phones that will ultimately “brick” their device, causing it to be a giant expensive paperweight, and proceed to buy a replacement. Objectively speaking, it is wrong that Apple or Google frown upon the act of unlocking their cellular devices, considering the fact that this action does no harm to their business operations and allows their customers the freedom to make use of their property in any