iPhone unlocking Steve Jobs’ master plan? "To say that Apple has too much to lose in allowing iPhones to be hacked [unlocked from AT&T] is a severe misconception," Don Reisinger blogs for CNET.

"The rationale for that viewpoint seems to make sense: Apple is getting a cut of every service plan, and with millions of users, the revenue benefits are nothing to scoff at. But what it loses sight of is Apple's real intention," Reisinger writes.

Steve Jobs "knew that by making the iPhone exclusive, he was losing out on a significant market of people both home and abroad and his vision for the future of Apple included those that were left out. But alas, the exclusivity deal wasn't that hard to swallow. He, like all of us, knew that people would immediately start to hack the iPhone and unlock it for use on T-Mobile and other services abroad. And once that happened, the benefits could far outweigh the costs of such a hack," Reisinger writes.

"Apple can't stop anyone from unlocking a cell phone, and to be honest, I don't think it really cares," Reisinger writes. "Apple is playing this recent iPhone unlocking news perfectly. If it overreacted and stopped the hack, it could stymie its future revenue gains, but if it endorses such a maneuver, it effectively leaves AT&T out to dry. Isn't it ironic that AT&T lawyers went knocking on the doors of the hackers while Apple lawyers sipped tea at home?" Via MacDailyNews .

Labels: apple, att, hack, iphone

  ¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/28/2007 05:19:00 PM