AT&T is going to permit Loopt, a location based services vendor, access to exclusive background functionality on the iPhone. As the primary developer and owner of a free web based location services site, moostrax.com, I am absolutely infuriated with what is taking place.
When I discovered the aforemetioned, I realized that the key to being able to take advantage of a closed platform(as a software developer, and in this case, the iPhone platform), is to strike a deal with the carrier and put some money in their pockets.
And as a consumer, if I want to run a background application on MY iPhone, which I payed good money for, I need to pay the carrier an additional monthly fee(in this case, per application), and HOPE that the application I wish to background, has a deal with the carrier(so I can pay them money, of course).
Honestly, it is disgusting what is happening in this world. Patents are ubiquitous and exclusivity is everywhere. The DMCA and similar laws cripple consumers’ rights to take control of our purchases.
Attempting to jailbreak an iPhone (and giving a user access to his own phone) can void your warranty. Why? Because Apple doesn’t want you to have control over the iPhone. They want you to use the iTunes store. They want your experience to be guided by their extensive expertise.
I’ll definitely be posting more on this subject soon, but its late now, and I need to sleep.