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Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
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  • With Teeth

    • 4 out of 10
    • Nine Inch Nails
    • In the sprawling post-A&R rock and roll world, there are two camps: the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles are the artists that like to explore, evolve, and change styles. The Stones are the artis

  • Every Day: The Best of the Verve Years

    • 8 out of 10
    • Joe Williams
    • Joe Williams was Figure Two in my three-man education in singing. A brilliant vocalist, scatter, and interpreter of jazz and blues, Williams produces music that's totally unique, yet sounds so effortl
  • Another Day on Earth

    • 10 out of 10
    • Brian Eno
    • In his first proper solo release since 1996's relatively cold "The Drop," Brian Eno has constructed a whimsical and ecclectic masterpiece which is arguably one of the year's strongest records thus fa
  • Live at the Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI

    • 6 out of 10
    • Supersuckers
    • Man, there's nothing like good, old fashioned, rock and roll... add a bit of industry resentment to that with a double-shot of cynicism, and you get one of the best "new" rock bands going. This album
  • Mezzanine

    • 6 out of 10
    • Massive Attack
    • "Black Milk" knocks me off my feet in this collection of moody and eclectic songs. Massive Attack uses samples and keyboards in a very unique way, but not all the songs pack the same punch.

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Editorial

Apple Need Not Worry About Unlocked iPhones

Apple probably isn’t worried too much about all the people working to unlock the iPhone. They have the technical upper hand, and the vast majority of consumers aren’t interested in putting their iPhone at risk.

It’s all about planning. There are plenty of upgrades and new services to be offered by the iPhone over the next two years. Customers will, by and large, want those free services. That means when cool new services are offered and the iTunes Update alert flashes alluringly, 99.9 percent of users will go for the update. If there were any software mods made, Apple can wipe them out. If Apple detects hardware changes, they can make life miserable for the owner and calmly explain that associated problems aren’t their fault.

That’s why Apple can sit back and appear to be the good guy in all this. To be sure, some customers want to conduct creative play, research, and even make a name for themselves. (Or some fast cash.) However, in the long run, Apple doesn’t need to make any harsh statements or bring on storm clouds. They know that natural market forces and human psychology will keep the unlocking business simply a temporary, lurid affair which will wear thin after awhile.

We’ve gone through several stages in all this so far. At first, some were annoyed that the iPhone was locked into AT&T. Then came the hardware hacks with a soldering iron. Then the software hacks. Then the software hacks with a GUI. Then the calm realization that it’s all a waste of time compared to what Apple is offering in new services and updates. In light of this, Apple really doesn’t have anything to worry about, and I don’t expect Apple to make much of a fuss about it. They don’t need to.

In fact, I suspect many at Apple are just sitting back and smiling about the whole affair which seems to be going as planned. No doubt the next issue of Wired will declare that iPhone unlocking has expired.

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