Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Friday, November 27, 2009

How long can Apple remain torn between two lovers?

Mark Bridge writes:

“Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool, loving both of you is breaking all the rules”.

Mary McGregor sang those words in 1976 – and Apple would do well to bear them in mind today. Why?  Well, Rick Astley is to blame for it all.

Oh, alright, Rick’s not personally involved. It’s worm-writer ikee, along with the people who’ve followed him in creating security threats for the Apple iPhone. But why am I invoking the lyrics of Mary McGregor?

It’s because Apple has two loves... and it may be struggling to choose between them. It loves its customers. My, how it loves its customers. When Apple opened a shop in Brighton, the staff applauded me when I walked in. (No, I don’t think they recognised me from my podcasting fame; they were applauding everyone). But Apple also loves its application store. In fact, it spends most of its TV ads promoting other people’s software.

And that’s where the problem starts. Apple likes to keep things in the app store locked down. Some iPhone customers like things a little more open, which is why they jailbreak their phones. And those jailbroken phones are susceptible to viruses and worms (especially if users don’t change their default passwords).

Where’s the anti-virus software for the Apple iPhone?  Nowhere. That’s because Apple’s software development kit doesn’t let programs interfere with other programs. Unfortunately anti-virus software needs to look at everything – which is why you won’t find any anti-virus software for iPhones at the moment.

Now, you could argue – and Apple probably would argue – that unmolested iPhones (or ‘jailed’ iPhones, I suppose) don’t have any security issues. That certainly seems to be the case at the moment. It’s a reasonable point.

But we’re moving into a time where an increasing number of iPhones are being sold. And that means an increasing number of second-hand iPhones on the market. Which means there’ll be even more jailbreaking going on - and more people with potentially vulnerable Apple devices.

One solution would be for a security company to create software that protects jailbroken iPhones. But another – and surely a better answer – would be for Apple to concentrate on its customer love and find a way of authorising an iPhone security solution that would work with all its mobile phones. Because I can’t believe it’ll be too long before someone creates a virus that’ll work on an unmodified iPhone. And when that happens, Apple risks losing both of its lovers.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
5.0

Categories: OpinionNumber of views: 8344

Tags:

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

From the archive: some of our favourite mobile industry interviews from 2007, 2008 and 2009

Podcast - 5th June 2013

We're celebrating the seventh anniversary of The Fonecast this month with a handful of our favourite interviews from the early years.

You'll hear Ben Whitaker from Masabi, Truphone co-founder James Tagg, former Olympic athlete Steve Backley OBE and online banking pioneer Steve Townend.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The latest mobile industry news: from the delayed 'Facebook phone' to life-saving QR codes

Podcast - 29th May 2013

This week's podcast begins with a report about a delay - or perhaps even cancellation - for the UK launch of HTC's Facebook phone, the HTC First.

We then move on to Vodafone's results, an Android app scare for Sky, Samsung's successes, contactless payments, potentially life-saving QR codes and an uncomfortable story about a smuggled mobile phone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

New devices from BlackBerry, HP and Jolla... plus a new purchase for Yahoo

Podcast - 22nd May 2013

We start this week's podcast by talking about Yahoo and Tumblr before moving on to discuss Google's recent developer conference.

There are product announcements from BlackBerry, HP and the former MeeGo developers at Jolla... and there's some interesting mobile app news as well.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Good news from Nokia, unwelcome headlines for EE and a profitable year at Sony

Podcast - 15th May 2013

Three new smartphones launched at three separate events. Yes, Nokia has definitely been busy in the past few days.

As well as talking about Finland's finest phones, we also discuss recent claims made about EE, annual results from Sony, smart metering, 5G technology, virus protection, Vodafone and the worldwide growth of mobile phones.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

From airports to airtime... and from mobile ads to mobile apps

Podcast - 8th May 2013

We start today's programme with the promise of a faster roll-out for the UK's mobile broadband services.

Next on the agenda is tablet sales... followed by mobile security, mobile boarding passes, quarterly results, acquisitions, advertising and management succession.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First1718192022242526Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«November 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement