Just wanted to share a few thoughts on the new iCloud locking feature..
Firstly, yes I recently bought one of these iCloud locked iPhones on eBay, and yes I unlocked it after a week of trying..but I had many thoughts during that week and since.
In case you didn't know, with the release of iOS 7, Apple now tries to 'police' their phones, with the assumption that whomever has the phone in their possession should *only* be the first person that activated the phone with their iCloud account. ..is it just me or have you also instantly seen the huge fallibility in this idea??
in case you didn't, let me share what I instantly realized, people who activated the phone could sell the phone legally, then illegally claim on the insurance (home or phone or work). Not to mention the old caveat, that many users would not *really* understand what a device is, never mind them know to remove it from *some* account 'Apple made them get' to use their phone.
For these reasons, but not only, the morality of iCloud locking is *VERY* fallible.
Now to ulterior motives by Apple themselves, by doing this they push the price of (non locked) second hand units very high and force people to consider buying a new iPhone... however, they may have failed to see how high even some of the cheapest Android phone specs are. I can buy a Chinese *high quality* phone, for around £130/£170..top specs, higher than even the iPhones in many regards, be-lying the fingerprint reader. and have a great experience.
Have they cut the stalk to spite the goose? .. they could disappear from commercial view.. as the grassroots of ALL the traffic of commerce comes from resale of a brand product, as an introduction to a first time user.
So first time users according to this logic are also criminals, if they unknowingly buy an iCloud locked iPhone/iDevice, I am not a first timer, as I have owned iPhones before, it didn't occur to me that a phone might be stolen.. but am I a criminal?? noooo.
There are many scenarios I could use to defend myself, but the two above are the most likely, as by the law of averages, they have already happened. I find it hard to believe I should lack such faith in high reputation sellers on eBay..so.. WHO is APPLE to make me question the eBay community??
Apple are not very smart in this ham fisted approach to security, once a phone was attempted to be used, they should have asked for whomevers Apple ID, that presently has the phone and talked it out with them what happened..but no, they do this clumsy blind everyone is locked approach to security.
They use the IMEI number as a locking tool.. this number is now registered to a person, pretty much forever, if they die, forget they have an account, since they only used it once to sign up, or if this was a work phone in a company that went bust, and the boss needed the money (Reg'd to a former employee), again not really understanding what iCloud was, not wanting to contact the former employee.
In the UK, I can drop this phone off at the police station and if no one claims it or the police cannot find the original owner, I can 'legally' own the phone I recently purchased on eBay within 3 months.
What does Apple do then? it is no longer the property of the former owner and IMEI becomes mine, with all related features also becoming mine...including iCloud activation.
I am not a number.. I resent being locked to a IMEI.. I don't think of it as an intellectual security device, as a way to catch criminals.. when added with iCloud, it's a marketing tool.. 'your phone will never be lost or stolen, or we will disable it' .. they track you, they collect information on your whereabouts, they resent re-sale of iDevices.
if not then why?...
..they didn't contact me, but if they had and been intermediary between myself and the first owner, this all would have been easy, a few emails back and forth, so I know the first owner is genuine, wants the phone back and so I get the price I paid on eBay back.. call it a 'finders fee'. then this would have been amicable and not embarrassing. if they have replaced the phone and see I am a genuine person, then they maybe willing to release the IMEI to me which Apple could walk them through if need be.
A sense a fairness in the second hand market is what Apple is lacking.. I hope they see sense in this.
My debit card has stop working in iTunes/Apple.. coincidence?
I am not a criminal, I am not a number.
peace
Dava
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