Apple Sells 60 Million IPhone Apps, Jobs Confirms Kill Switch

[Jason]

Steve Jobs has announced the number of iPhone applications sold through the App Store in the month since its launch. The number? A staggering 60 million, or two million downloads a day. The revenue from this is around $30 million, which means that for every one of the eight copies of I Am Rich, Apple probably shifted plenty of freebies, too.

Whichever way you cut it, that's a big number, even if, as Gigaom's Om Malik suggests, people aren't actually using most of those applications. Even more interesting for us, though, is the strangely open and forthcoming answer Jobs gave when asked about the remote kill switch for iPhone applications. Jobs confirmed that it is indeed possible for Apple to reach into your phone from afar and disable applications: "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull" he told the Wall Street Journal.

While it's good to know that a malicious application can be immediately yanked from all iPhones at the press of a button, it's a little worrying, too. Given the level of secrecy inside Apple, we have a picture in our heads of some kind of virtual Guantanamo Bay inside One Infinite Loop, where bad applications are kept locked up indefinitely and tortured to find their secrets.

"Oh, you like phishing, do you" the ex-CIA interrogator will ask as he tips the imprisoned code back on a board and reaches for a bucket of water "Then why don't you take a SWIM?" he'll shout, up-ending the bucket on the victim's face.

Source: Wired News

[awdrifter]

This is why I would never own an Apple product. This kill switch has so much potential for abuse. Apple can just probe your iPhone and shut down the apps they don't like.

[rashid204]

if such a kill switch exists, isn't it possible to exploit it? I've seen alot of crazy iPhone hacks and I'm sure someone will figure out how to trigger the kill switch.

[MrObvious]

They already have security updates for OS X and stuff since it gets hacked so I'm sure it's a matter of time. Ugh!

[Fourth]

I bought 'I am Rich'... I don't even own an Apple cell phone I just wanted to make people (and by people, I mean women) believe that I am rich.

Intent? Benevolent
Results? Lackluster

[gamer11200]

Blackberries FTW!

[ValueSize]

Why is this kill switch worse than the one that erases your phone should it be stolen.

[Fourth]

Originally Posted by ValueSize

Why is this kill switch worse than the one that erases your phone should it be stolen.

they are both terrible ideas because maybe the guy manning the kill-switch or the super-erase presses the wrong button one day and boom, disaster strikes your phone.

the fact of the matter is that any time someone else other than you had a hand on something you own, its ****. would you feel fine if windows had a kill-switch built in(they probably do)that can nix your install for whatever reason? Would you blindly trust them with that kind of power? Would you trust anyone, even yourself, with that kind of power?

Even more, what if a hacker figures out how to harness that power? Now we are talking about a serious problem.

[gamer11200]

Originally Posted by Fourth

they are both terrible ideas because maybe the guy manning the kill-switch or the super-erase presses the wrong button one day and boom, disaster strikes your phone.

the fact of the matter is that any time someone else other than you had a hand on something you own, its ****. would you feel fine if windows had a kill-switch built in(they probably do)that can nix your install for whatever reason? Would you blindly trust them with that kind of power? Would you trust anyone, even yourself, with that kind of power?

Even more, what if a hacker figures out how to harness that power? Now we are talking about a serious problem.

It's only a matter of time before all iPhones are taken down and erased by hackers.

[Clone of 501]

Ugh i hate apple. If you want to get anything for double price, get something from apple.

[Jason]

Hmm... Interesting how the kill switch feature was discovered around the same time this huge "DNS Exploit" has been published... A person could hijack the DNS of whatever the iphone uses and mass-kill a bunch of phones...

[Fourth]

Originally Posted by Clone of 501

Ugh i hate apple. If you want to get anything for double price, get something from apple.

its like a lot of things. past a certain amount of money you are paying for a name. in terms of phones there are better phones for the same or less money. slap an 'i' in front of it and put the picture of an apple on it and you can charge $100 more.

[rupchurc]

Originally Posted by Clone of 501

Ugh i hate apple. If you want to get anything for double price, get something from apple.

Actually most good phones with any carier are around $199

[ValueSize]

Originally Posted by Fourth

they are both terrible ideas because maybe the guy manning the kill-switch or the super-erase presses the wrong button one day and boom, disaster strikes your phone.

the fact of the matter is that any time someone else other than you had a hand on something you own, its ****. would you feel fine if windows had a kill-switch built in(they probably do)that can nix your install for whatever reason? Would you blindly trust them with that kind of power? Would you trust anyone, even yourself, with that kind of power?

Even more, what if a hacker figures out how to harness that power? Now we are talking about a serious problem.

I never said it was a good idea for either. However no one really *****ed and moaned when the erase feature was introduced at the Apple Keynote but the software one gets way more flack... I was just pointing out the total erase is much more worrisome in the wrong hands, imo.

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by Clone of 501

Ugh i hate apple. If you want to get anything for double price, get something from apple.

I don't know, apple aren't cheap but you do get what you pay for.

• The iPhone gives you the best interface and undeniably the best mobile platform with dev support.
  
• All consumer macs come with iLife which is (imho) more than worth the difference between a slightly cheaper similar computer.
  
• Try finding a fully featured dual xeon workstation that is recognised as being used by the professional market for cheaper than the mac pro.
  
• Name a tech company with such an all round outstanding level of aesthetics and design. You pay for this but I would gladly pay for this.
  

Apple isn't cheap but if you think of it in premium brand terms it is nothing. Think of whether you would prefer a Ford or a BMW - There is no contest apart from in the budget if you are looking for a saloon. Apple is no good if you are looking for a fiesta or a pickup truck but there are many people for whom Apple represents good (or at least some level) of value.

It is a pointless comment to simply state that if you want to pay double buy Apple when this is obviously not the case for many people.

[BRONiUS]

Nokia FTW.

[gamer11200]

Originally Posted by BRONiUS

Nokia FTW.

No. Just...NO!

Nokia FTL!

[lexandro]

Originally Posted by gamer11200

No. Just...NO!

Nokia FTL!

Not in Europe, Nokia have some of the best deals and handsets around.

[Cecil]

Originally Posted by gamer11200

Blackberries FTW!

I like the Blackjack 2 best, but my $40 sammy flip phone does everything I need.

[MrObvious]

Apple is too overpriced for what I do.