Give iPod Thieves an Unchargeable Brick

Svippy writes "Apple has patented a technology for new generations of iPods that would detect when a user tries to operate the iPod on an unauthorised machine ... and will refuse to charge. Indefinitely. From the article: 'Every portable gadget with a rechargeable battery has a charging circuit that recognises when the external mains charger has been plugged in. It then manages the transfer of current to the battery. Apple's patent suggests that by attaching a "guardian circuit" to the charging circuit, it would be possible to block the charging process. When a device is plugged into an unauthorised computer, software would compare a security code in the device to a code buried in the software in the computer. Apple already employs a similar technology to "pair" iPods to iTunes running on a specific Mac or PC. If the codes do not match, then the guardian circuit could be triggered to prevent any further charging.'"

False positives

I can imagine this will raise a lot of false positives. It reminds me of Windows Genuine Advantage, only nastier...

Re:False positives

This isn't about preventing stolen iPods from being able to charge. That's an incredibly fat lie.

This is about making sure that people who buy a second charger have to buy it from Apple, at inflated prices.

Re:False positives

You might want to update your conspiracy theory: Apple doesn't include the first charger either.

Re:False positives

why the hell would you have 5 ipods?

Beowulf minicluster?

False patent

Patent? Prior art. Heck, my Verizon Razr has been doing this since day one. I have to load a special driver to get it to charge from my laptop's USB port. Without it, the screen just says "Unauthorized Charger"... It rejects any charger it didn't come with, even other Motorola chargers. Forget 3rd party devices. Bastards...

Oh, yeah, Apple, um, good luck with that...

Re:weeee

You can use any iPod with multiple computers. Just set it to manually manage music and it'll work fine with any machine you throw at it.

B

Re:weeee

I tried open source software for managing it, and that didn't work well at all

You are correct for all possible values of 'it'.

Re:possible solutions

I suppose it would be relatively easy to implement a password system, where you generate a password when you first plug in a new iPod, and then have to use it when you sync or charge. That would let you use the iPod on as many computers as you want, as long as you enter the password. If you forget the password, you can go back to the Apple store with your credit card or receipt, and since all iPods have unique identification, they could reset it for you, once you provide proof that it's your property. ... wouldn't work too well if you bought it on ebay though... ... but I suppose Apple would enjoy it if their products weren't able to be resold.

Re:weeee

Rockbox [rockbox.org] is a good open source solution that allows you to manage your iPod on any machine without using iTunes.

Bricks anyone?

Give iPod Thieves an Unchargeable Brick

Can't I just keep the ipod and give them a brick painted as an iPod like the P-P-P-Powerbook [zug.com] instead?

Re:Bricks anyone?

> Can't I just keep the ipod and give them a brick painted as an iPod like the P-P-P-Powerbook instead?

Very funny indeed. You did follow that link, didn't you?

Quote:

***
3) Finally, and most disturbingly, Jeff was not heard from again. I personally e-mailed him for permission to run his story on ZUG, but after an initial response, I never heard from him again. All of his Web sites have come down, and he is nowhere to be found.
***

It would be unfortunate

... if car chargers won't work.

Why are so many people getting this wrong?

If the device detects that it has been stolen, through any number of means such as plugging in to an unauthorized computer or by geographic location, the device disables its charging circuit so that it can't be charged from any changer.

It has nothing to do with the iPod only working with specific, Apple-branded, chargers. That would be stupid.

another idea

An ipod is plugged into an unauthorized computer and all of a sudden dozens of crappy songs are downloaded to it... songs that no one wants to hear like

Freeze Frame by J Geils Band

or wannabe by the spice girls

or wake me up before you go go by wham

mmmbop by hanson

you know, horrible stuff like that --- i know if i were a thief the idea of horrible music would deter me

Not the only use

I'm sure the usefulness of this technology in other areas has been considered as well. Specifically, things like bricking a device because a subscription has run out, or disabling it because DRM rights have been violated. After all, once the hardware is in place, it can be used for other purposes by simple software "upgrades".

Dan East

Better to not get it stolen in the first place.

Hide [hideapod.com] it in a Zune.

Re:Better to not get it stolen in the first place.

Don't be silly. We all know the Zune's a mythical beast, and doesn't really exist.

Great...

Finally a digital device that will go on an energy hunger strike if it doesn't like its connectivity situation.

So, would this make the iPhone the Gandhi of portable devices?

Bad idea

I've recharged friends' iPods on my computer (which is obviously not authorized for that iPod). If that were to result in bricking the iPod, I'd be pissed.

Unbricking the iPod when it's connected to an authorized computer would mitigate, but not solve, the problem.

PRM

PRM...Physical Rights Management...

iPods and multiple machines

I've already had hell with the ridiculous interface of iTunes and trying to sync my music across more than one machine (work + home + notebook).

Now, on top of everything, it's going to refuse to charge unless I show that I am the owner on all three? Or maybe, I can only charge it on one?

Either way, this is only making a bad problem worse.

Bad enough that iTunes has more than once destroyed my music backup because I tried added music from another machine. Now it's also going to not let me use my iPod?

Nice. And here I thought Apple was about usability.

What about non PC charging?

I've got an external USB charger I use when I'm traveling, would they decide my iPod needs to die if I used it?

All I want to be able to do is charge my friggin' iPod when I'm away from home. I don't think Apple should be deciding where I can charge my iPod -- what damage to them if I use a different machine to *charge* the damned thing.

I mean, it's not like you can extract songs from an iPod readily. (At least, not such that I've seen). This just sounds like really dumb functionality.

will never happen....

I could see not letting iTunes do anything with it on an unauthorized computer, but charging? What bout all the other non-computer things that charge iPods now-a-days like car kits or plain old usb power adapters that go into wall sockets.

My girlfriend has a car charger, a wall charger, and an iHome which all charge her iPod.

great idea

uh oh, your PC stopped booting? congratulations, you iPod just did too.

I can see it now...

...the thief only wanted my $250 iPod, but took my $3000 MacBook Pro to make it work.

Um...

What about the (old-fashioned!) method of charging via wall-outlet? Do I have to register my apartment with Apple now?

Something in this article seems fishy and I don't think we're getting the full story of Apple's intentions, because the whole thing makes zero sense to me.

Make the iPod impossible to update.

I've learned that if you plug a USB socket into the Firewire plug on your motherboard, any subsequently connected USB iPod is then "secured" against further updates. Interesting noises are included as the internal protection circuit is established.

You can still charge it.

Got a soldering iron?

Anyone with a soldering iron and a little time on their hands would likely be able to bypass this. You've got to have a battery somewhere, and you've got to have leads to that battery.

Yeah, it means cracking open the device, but if you've stolen it, there's a good chance you're not going to care all that much about some pry marking on the case.

Apple are wusses

I fully expect Microsoft to counter this pansy-ass display of "user protection" with the PROPER way of doing it -- if someone plugs the Zune into an unauthorized computer, the Zune explodes. KABLAMO! It'll be like Blade's sword, only with less bad acting.

Anyway like a bunch of people have already said, this is probably going to anger a lot more people than it's going to make happy (as far as consumers go). I for one would rather *not* have my device have a feature like "if you hook this up to the "wrong" machine, it's forever forfeit."

Not to mention this won't act as a deterrent for thieves worth crap.

So my car charger is not authorized?

There are dozens of vendors like belkin selling simple chargers for iPods without using the USB ports. So they all wont be able to charge iPods? Apple can at best thwart iTunes/iPod link on devices reported to be stolen. But preventing charging? Nah.

this is horrible

can you imagine the consumer outcry when thousands of iPod owners can't get their iPods to turn on simply because they didn't understand the concept of pairing their iPod with their machine?

Excellent business case

What a great way to stop people selling their iPods to someone else and instantly making 2nd hand market for iPods impossible!

1. The device is 'attached' to a particular person's computer(s)
2. The device and user is known to the manufacturer, eg via iTunes
3. As the iPod can be effectively rendered useless if someone else buys or uses it, you can't buy one 2nd hand, so you have to fork out for a new one.
4. Profit!

I suggest buying AAPL immediately!

I will take a moment to remind people

that this is a patent, not an implementation.

Er, Stupid idea?

Concider the failure modes of such a scheme. Apart from the ones where the thief gets to use the iPod, they all result in the legitimate user losing the use of their iPod.