

Apple will not allow Verizon to preload software on iPhone - jrwoodruff
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/11/apple_will_not_allow_verizon_to_preload_software_on_iphone.html

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37prime
As a consumer I'm glad that Apple would not let Verizon pre-load their
crapware on the iPhone. If only other manufacturers could do the same.
Unfortunately they are not in the same position with Apple. As a matter of
fact, Apple will not Verizon the iPhone if they do not agree to that.

I love using the Nexus One with its pure Google-Android experience. I have yet
to upgrade to Nexus S.

~~~
jra101
The annoying thing is even the Nexus One comes with preinstalled apps that you
cannot remove.

Specifically: Amazon MP3, Twitter, and Facebook.

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37prime
Twitter was pre-installed on Nexus One? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't
remember seeing it out of the Box.

As for as default Facebook installation and integration is a bad idea. I
really hate that.

~~~
jra101
I got mine just before Android 2.2 came out (I got the 2.2 OTA update right
after pulling it out of the box) and it definitely did have Twitter.

~~~
jra101
Aah, it was 2.2 that added Twitter to the base OS:

[http://support.twitter.com/groups/34-mobile/topics/125-troub...](http://support.twitter.com/groups/34-mobile/topics/125-troubleshooting/articles/247932-i-can-
t-uninstall-twitter-for-android)

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jhamburger
I understand the purpose of preinstalling the apps, but why make them so hard
to remove? Do they think an informed user is going to spend all this time
trying to remove crapware he obviously doesn't want to use and finally give up
and say "Ah well, you win verizon. $25 worth of hip-hop ringtones please."

~~~
ashbrahma
The reason they are usually hard to remove is because they are burnt to the
ROM.

~~~
danilocampos
This, and the carriers _want to have a relationship with you_.

With all the creepiness, and clinginess, that implies. In their warped, MBA,
boardroom bullshit philosophy, uninstallable apps are essential to that goal.

~~~
lwat
The apps are uninstallable because the carriers are getting paid for those
apps to be there. If they let you uninstall they don't maximize their income.

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danilocampos
The carriers have this fear of being relegated to the "dumb pipes" role. What
the phone-bundled crapware shows is that they don't deserve any better.
They're incapable of adding anything of virtue to the experience.

I wish, instead of horning into the user experience with bullshit, they'd
spend their time embracing their core competency: network infrastructure
deployment and maintenance. And really do it with gusto – be the best they
possibly can be. _This_ would breed loyalty. _This_ would create enthusiasm in
consumers for the carriers they pay.

But who am I kidding – it's much easier to license NASCAR and shove that trash
into a feature phone.

~~~
zdw
The carriers _SHOULD BE_ dumb pipes, and judged by how how well they perform
this task.

Would you stand for it if your water company tried to lock you into it's
service by offering to make all your water "minty fresh"? I think not.

I guess this is my minimalist hatred of useless tangential/unrelated features
talking.

~~~
mtsmith85
Offering? I think the comparison would have to be they just make all of the
water taste like "mint" and talk about how great it is (though it sucks for
cooking.)

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koenigdavidmj
Microsoft, at their retail store(s), enforces the same policy on computers.
When you get a computer from there, you get stock Windows 7. (And drivers, I
would hope, although 7 seems better about bundling more recent drivers--even
Broadcom wireless and Intel graphics!)

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imkevingao
I'm really happy Apple is doing that. I honestly believe that Verizon is the
sole reason that America is like 50 years behind in mobile technology. The
carrier dominates the market in cell phone service because it gives most of
the technology illiterate generation X a _a better deal_ with the monthly
plans, but at the same time it gives all of its users crappy cellphones with
crappy software. Honestly anything Verizon touches becomes intellectually
dull. When's the last time you heard Vcast or Verizon store on TechCrunch? So
I am really happy that Apple knows that although Verizon is a good mobile
carrier, the company has not innovation at all, and Apple refuse to allow
Verizon to touch their gadget.

~~~
loewenskind
True to a point, but it sounds like they have touched it. No data during a
phone call? Will Verizon users be able to use this thing anywhere else? Are
Ebay buyers going to have to keep an eye out to make sure it's not a crippled
Verizon version?

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berberich
While I'm happy to hear this, I don't find it surprising.

Despite having a different chipset and radio, the Verizon iPhone is still just
another iPhone and Verizon still just one of several dozen carrier partners
around the world. If they didn't allow any other carriers to preload software,
why would they let Verizon?

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joeybaker
One of the best examples of Apple draconian measures benefiting us users.

~~~
loewenskind
I don't think there are many (if any) "draconian measures" from Apple that
don't actually benefit users. Nearly all complaints about Apple's behavior can
be split into two groups: Idealogical (e.g. "Everything must be free! Even if
that means there are 1,000 app stores to choose from, everyone one of them
consisting of almost exclusively malware and viruses, it all has to be open!")
and "slippery slope" concerns (e.g. "but if they make it so convenient, what
will stop them from controlling the world!?" as if new competition wouldn't
instantly spring up to replace them).

~~~
jokermatt999
How does not allowing users to sideload apps benefit users? How does not
having apps in the App Store that "duplicate functionality" but offer more
choice benefit users?

~~~
loewenskind
If you don't allow users to load apps you haven't vetted you can do a better
job of making sure they never have a bad experience on your device.

Personally I would go for offering some kind of "opt in" that says you know
what you're doing and willing to worry about it yourself for people who feel
constrained (personally, despite being a developer myself, I would never "opt
in". I don't have time to worry about if an app is going to cause trouble or
not).

Similar answer with duplicate stores. The thing is, when people have a bad
experience because of some stupid app _they_ installed they often aren't
technical enough to say "darn that mypic.exe! It screwed my computer". Instead
they say "why did my iphone break! What a peace of crap". If you don't believe
me, go look up what the _actual_ source for most blue screens were on windows.
Who got the bad rap for it? Bill Gates didn't seem to be bothered by it too
much but I think being the richest man in the world but having that rep would
be the same thing as utter failure to Steve Jobs.

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watty
This is a big deal for me, I HATE that carriers can install 5+ crapware apps
on my phone that are completely uninstallable without rooting your phone.

I let my nephew play with my phone for about 15 minutes one afternoon and a
month later I get a bill for "Need for Speed". Turns out he opened NFS and
pressed a single button to play the full version.

Another way to hide the apps it to use Launcher Pro.

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blinkingled
I personally don't have a big problem with carriers loading apps on the phones
as long as they don't interfere with what I do, but it is mind boggling how
idiotic the "rest" of the industry is in not identifying this opportunity. It
took the PC industry only a decade or so to start offering crapware free
computers - first at $50 premium and now free as an option. May be the
carriers can do better.

The carriers should really stay out of the software side - less spending for
them, clean experience for users and let the manufacturers do what they know
best. If the OHA members just stood up for themselves and convince the
carriers, I can easily see it happening.

In a way T-Mo has taken the right direction for G2, hopefully each
manufacturer offers at least one clean experience phone per carrier.

~~~
pedanticfreak
Crapware isn't an expense, it's a source of revenue. Think of it like the ads
on Google's result page. Just another conduit for commerce the carrier and
manufacturer use improve profitability.

Deciding to kill a source of revenue, whether it's more appealing to the
consumer or not, becomes harder to justify when that source of revenue is
paying off creditors and funding new development.

~~~
blinkingled
When I referred to spending I was thinking more about carriers taking
responsibility of writing the custom apps, testing and distributing the OS
updates etc. If they let the manufacturer do that (like Apple) they would have
less stuff to bother about.

As far as crapware goes - yeah it might be ad like revenue but I can't imagine
it's a major part of revenue for carriers - they can mitigate it by charging
little more for the clean experience models.

~~~
pedanticfreak
Sometimes all of the profit is where you'd least expect it. $10 per month for
VZNavigator? How much of that is really a cost to Verizon?

See also: extended warranties.

~~~
jrwoodruff
And don't forget your Monster Cable accessories

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kevinburke
Really glad for this. I use Verizon, but keep buying Samsung SCH-a650's off of
Ebay because it was made before Verizon installed their crappy software on
every one of its phones.

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tehjones
On the wifi access point side, its nice and all that one of the us carriers
have infrastructure in place and maybe the other doesn't. What about the rest
of the world? My carrier was built from the ground up to use 3G can I share an
access point over wifi?

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orenmazor
This has been coming up again and again, but the question I have to ask: did
anybody actually expect apple to let verizon pre-install anything?

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snissn
so only apple will be allowed to install things over the air on my device when
I get the verizon iPhone? sadly i find that comforting

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pedanticfreak
Great news. Now how about that mobile hotspot?

Will it be free or an extra $20 per month like Verizon's other phones? There
seems to be confusion on this point.

