Apple taking the Microsoft approach

Of course it's about the money. But it's so ghetto of Apple to take these lengths so that they can profit on ringtones.

A very cool 'indy' software developer called Ambrosia Software developed a neat little app iToner that converted any mp3 into a ringtone on your iPhone.

That would be fine if Apple didn't decide to charge .99¢ to do the same thing.

So Apple updated the software to render iToner as well as many other cool 3rd party iPhone apps unusable.

Remember this groundbreaking Apple commercial? All the drones were prisoners of Big Brother. Who looks a little like Big Brother now?

There is a distinction that has to be made here: on anyone's computer there is an operating system and there is software. A regular person can freely add applications, files, etc. all within the OS, not affecting it.

But what Apple has done with the iPhone is essentially taken control of both the OS and the software that you can use on it.

The latest software update has been jailbroken but, if used, will almost certainly wipe your phone clean after the next software update.

To be fair, the iPhone does allow any web-based application developed to work.

-Matt