I’m not going to try and rewrite the post but the EFF has written a great post about Apple’s claim that jailbreaking the iPhone is illegal. It’s a great read and I just wanted to quote the part that stood out to me the most.

“One need only transpose Apple’s arguments to the world of automobiles to recognize their absurdity. Sure, GM might tell us that, for our own safety, all servicing should be done by an authorized GM dealer using only genuine GM parts. Toyota might say that swapping your engine could reduce the reliability of your car. And Mazda could say that those who throw a supercharger on their Miatas frequently exceed the legal speed limit.”

I couldn’t have said it better, which is why I didn’t try. Apple tries to justify it’s closed attitude towards it’s software and devices by saying it protects the user. They say that tinkering with their software compromises the safety and security of their software. Sure, there are people in this world that shouldn’t mess with stuff. But if they want to mess with it, they should be allowed to mess with it. You aren’t renting or leasing the iPhone. You own it (supposedly). I wouldn’t paint flames on the side of a leased vehicle (ok, I wouldn’t paint flames on the side of any vehicle). But if I own it, I should be able to do what I want with it. This is exactly why I don’t own any Apple products (except the 4th Gen iPod that was given to me by a very good friend of mine).