Why I Won’t Break My Phone (or Why I Won’t Buy an iPhone)

iPhone Jailbreak

When I was a kid, I used to have this old TV in the barn that I would tinker with.  I would pretend it was a spaceship, a time machine, or any one of an assortment of other fantastic inventions.  What I remember most was the freedom I had to do with it what I wanted, when I wanted, and how I wanted. It was the ultimate customization, albeit imaginary.

Once I matured, and was introduced to the world of rooting (more on that journey in another post), I found the same freedom and unbridled imagination when it came to the customization of my first Android device. Sadly, the same cannot be said about an iPhone.  Nor will users of that product ever experience the joy and freedom of such unbridled imagination and creativity.  Sure, if you are tech savvy and have the patience and a 500 step how-to manual, you can “jailbreak,” an iPhone, but any customization I want to do on my phone that uses the word “break,” in the title is one that I will kindly shy away from, thank you.

It all comes back to one concept – open source.  Google figured out long ago that they can get more bees with honey than with vinegar.  Granted, things have gotten significantly more difficult in the past few years, but can’t the same be said about the complexity of the phones and operating systems?  I’m a simple guy who enjoys simple pleasures.  Google has, for the most part, kept things simple by posting the majority of their source code from the get go.  So I say to you, dear reader, why “break” your phone, when you can simply imagine it to be whatever fantastic invention you want it to be, like a spaceship or time machine?

And that, my friends, is my take.