4 ms·

Amazing. I had no idea Apple could just arbitrarily (or even with great reasons) decide to shut down your Apple ID, killing your software and disable a lifetime

Amazing. I had no idea Apple could just arbitrarily (or even with great reasons) decide to shut down your Apple ID, killing your software and disable a lifetime of DRM protected music, ebook and application purchases. Reminds me of how you now must show a passport to leave the US and being behind on your child support is cause to prevent US citizens from leaving the country, just as if they lived in East Germany. Starts out, oh sure, we need this system to check to make sure you're not some kind of criminal. Then it is used for arbitrary control and enforcement of the whims of a cold centralized bureaucracy. Cough cough Stallman was right cough cough.

cageface 15y ago
Still worse, if you're an indie iOS developer they can yank your entire living out from under you without explanation. This happened to me this year, I suspect because I made some app store purchases while traveling abroad. They disabled my ID and refused to even tell me why and only reinstated it after a long and arduous exchange with support. I really enjoy developing for iOS but this was a sobering experience.
- lurker17 15y ago
  There are no "indie" iOS developers, because iOS developers are not independent. There are only "iOS contract developers", paid on a royalty basis, but retained at-will by Apple.
- brown9-2 15y ago
  Is it common to use the same Apple ID for personal purchases and your business app development?
  - aptwebapps 15y ago
    It sure seems like a bad idea now, doesn't it?
  - gte910h 15y ago
    I know a lot of devs. For the ones who do it full time, almost none of them do this.
baddox 15y ago
I should point out that Apple no longer offers any music with DRM.
- kalleboo 15y ago
  The Japan iTunes music store is still mostly FairPlay-protected.
jrockway 15y ago
you now must show a passport to leave the US Since when do you have to show a passport to leave the US? All you have to do is prove that you are eligible to enter the country you are traveling to. (This is strictly a money thing: the airline doesn't want to transport you to another country where you'll be refused entry, because then they'll have to fly you back, which costs them money. So you show a passport at checkin and they save money, making your ticket cheaper.)
- statictype 15y ago
  That's when you check-in and get your boarding pass issued. After that, many countries (not sure how it works in the US now) have an immigration check point where you're supposed to show your passport (probably to check if you've overstayed on your visit). Some places don't have this check - I noticed that London doesn't. I'm guessing America started enforcing this check as well recently.
  - othermaciej 15y ago
    The US only has immigration and customs checkpoints on the way in, not on the way out.
  - saryant 15y ago
    The US does not have exit immigration. Airlines have to ask for your passport to ensure that you meet the entry requirements of your destination country. If an airline transports a passenger who is then denied entry, that airline will be fined and on the hook for getting the passenger out again. Generally they can recoup these fines from the passenger but it's a pain and they don't want to deal with it. The EU and Japan, for instance, do have exit checks. These are done by the relevant immigration bureaus. The passport checks performed by airline personnel are completely different and bear no impact on one's ability to leave the US. As an aside, this is the reason that most international connection at US airports require a visa. US airports (with LAX being the sole exception, AFAIK) have no way to monitor anyone leaving the secure area. Nothing would stop passengers in transit between international flights from simply leaving. Connecting in, say, Tokyo-Narita doesn't require entering Japan because everyone in the secure area has either exited Japan or is in transit in the sterile zone. The only exception is passengers on Air New Zealand's Auckland-LAX-London run and Air France's Paris-LAX-Tahiti flight, though I may be wrong. Special arrangements have been set up for these flights.
brown9-2 15y ago
Reminds me of how you now must show a passport to leave the US and being behind on your child support is cause to prevent US citizens from leaving the country, just as if they lived in East Germany. Curious, what country did you travel to that you experienced this? Driving across the border to Canada recently I did not have to talk to or interact with anyone from US Customs.

cageface 15y ago

Still worse, if you're an indie iOS developer they can yank your entire living out from under you without explanation. This happened to me this year, I suspect because I made some app store purchases while traveling abroad. They disabled my ID and refused to even tell me why and only reinstated it after a long and arduous exchange with support. I really enjoy developing for iOS but this was a sobering experience.

lurker17 15y ago
There are no "indie" iOS developers, because iOS developers are not independent. There are only "iOS contract developers", paid on a royalty basis, but retained at-will by Apple.
brown9-2 15y ago
Is it common to use the same Apple ID for personal purchases and your business app development?
- aptwebapps 15y ago
  It sure seems like a bad idea now, doesn't it?
- gte910h 15y ago
  I know a lot of devs. For the ones who do it full time, almost none of them do this.

baddox 15y ago

I should point out that Apple no longer offers any music with DRM.

kalleboo 15y ago
The Japan iTunes music store is still mostly FairPlay-protected.

jrockway 15y ago

you now must show a passport to leave the US Since when do you have to show a passport to leave the US? All you have to do is prove that you are eligible to enter the country you are traveling to. (This is strictly a money thing: the airline doesn't want to transport you to another country where you'll be refused entry, because then they'll have to fly you back, which costs them money. So you show a passport at checkin and they save money, making your ticket cheaper.)

statictype 15y ago
That's when you check-in and get your boarding pass issued. After that, many countries (not sure how it works in the US now) have an immigration check point where you're supposed to show your passport (probably to check if you've overstayed on your visit). Some places don't have this check - I noticed that London doesn't. I'm guessing America started enforcing this check as well recently.
- othermaciej 15y ago
  The US only has immigration and customs checkpoints on the way in, not on the way out.
- saryant 15y ago
  The US does not have exit immigration. Airlines have to ask for your passport to ensure that you meet the entry requirements of your destination country. If an airline transports a passenger who is then denied entry, that airline will be fined and on the hook for getting the passenger out again. Generally they can recoup these fines from the passenger but it's a pain and they don't want to deal with it. The EU and Japan, for instance, do have exit checks. These are done by the relevant immigration bureaus. The passport checks performed by airline personnel are completely different and bear no impact on one's ability to leave the US. As an aside, this is the reason that most international connection at US airports require a visa. US airports (with LAX being the sole exception, AFAIK) have no way to monitor anyone leaving the secure area. Nothing would stop passengers in transit between international flights from simply leaving. Connecting in, say, Tokyo-Narita doesn't require entering Japan because everyone in the secure area has either exited Japan or is in transit in the sterile zone. The only exception is passengers on Air New Zealand's Auckland-LAX-London run and Air France's Paris-LAX-Tahiti flight, though I may be wrong. Special arrangements have been set up for these flights.

brown9-2 15y ago

Reminds me of how you now must show a passport to leave the US and being behind on your child support is cause to prevent US citizens from leaving the country, just as if they lived in East Germany. Curious, what country did you travel to that you experienced this? Driving across the border to Canada recently I did not have to talk to or interact with anyone from US Customs.