I have an iPad I left on a shelf for a while that is now a paperweight because during that time, in what I assume was a transition from iTunes to Apple accounts, the account it was logged into ceased to exist.
I was actually able to reregister an account using the same email address as the one I previously had, thinking maybe that would work, but still couldn't log back in.
Broken, as in physically broken? Sure, but that can be fixed/repaired if it's not beyond any hope of that.
Broken, as in "the software is broken"? Well, at least all my devices are repairable, if that happens. Even if it might require the nuclear option of reinstalling/reflashing. But at least there are no shenanigangs such as these and the ones OP described happening.
But now we’re just going down a path where it’s not a binary broken/not broken but “how broken is it?”
If I change the oil in my car but forget to put the plug back in and then start it and drive off and seize my engine, it’s basically broken. With enough effort, it could be rebuilt. Is it the responsibility of the manufacturer to expend the necessary effort to do so, though?
I'm sorry but that's false equivalence. If you do something to your device and it stops working as a result, sure, that's on you. But if your device is untouched, but stops working because the manufacturer rejiggered some virtual ones and zeroes on a server possibly halfway around the world, that's a completely different situation.
This is more equivalent to garaging your Tesla for 10 years, firing up for a drive and wondering why the cell network no longer works.
Tools that require infrastructure are dependent on things that can cease existing one day.
No need to apologize. I didn’t say they are equivalent, I’m trying to draw analogies. If you leave your car sitting for 5 years, you will probably have a bit of a hard time starting it too. If you leave a garden or house untouched for 5 years, it’s not going to be pretty.
They didn’t give us much to go on about their situation. I’ve not heard of an iPad not being able to be turned on and unlocked with its passcode because of an iTunes account or server issue. If that is indeed what happened, I agree that is not cool. But I doubt that is what is going on. I’m curious to know more.
And yet I guarantee the Linux computer that's been sitting in my closet for 10+ years will boot up just fine. As would it's Windows partition. As would the old MacBook I don't have anymore. Those are a lot more analogous than cars or gardens.
It has spinning rust. Additionally it's true that SSDs have trouble retaining data for long periods of time, but afaik this is separate to actual degradation. So if it had an SSD it might not boot off it, but the hardware is otherwise fully usable. Same situation if you lose an encryption key.
I can get replacement hardware for my lenovo laptop, it got repaired twice under the warranty. My android cellphone is on it's 3rd screen. My bicycle got a bunch of new pieces this summer. Fixing hardware isn't that different from fixing software.
> Fixing hardware isn't that different from fixing software.
It absolutely is different. How do you propose even changing the software when there is an interlock preventing access?
Should Apple also be responsible for people who enable FileVault, set a 50 character password of random characters, and then not write it down? How would you fix that software problem without introducing glaring vulnerabilities?
Software is scalable in ways that hardware simply is not. It presents vastly different challenges than swapping out standardized pluggable components. It’s incredibly difficult to change a complicated software system without introducing side effects. Comparing an operating system to a bicycle is absurd.
I don't remember the details at this point, I do remember spending quite a bit of time exploring every avenue I could find on the internet, but still couldn't get it to work. I brought to the Apple store and they basically told me I was out of luck and they couldn't do anything about it.
I was actually able to reregister an account using the same email address as the one I previously had, thinking maybe that would work, but still couldn't log back in.