It seems that Apple are going to be validating the warranty on their iPhones in a new and unique, for the moment anyway, way. Read here about a new application for the iPhone that monitors its use and informs the repair centre how you have been treating it.
Like everything it sounds a good idea. A system that will tell the supplier that you let it overheat or took it swimming, activities that are against the T&Cs (Terms and Conditions) of the warranty. That will stop the people that mistreat their toys and then claim it back on the warranty.
The only thing is, like everything else these computer systems get treated as infallible. For example a bit of rain and a faulty case given the recording of an immersion, an overheating component and it records you left it in the sun all day. Then you can’t get your money back or the unit replaced and you will never manage to prove it is not your fault. The system says ’No’ and that will be it for the ordinary consumer.
Now don’t think this will just be on iPhones. A few years ago I was discussing with a customer how he could set this up on his hardware. He rented CCTV equipment and several people were bringing back units that were clearly abused but they have hard lives and it was going to be difficult to prove. At the time there was no way to do anything as these units are very compact and generally sealed. It won’t be long before every bit of expensive kit has some sort of environmental monitor in it and warranty claims will become a lot more difficult. Think of your new car contacting your dealer and telling him you are exceeding the running in revs or the lease company that you left the little red light on your oil for a few days while you drove it around the country. Next stage of course is it telling plod you drove it around with a low brake fluid light. Tut tut. Especially when plod is asking the system for info after you have had an accident. It won’t matter you checked the brake fluid and it was OK. The system will not record that. Or what about texting plod that you had a trailer on the hitch but drove at 70. Book im Danno. Try proving you didn’t three weeks later.
Personally though, I wonder how long it will be before we have to carry our id cards at all times, a card fitted with GPS recording so it knows where we are every day and one we use to record our daily spending habit. That will grass us our to our Health System that despite doctors advice we partook in a packet of fags when we were on holiday. That should be enough to get your heart treatment cancelled. You are clearly undeserving.
Another sinister aspect of the cards will be the recording of relationship data. You go to the paper shop every morning at 8:15. So does a terrorist suspect, whom you don’t know but who cares, the system records this and links you with him. Then when you buy your body filler for your car you get raided as a terrorist yourself. Just hope you have not been downloading anything from the web as those two things alone,coupled with the connection, will get you jail time. Oh and lets not forget the kiddie porn that always seems to appear in these cases as well.
As an aside, slightly, one of my favourite authors is Jeffery Deaver. I’ve read all of his books and find them extremely enjoyable. One of his latest, The Broken Window, has a mass of information related to corporate data mining or as the data owners like to call it knowledge data providers. Well worth a read if you are interested in what goes on around you every minute of every day plus it is a good read.
Yes, technology is certainly a double edged sword.
Warranty and health
It seems that Apple are going to be validating the warranty on their iPhones in a new and unique, for the moment anyway, way. Read here about a new application for the iPhone that monitors its use and informs the repair centre how you have been treating it.
Like everything it sounds a good idea. A system that will tell the supplier that you let it overheat or took it swimming, activities that are against the T&Cs (Terms and Conditions) of the warranty. That will stop the people that mistreat their toys and then claim it back on the warranty.
The only thing is, like everything else these computer systems get treated as infallible. For example a bit of rain and a faulty case given the recording of an immersion, an overheating component and it records you left it in the sun all day. Then you can’t get your money back or the unit replaced and you will never manage to prove it is not your fault. The system says ’No’ and that will be it for the ordinary consumer.
Now don’t think this will just be on iPhones. A few years ago I was discussing with a customer how he could set this up on his hardware. He rented CCTV equipment and several people were bringing back units that were clearly abused but they have hard lives and it was going to be difficult to prove. At the time there was no way to do anything as these units are very compact and generally sealed. It won’t be long before every bit of expensive kit has some sort of environmental monitor in it and warranty claims will become a lot more difficult. Think of your new car contacting your dealer and telling him you are exceeding the running in revs or the lease company that you left the little red light on your oil for a few days while you drove it around the country. Next stage of course is it telling plod you drove it around with a low brake fluid light. Tut tut. Especially when plod is asking the system for info after you have had an accident. It won’t matter you checked the brake fluid and it was OK. The system will not record that. Or what about texting plod that you had a trailer on the hitch but drove at 70. Book im Danno. Try proving you didn’t three weeks later.
Personally though, I wonder how long it will be before we have to carry our id cards at all times, a card fitted with GPS recording so it knows where we are every day and one we use to record our daily spending habit. That will grass us our to our Health System that despite doctors advice we partook in a packet of fags when we were on holiday. That should be enough to get your heart treatment cancelled. You are clearly undeserving.
Another sinister aspect of the cards will be the recording of relationship data. You go to the paper shop every morning at 8:15. So does a terrorist suspect, whom you don’t know but who cares, the system records this and links you with him. Then when you buy your body filler for your car you get raided as a terrorist yourself. Just hope you have not been downloading anything from the web as those two things alone,coupled with the connection, will get you jail time. Oh and lets not forget the kiddie porn that always seems to appear in these cases as well.
As an aside, slightly, one of my favourite authors is Jeffery Deaver. I’ve read all of his books and find them extremely enjoyable. One of his latest, The Broken Window, has a mass of information related to corporate data mining or as the data owners like to call it knowledge data providers. Well worth a read if you are interested in what goes on around you every minute of every day plus it is a good read.
Yes, technology is certainly a double edged sword.