Was the litigation a factor? The UK’s Daily Mail is reporting that Apple is developing a way for future iPods and iPhones to turn down volumes automatically after a certain period of use to protect users from endangering their hearing. One columnist predicts that the feature if implemented “will be hacked in a matter of minutes” by users who don’t want the protection. (Christopher Breen, “Auto-volume may be a turn-off for some”, MacWorld, Dec. 26).
2 Comments
Will litigation ensue for not making the iPod hack-proof?
It’s probably a better idea that there be a disable function with a click-thru licence to remove the filter; that way, nobody needs to hack and apple can claim the owner must have taken responsibility for the loudness (assuming the clickthru requires you to be the owner and to re-enable the filter if loaning the device to some other user who does not agree to the licence)
useless and worthless in the real world, but probably good enough for legal butt-covering.