An Eye in the Sky
On August 28, Apple was granted a patent for, “Apparatus and methods for enforcement of policies upon a wireless device.” It was originally filed June 26, 2008.
From the United States Patent Office (via Natural News):
Apparatus and methods for changing one or more functional or operational aspects of a wireless device, such as upon the occurrence of a certain event. In one embodiment, the event comprises detecting that the wireless device is within range of one or more other devices. In another variant, the event comprises the wireless device associating with a certain access point. In this manner, various aspects of device functionality may be enabled or restricted (device “policies”). This policy enforcement capability is useful for a variety of reasons, including for example to disable noise and/or light emanating from wireless devices (such as at a movie theater), for preventing wireless devices from communicating with other wireless devices (such as in academic settings), and for forcing certain electronic devices to enter “sleep mode” when entering a sensitive area.
What this patent means is Apple has been granted the ability to determine when and where you can use particular functions on your iPhone. I’m curious who or what determines what a “sensitive area” is.
This doesn’t give me warm, fuzzy feelings.