SCAM: In Memory of Steve Jobs, we’re Giving Away 1000 iPad 2′s – NOT!

Posted on October 17, 2011 by caseyjohnellis

The text of this Facebook scam is as follows:

Title: In Memory of Steve Jobs, we’re Giving Away 1000 iPad 2′s

Link (DO NOT CLICK): http://promo-ipad.net/?801&fb_comment_id=fbc_10150343605577550_19262669_10150344652707550

URL: promo-ipad.net

Body Text: To celebrate the life of Steve, we have decided to give away 1000 iPad 2′s to honour Steve, who passed away earlier this week.

Fortunately it doesn’t seem to be malicious at this stage – The page you get taken to simply asks you to re-share the link on Facebook and put the text “Thank you Steve” in your status. It looks like an experiment to me, or a sort of guerrilla tribute to Steve Jobs.

That said, as this picks up momentum on Facebook and more people re-share it it’s quite possible that the author could pivot the scam into something more malicious. The tendency with scams is the more popular they are the more trusted they become, and the more popular they get as a result.

A few thoughts…

Steve Jobs died just over a week ago. They are giving away 1000 iPad’s. When I check they had 198 left… It’s been on 198 for a day now – Have they stopped giving them out? Forgotten perhaps? Or maybe the scammer is leverage the “scarcity principle” – If a person thinks that they are about to “miss out” they are far more likely to act without thinking things through.
The end date is October 16th 2011. It’s October 16th 2011 in the USA right now. See the above point.
How would those running the competition contact you to tell you that you’ve won? They aren’t your friends on Facebook – Are they? Or haven’t you thought this through?
Where is the competition disclosure statement required by law pretty much everywhere? For that matter – In which jurisdiction is this competition being held? If it was a legal competition this stuff would be there.
The landing page is copyrighted “Applepromo 2011″. Did anyone actually google “Applepromo” to see who they are or if they are in any way connected with Apple? I guess now that the phrase is in this post we’ll see!

You’ve been warned. Please think before you re-share this stuff. At best it’s a bit of a waste of time spent excited about something that will never happen. At worst it’s a pivot point into identity theft, viral infection, and a host of other fun things naughty people can do once they have your trust.

iOS 5 Update Errors

Posted on October 13, 2011 by caseyjohnellis

It seems that the eagerness around iOS 5 has overloaded Apple’s software servers (or something connecting them to the broader Internet).

I, and many others, have been getting the following error whilst updating an iPad:

The iPad “Your iPad” cannot be restored at this time because the iPad software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable.

For iPhone users you’re likely to see this error:

The iPhone “Your iPhone” cannot be restored at this time because the iPhone software update server could not be contacted or is temporarily unavailable.

Suggestion: Wait. The USA will be asleep soon – Try it then. Otherwise leave it a few days – As I mentioned in this post it might a good idea for other reasons too.

Are you seeing any other errors when trying to upgrade?

How To Get A Bricked iPhone or iPad Fixed

Posted on October 13, 2011 by caseyjohnellis

OK, so you’ve decided to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 5, you’ve taken heed to the advice in this post to improve your chances of things going smoothly… and inexplicably the update has failed, leaving your iPhone “bricked” and unresponsive.

Here’s how to get it fixed. Again, this is targeted at the “I’m not that technical” crowd and is based on my experiences and stories I’ve heard first hand:

Firstly, call your telco (the one you have your phone plan with) for support. They will be less busy than Apple tech support over the coming days. If they offer to replace your phone get a reference number for the call and tell them you’ll call them back. I’ve seen mail-in replacement takes up to 4 weeks. Note: These guys don’t really know what they are doing, but they can troubleshoot simple problems and save you some time.
If that fails to fix things (or you bought your phone outright, off eBay, or from Apple), the first thing you need to do is to check if your device is still under Applecare warranty. If it isn’t you may be able to buy a warranty extension from Apple or off eBay. Disclaimer: I have not tried this – I’m not certain you can reinstate the warranty after it has expired. Also, Apple may not be happy about you trying to renew warranty for a bricked device…
Contact Apple tech support via the contact details at http://www.apple.com/au/support. Expect to wait longer but to get better quality service.
If this fails, book a meeting with a “Genius” at an Apple store. If your phone is under Applecare warranty you can expect them to replace it with a new one on the spot – You did back it up, right?.

Did this help you? Did I miss anything? Got anything to add, correct or comment on?

Leave your comments below!

How To Avoid Bricking Your iPhone or iPad During Upgrade to iOS 5

Posted on October 13, 2011 by caseyjohnellis

Note: I know I get a bit geeky on here from time to time, but this is targeted at people who’d consider themselves “not really technical”.

Lots of people will be updating their iPhones and iPads to iOS 5 today. The release has only been out for a few hours and already I’ve been contacted by people who’s device has “bricked” during the upgrade.
FIRST THINGS FIRST – Do you need to do it now? I know it’s exciting and all that, but Apple do have a bit of a habit of releasing an operating system and then quickly following it up with an “improved” version once the early adopter have ironed out all of the bug. Selah.

Ok, so you’re still going ahead with it? Here’s a few ways you can minimize the risk of your update failing and “bricking” your device…

The golden rule is to remove any risk of the upgrade being interrupted, so…
Make sure the phone is fully charged before you start.
Make sure the host computer (the one that the phone is plugged into to perform the upgrade) is plugged in and any sleep, hibernation, or power save functions are disabled. Obviously this is most relevant if you’re using a laptop.
Turn off the passcode on the phone.
Put the phone in airplane mode to prevent interruption from calls, messages, email notifications, etc.
Read the freaking manual! Don’t just click next, next, next. There are important suggestions and information given through the process that you should read.
Finally – If you’re not confident, don’t do it. Just wait until “that friend who’s good with computers” is around and ask him nicely, perhaps offering a cold beverage or such in return

Have I missed anything? Did this help? Leave your comments or input below!

UPDATE: At 10am AEDST on the 13/10/11 the Apple servers seem to be a bit grumpy with all of this fun. Waiting a few days is probably a very good idea.

Thought re Steve Jobs

Posted on October 10, 2011 by caseyjohnellis

Steve Jobs’ real genius was in his grasp of capitalism.

I don’t know why, but the notion that he lead Apple as some sort of ghandi-esque altruistic hippy socialist really irks me… You don’t beat Exxon on market cap by being a socialist.

What he did was build a world beating company, with exceptional products, unquenchable passion & trademark showmanship – absolutely, but moreso through shrewd & ruthless business execution.

…personally I have no problem admiring him for that.