Coming to Apple products at some point. An interesting read.

I am against piracy but . . . I don't want my phone video / camera to randomly quit working because of DRM. Just heard this on CNN with this being the only article I could find.

If this is implemented where will it stop?

Apple files a lot of patents that never come to fruition. But more importantly, I have to wonder if this tech could be used to put a stop to all the leaked videos of police abusing their power.

Also, couldn't you just put your finger over the IR sensor?

I could really care less about a movie pirated on someone's phone to be honest but not getting beeps from random sms or even ringtones during movie's and concerts, I can sort of see the blessing there :)

The first time this malfunctions (or is activated maliciously) and someone can't call 911 apple is going to have a hell of a lawsuit on their hands.

Personally, it's just one more reason for me not to ever buy an apple product .

I guess what bothers me is the inclusion of software/hardware in a device I buy . . that can turn it off for what ever reasons they can dream up.

This would not affect pirates at all, IMHO, as they would use a device unaffected by the "beam". I also could not care less about movies / concerts taped on a phone.

If the music / movie industry has their way it will be included on every device that is capable of recording. At some point I'm thinking my video camera will be able to detect the background music while I'm recording a birthday or graduation leaving me highly ticked off . . . =)

This patent is for turning off the camera, not the phone itself.

We're headed toward a really scary place if you ask me.

In case nobody's been paying attention Apple have been evil control freaks for quite a while now. Nothing really new here accept another potential application of their walled-garden approach to consumer devices.

As Darling_Jimmy wrote Apple files for a lot of patents most of which never happen. If you look at it the patent was filed in 2009. I heard about this one awhile back and while some of the more positive uses of it might be interesting (maybe), the control uses would be so easy to circumvent that I doubt one would bother. Of course the control aspects are what people mostly wrote about.

Some people are just too lazy or uncaring to actually turn off their phones and whatnot while at such places. Many of us have complained about it I'm sure. At some point I'd imagine we had thought about a way to actaully shut it off those devices of the idiot(s) who has them. Why does piracy come up a lot? It's easier to paint with that brush then it is to say "Hey moron! Turn your freaking device off!!!"

While it is a nice thought to think of how it could be possible. I think Apple or any company should stay away from it. That's over reaching to where it would make it all to easy to missuse this function.

WTF? :|

Who the hell pirates stuff at the cinema with a cell phone camera anyway? Its far better all round to download a high quality rip from the masters that someone uploads to the internet a day or 2 before the premiere anyway

As an explanation I should say I don't pirate films at all, I've almost completely lost interest in the medium as a whole but even I know that cam-rips are the least popular

The first thing I thought, as a NON aplle user, was; Great! Now I won't have those irritating Iphones light/sound-polluting the theatres anymore. But then I dwelled a little longer and; Hey.. Wait....

Apple's head is growing. It went to big for my taste a couple of years ago, but this is just mindboggling. They'll continue to sell like warm bread, no doubt. Everyone at my collage has a macbook pro AND an ipad. I don't get it.

It's a patent. That is all it is.