85,000 reasons why Apple’s iPhone isn’t going to be disrupted

Scobleizer ^ | OCTOBER 25, 2009 | by ROBERT SCOBLE

[dayglored]

> There's no secret, there's just using the USB standard in order to lock out USB devices. I thought the standard was there to ensure interoperation and let an OS know which driver to load. I guess I was naive.

VID/PID assignments are intended for exclusive use of the assignee. They are essentially assigned property. My company (which produces USB software and devices) has a Vendor ID and we have a range of Product IDs assigned to us. They are not public property -- they are OURS. They certainly are not for use by our competitors.

That is, VID/PID are visible, but they are for the exclusive use of the assignee. If the assignee chooses, they can allow wider use, at their option.

The fact that I park my car on a public street does not make it public property. Just because the door locks and ignition are visible does not make them available for access by anyone else. And just because I might lend my car to my friend for the day, doesn't mean anybody else can come up and drive off it in.

VID/PID are intended sorta like that. They provide interoperability (as you stated), but they are also a necessary defense against the mad free-for-all that prevailed in the 80's and early 90's.