DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD.
It Doesn 't Have To Cost
A Fortune... Only Look Like It!
metro >> Jews in the digital age
Apple's Jerusalem Problem
R
Complete kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as furniture
design and installations including granite, wood and other materials.
Lois Haron Allied Member ASID 248.851.6989
Beautifying your home since 1939
HAGOPIAN
RUG CLEANING
Fall
Sale
1N-HOME CLEANING
4 ROOMS $9999
2 ROOMS $5999
Whether you have 2, 4, 6 or
7' SOFA $ 59`9
OR 2 CHAIRS
even 20 rugs, bring them to us
some restrictions apply
& we'll clean every other one
FREE!
Let us clean your tile & grout too!
Ask about
our expert
rug repair!
1-800-HAGOPIAN
(424-6742)
www.originalhagopian.com
1725830
RUG CARE CENTERS AND SHOWROOMS
OAK PARK BIRMINGHAM NOVI UTICA ANN ARBOR
P11111011ASEM
NEW AND USED CAR BROKER
OS1NMA
\ Licensed Automobile Dealer
in Michigan since 1965.
7011 Orchard Lake Road,
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Oft. 248-851-2277
Cell. 248-496-2277
I ALSO BUY AND SELL NICE USED CARS AND TRUCKS.
12 October 4 2012
abbi Chaim Kanievsky, an
influential ultra-Orthodox
rabbi, says it is forbidden for
religious Jews to own an iPhone and
has instructed his followers to burn
the device if they own one. It's not
that Kanievsky sides with Android in
the smartphone war. He's concerned
about what observant Jews
will see with such a device.
Burning one's iPhone seems
a drastic measure, but
Kanievsky wasn't the only
Jewish leader with angst
against Apple's iPhone last
week.
The Algemeiner was the
first to report -this week that
Apple's new operating sys-
tem, i0S6, does not show
Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel although every other
country on the map has its capital
listed. Further, when iPhone users go
to the built-in World Clock app that
is included in i0S6, they will see that
Jerusalem is the only city to be listed
without an affiliated country. Some
users of the new operating system also
noticed an inability to locate Jerusalem
hotels using Apple Maps, while finding
hotels in other Israeli
cities like Tel Aviv was
possible.
Apple found itself
facing several problems
last week. Not long
after the media report-
ed that the map appli-
cation, which comes
standard with the new
operating system, had
several bugs and pro-
vided inaccurate direc-
tions, came a story of a
worker riot at an Apple
production factory in
China, which led to a
iPhone 5
halt in production of
the new iPhone 5.
Millions of Apple devotees were
excited to download the new oper-
ating system, but now Israelis and
Israel supporters are wondering about
Apple's political views toward the
Jewish state.
The fact that the maps application,
as well as the World Clock, both omit
Israel from being associated with
Jerusalem might be telling. While
Israel declares a unified Jerusalem as
its capital city, Apple is a corporation
and can render its own decision on
the issue. Perhaps this decision was
the company's intended way to remain
neutral on a touchy political situation.
Forbes.com listed the Apple's omis-
sion of Jerusalem as the capital city
of Israel as one of the six epic fails of
the new Apple operating system. Peter
Cohan opines in the article, "Let's hope
this Apple Map epic fail does not set
off another Middle East conflagration."
While this story is making head-
lines, it is not the first time there
have been questionable
omissions of Jerusalem in
mobile apps or on the Web.
This summer, the BBC's
website originally didn't list
Jerusalem as Israel's capital
in its Olympics coverage,
but did list East Jerusalem
as the "intended seat" of
Palestine's capital. Following
public outrage and a cam-
paign by the Israeli Prime
Minister's office, the BBC
altered both pages with
the Israeli Olympic team page read-
ing "Seat of government Jerusalem,
though most foreign embassies are in
Tel Aviv" and the Palestine team's page
reading "Intended seat of government
East Jerusalem. Ramallah serves as
administrative capital!'
Apple's top competitor in the smart-
phone market is Google, which makes
the Android operat-
ing system for mobile
devices including
phones and tablets. All
Android devices use
Google Maps, which
lists Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel. On
the Web version of
Google Maps, when the
user selects Jerusalem,
a description from
Wikipedia appears stat-
ing, "Jerusalem is the
capital of Israel, though
not internationally
recognized as such, and
one of the oldest cities
in the world."
The irony in this story is that with-
out Israel there would be no iPhone.
The newer iPhone versions use a
microchip that was developed in Israel
by Qualcomm Israel, which operates a
research and development center for
advanced wireless communications
systems in Haifa, Israel's northern port
city.
Apple has declined to comment on
the Jerusalem matter in Apple Maps. [i]
Rabbi Jason Miller is an educator and
entrepreneur. He is the technology writer
for N.Y. Jewish Week and is president of
Access Computer Technology in Michigan.
Follow him on Twitter at ®RabbiJason.