"Bricked" is thrown around too loosely

[Itronix]

Below in the bold is an exact and in-depth definition of bricked. People are throwing the word around to loosely when all their ipod needs is a restore.
When used in reference to electronics, "brick" describes a device that cannot function in any capacity (such as a machine with damaged firmware). This usage derives from the machine now being considered "as useful, and as entertaining, as a brick."[citation needed] The term can also be used as a verb. For example, "I bricked my MP3 player when I tried to modify its firmware."
In the strictest sense of the term, bricking must imply that the device is completely unrecoverable without some hardware replacement. If the device can be repaired through software or firmware changes, it's not a brick.
Historically, the oldest reference known is from fall 1990 at Ramstein AFB, where the term was used by the 1856 Comm Squadron there to describe what happened when you over-drove the flyback mechanism on a CRT, which on a particular model of IBM monitor could be done through firmware. The resultant destruction of the internal electronics resulted in the release of magic smoke and the square monitor being called a "brick," "doorstop," "boat anchor," or a "paperweight", depending on which NCO was describing the incident.[citation needed]
Brick may also refer to a power brick which is used to describe some external mains AC to low voltage DC power converters commonly supplied with many consumer electronics devices. It is called a brick because even with a unit with an appealing design, an OEM power transformer is generally supplied, and has a much less pleasing design - it is usually the size and shape of a brick. When these devices plug directly into a wall outlet (without an additional cord), they are also commonly referred to as a wall wart.
The term "brick" can also be used to refer to a particularly large mobile phone, referring to the older style of telephone which was the size of a house brick.
I am just a little tired of people calling every problem with their ipod bricked. I have personally never seen an actual bricked iphone or ipod touch. Thanks and please do not throw around the word bricked as if it is a baseball. Please think about it before saying it.
Remember that a bricked device is something that is ruined beyond repair and cannot be restored hence it is as useless as a brick.
If you truly think that your ipod is bricked check here and you will see.
Quote [Originally Posted by RenegadeKrogan]

[up10ad]

Originally Posted by Itronix

Below in the bold is an exact and in-depth definition of bricked. People are throwing the word around to loosely

Considering that your desire is to want to make sure that we are semantically and grammatically correct, I assume you meant to say too loosely. But I digress, you are correct and I share your observation that the term bricked is incorrect to apply to the overwhelming majority of problematic iPhones. In fact, I have never seen or heard of a real case of a bricked iPhone in the forum discussions, but I could have missed it.

[psylichon]

Yes, the iPhone surely has to be one of the hardest-to-brick mobile devices ever.

[Europa]

Originally Posted by up10ad

Considering that your desire is to want to make sure that we are semantically and grammatically correct, I assume you meant to say too loosely. But I digress, you are correct and I share your observation that the term bricked is incorrect to apply to the overwhelming majority of problematic iPhones. In fact, I have never seen or heard of a real case of a bricked iPhone in the forum discussions, but I could have missed it.

I've heard of one since I've been a member here. Pepe had a relative or friend in Canada that sent him their bricked phone so he could try to restore it. He tried everything but nothing worked. It was jailbroken V1 and he ended up getting it replaced at an Apple store.

I agree though. The term is used incorrectly way too much and it's one of my pet peeves.

Here's the thread if your interested. http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum...-v1-42436.html

[The Apple]

I agree that the term "bricked" is used way to much with the iPhone. The case with Pepe probably could have been resolved. Pepe went to the genius bar and got a replacement. His case sounded more like a hardware issue to me than a software brick.

I owned a PSP before I got the iPhone. The PSP was a brick waiting to happen!

[evolution83]

I refuse to read the OP. Can someone edit that so it's in actual paragraphs?!

[Hawk]

I have had a bricked V1. I had it at work, I watched the signal strength suddenly just start dropping down to nothing, then it said no service. I tried a hard reset, but it left me at "Connect to iTunes". Tried just about everything after that. I even used ZiPhone to JB it, but even when that let me into the OS, it still wouldn't function properly.
It turns out that the communication card died - 3 months outside of when my warranty expired.
This is why I have a 3g.
Sold the phone on eBay for $140.

[Europa]

Originally Posted by Hawk

I have had a bricked V1. I had it at work, I watched the signal strength suddenly just start dropping down to nothing, then it said no service. I tried a hard reset, but it left me at "Connect to iTunes". Tried just about everything after that. I even used ZiPhone to JB it, but even when that let me into the OS, it still wouldn't function properly.
It turns out that the communication card died - 3 months outside of when my warranty expired.
This is why I have a 3g.
Sold the phone on eBay for $140.

That was a hardware problem, bricking is related to software issues, so it wasn't technically bricked, it was just broken

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Originally Posted by Europa

That was a hardware problem, bricking is related to software issues, so it wasn't technically bricked, it was just broken

Well, I can say pretty confidently that if you throw your iPhone around too loosely, it will become a brick...