Apple’s number two man, Phill Schiller, speaks out on unlocking and the unforeseen consequences preventing future firmware updates. As you might expect, Schiller’s comments are little more than a reiteration of yesterday’s press release, scolding users and threatening castration of warranty obligations. His most notable soundbite…
”This has nothing to do with proactively disabling a phone that is unlocked or hacked. It’s unfortunate that some of these programs have caused damage to the iPhone software, but Apple cannot be responsible for … those consequences.”
Translation: “Yeah, see the thing is, AT&T is really riding our ass to do something about all the iPhone unlocking going on. So we’re issuing a press release to put the fear of Jobs God into users.”
Folks, this is a scare tactic and nothing more. Any changes unlock scripts make to system files is reversible, and Apple knows that. Unlocking an iPhone is not equivalent to ripping the device open with a pry bar and hacking it with a soldering iron. Software is software, nothing a simple reflash can’t undo.
This policy of “you use, you lose” is simply a way to appease AT&T. I can see Stan Sigman’s feet sticking out from behind the curtain, holding his cue cards.
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Bad news, kiddies. Steve thinks we’re having too much fun with his expensive toy, and henceforth has abolished the practice of iPhone unlocking. Stop it. Just stop. You know it’s wrong, and puts wrinkles in Steve’s mock turtlenecks. This bombshell was just dropped from the belly of the mothership…
Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone’s warranty.
So there you have it, folks. Unlock your iPhone, void your warranty. This is absurd, and I half wonder if it’s merely a deliberate effort by Apple to back out of their warranty obligations.
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Angels and ministers of grace defend me! My compulsion to beta test software has led to my iPhone’s untimely demise. I installed anySIM from iPhone Dev Team, under the foolish assumption that it would work and do little harm to my dearly beloved. Everything seemed to be going fine until the unlock process completed. Then an error message popped up saying “Unlock Failed” and blathered on about not being able to update baseband settings.
Ok, I thought…the unlock procedure failed. No harm, no foul. I’ll just back away slowly and not make eye contact. Then I noticed something that caused my Adams apple to move up and down in dramatic fashion; no AT&T logo or bars were visible in the service status indicator. Ruh roh. Don’t panic, just restart. Did that, and still no signal. I can’t make or receive calls at all. My iPhone is now the worlds most advanced paperweight.
I will keep you posted. In the mean time, if you happen to see a man wandering the streets clutching a black shiny object, in tears, that will be me.
[Update] Oh god, now I’m really starting to panic. I attempted to perform a restore via iTunes, and it failed. Now the bloody thing is stuck at the recovery mode yellow alert screen that reads “Please connect with iTunes”. What a way to end the weekend.
[Update 2] And the clouds have parted. Pheww! Ok, I managed to do a full restore, bringing my formerly bricked iPhone back from the dead, and in working condition again. Excuse me while I change my underwear.
We really need to pool our money and buy the guys (and gals) of iPhone Dev Team a free round of drinks; they never stop coding! The team is now offering a GUI solution (that’s graphical user interface to you newbs out there) to its former iUnlock solution, called anySIM, making the process painless and tolerable. If this solution works as advertised, as it appears to, unlocking your iPhone can be done with just a few mouse clicks. I like the sound of that.
I plan on testing this out myself later today. Keep you posted.
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Oh, you thought Monday’s arrival of iPhoneSIMfree’s pay-per-view unlock solution was the final word on iPhone unlocking? sigh Would that were true. No, the end hasn’t come just yet. That moment will arrive when I am finally carted away, from nervous collapse, in an ambulance destined for nearby mental hospital.
Do lets keep our fingers crossed because this appears to be the one iPhone unlock to rule them all. It’s an open source initiate set out by those hacking hoodlums known to the world only as iPhone Dev Team, who are making the source code available for public download.
Unfortunately this solution isn’t for the squeamish. It’s very “hands on”, and making the magic happen involves downloading files, editing code, and bit of rubber chickenry. But hey, it’s free and who doesn’t like free. Full instructions after the jump.
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Sales of drool buckets are sharply on the rise today. iPhoneSIMfree, the controversial website that has long promised to release a fully software-based unlock solution for iPhone, has delivered the goods. Their website has been revamped and relaunched as an online store complete with resellers and affiliate partners worldwide. Gadget fans the world over can now join the great global iHumping experience.
Now before you go running through the streets in your undies, again, this is not a free solution. And membership into the gentlemen’s club of iUsers won’t come cheap – here in the US, Wireless Imports will be charging $99 per software license. Ouch!
But hey, maybe you can apply that $100 coupon Steve is handing out? Ooh, sorry…that was below the belt.
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Those commie rats in China will stop at nothing to topple Western Democracy. This time defiling our beloved iPhone. According to Chinese state newspaper Dian Nao Bao, illegally unlocked iPhones are being sold in electronics stores from Beijing to Guangzhou. Interestingly these phones apparently originate from Shenzhen, the location where iPhones are manufactured for Apple. Didn’t Steve Jobs make a remark at D5 about ships that leak from the top? Better look in that Steve-O.
Freedom comes with a price, however. The Commie-friendly iPhone has crippled functionality, capable of making only outgoing calls and text messages. What it can’t do is receive incoming calls, which leads one to wonder why anyone, Chinese or otherwise, would drop serious cash on a disabled phone? Speaking of cash, the price tag for one of these Red iPhones is roughly 8,800 yuan ($1,170) for a taste of capitalist decadence.
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Those hacking hoodlums at iPhoneSIMfree are teasing us with the promise of a soon to be released unlock solution, no later than Friday. In the meantime they are wetting our appetites with a nice little FAQ answering many of our gripping questions, like…is it future-proof (yes)…if I do a backup restore will it still work (yes)…will it work on any GSM network (yes)…can the iPhone be unlocked prior to AT&T activation (yes)…Will it help me get laid? (yes, wait..what?)
Now before any of you moisten your trousers, this unlock software will not be released freely. According the FAQ an undetermined cover charge will be imposed for this service, eventually. But hey, if you can afford an iPhone, you’re already in the hole for $600 – what’s another $20 or so?
So read the FAQ and wait for the hack. Coming!
Note This kid shops at The GAP…I have a shirt just like that.
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