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Disabled Apple iPhone
Who would want a piece of brick? But fair to all, there has been a forewarning. They will just have to find their way out.
Apple iPhone warning proves true
An Apple software update is disabling iPhones that have been unlocked by owners who wanted to choose which mobile network to use. Earlier this week Apple said a planned update would leave the device “permanently inoperable”.
That warning has now proved correct as many owners are reporting their phones no longer work following installation of the update. Some owners are reporting on technology blogs and Apple’s own forums that the update is deleting contacts information, as well as photos and music, on iPhones that have not been modified in any way.
Features of the sought-after phone:
iPhone RingToneMaker - one of several unauthorised programs allowing users to customise their own ringtones
Blackjack - first unauthorised casino game for the iPhone
Voicemail button - allows users to reinstall voicemail functionality for unlocked phones
Global Positioning System - not a feature on authorised phones but a hack exists to add Navizon Virtual GPS
Auto Sync - a program from StandAlone that allows users to automatically update addresses, calendar and bookmarks.
Unlocking iPhones
The cat and mouse around Apple.
It has been said that apple is upgrading the iPhone in favor of AT&T. And Apple has warned that anyone attempting to unlock their iPhone to use with an unauthorized mobile network could find their phones irreparably damaged, permanently inoperable and stop working after Apple updates were installed, it also preclude unlocked phone users from getting new features as Apple updates might not install properly, and the warranty would be void, which would be particularly galling for anyone who paid top whack for one before the price was cut earlier this month; this is seen as a pre-emptive strike by Apple in the ongoing battle with hackers who are increasingly making unlocking software available to iPhone users. Sending the message that the dangers of unlocking and hacking the iPhone will someday outweigh the benefits.
Apple doesn’t have a chance of stopping people from hacking iPhones. It follows a flurry of hacks claiming to unlock the phone, which is tied into the US AT&T network and O2 in the UK. Unlocking the phone allows iPhone owners to use the phone with the network operator of their choice rather than the authorized ones chosen by Apple. And the way Apple was marketing the iPhone had made hacks inevitable. It set the challenge that the iPhone was unbreakable and the temptation was too much. A small army of hackers started work on this project as soon as it was launched. The fact that the iPhone can be bought off the shelf without signing up to a mobile contract, coupled with the decision to launch it with a single operator in the US and the UK, have added to the reasons why hackers are keen to open the platform up. With so many in the wild and people already enjoying hacks on their own, how can the company just walk in and tell them to stop, or else? It might not work properly after the upgrade, but still believe there is a way, if there is a hacker’s will. If there’s a mouse, there will be cat around.