There are two sets of combatants in the long war of attrition called the iPhone Unlock Conflict. The newest battle is over the latest firmware, 3.0, and it’s starting to show how these two parties, the Dev Team and the Unofficial QuickPwn Hackers, are entering a new stage of conflict.
Jailbreaking, for those not in the know, is the process of unlocking the iPhone’s filesystem in order to install third-party apps not officially supported by the App Store. You can also SSH into jailbroken iPhones and use them just as you would any other terminal. This is completely different from the iPhone unlock procedure which unlocks the iPhone from a particular carrier and allows the use of unofficial SIM cards.
Because jailbreaking is comparatively trivial, the Dev Team was able to jailbreak 3.0 almost immediately as were a number of non-affiliated parties. However, there was no official or unofficial method out there to jailbreak 3.0 until last night and it was produced by a Russian hacker with no Dev Team Affiliation. However, this method could potentially upset the delicate carrier unlock procedures the Dev Team released last January. It is on that point that the Dev Team takes umbrage.
They write:
It’s silly to play cat&mouse with Apple during a beta period, when relatively few people are willing to actually use the beta software in their everyday lives. There are ways Apple can tighten the screws, and we’d rather not burn methods just for a beta release.
Their main concern is the potential failure of the yellowsn0w unlocking software caused by incorrect updates. However, you also see a bit of anti-script-kiddie outrage in their posts as well as a strange sense of entitlement in their “customers” (”Please don’t abandon us like that for Weeks again please. Just write something at all so we know you’re working on fixing everything, eventually.” writes one commenter) This odd interplay is half-open-source project and half-co-dependant drug addict. In both cases the consumer’s refrain is “Give us the stuff so we can love you more,” and, on the producer’s side, “You can’t handle this stuff. I’ll take care of it for you.”
This is not to disparage the Dev Team. Their unlocks have been works of genius and their contribution to the general iPhone infrastructure deserves at least a little praise from Apple (which will never happen) as well as our undying devotion. But an interesting White Paper on organizational structure is lurking somewhere in this relationship, provided they don’t nuke each other.
Jailbreaking is still not perfect but I’m always amazed at the skill of Dev Team. Amazing!
So true.
Not really. They need to come down off their high horse. The commrad can do as he pleases. Besides, their published books are weak at best. They should concentrate on substance if they want to rule this market sector.
iBuggy
from what hear, it has much less to do with fanboyism or addiction to doing something hacky, and more to do with becoming dependent on the software and/or methods of organization (not to mention filling in the features Apple left out) jailbreaking allows you to use.
I would always suggest staying one version behind if jailbreaking.
http://videos.techielife.com/tag/iphone
The good majority of the comments on the Dev Team’s blog are morons who wont follow instructions and think Jailbreaking is a God-given right that the Dev Team was put on earth to ensure.
They would be better off to turn off commenting and let those who want to jailbreak follow their instructions and at their own risk.
yellowsn0w uses a bug in the baseband. The 3.0 update includes an update for the baseband which sounds like it currently breaks yellowsn0w. So if you use the update from apple you will lose the ability to use yellowsn0w.
They will be updating the pwnage tool software to create custom iPhone firmware files that enables the update without updating the baseband and thus preserves yellowsn0w.
At least that is what their statement means, if they (can) actually do it is another matter.
Apple have already broken yellowsn0w in iphone 2.2.1 update.
I’d be very wary of anything put on my phone from a Russian hacker.
ez, you have a talent
Anyone else notice the little “search/spotlight” icon on the iPhone screenshot…. My guess is “screen one” is now entirely devoted to search!
oh hai.
welcomes to crunchgear.
you ever read a gadget blog before?
Mike has been living under a rock.
No, screen one is still the apps. The search screen is to the left of screen one… you swipe left to get to it. Pushing the home button will still take you back to your first screen of apps. That’s how it was explained at the Apple event.
I don’t know about that one. What you say is true, but pressing the home button again swipes the screen over to spotlight. Also, it *is* the first element in the home screen navigation bar as it comes before the dots.
Is there a way to get the 3.0 firmware if I’m not in the beta-program?
Download it from torrent website, but you should know that this is ilegal! :O
Only if you want to brick your iPhone
Can I install the firmware 3.0 on my transister radio?
How about we just shoot both teams and be done with it?
I found this “Unlock iPhone ” tested its working on my iphone.
http://rapidshare.com/files/217006525/Official_iPhone_3.0_Beta_2_Unlock.EXE
This article is hilarious and pretty much right on the money. =P
I dont think apple should care if people are unlocking there phones, jailbreaking yes but if groups like the dev team come up with easy ways for people to unlock their iphone then apple should want that because it means more people will want to buy an iphone not just att customers. Att on the other hand are the ones who dont want unlockings to happen.
Wow! 3.0 is out now. I’m still staying with 2.2.1
3.0 I think it a good software. I just don’t want update and update and update. No video recorder on 3.0. Just on the 3g s. That sad. So to get a video recorder I need to buy a new iPhone.
My 2.2.1 have a video recorder, and 3.0 don’t have it. That means I have to jailbreak my iPhone again. No thanks. I have too much.
I wouldn’t want to mess around with the carrier settings, it’s not worth “breaking” your iPhone over. Just wait until the beta testing is over and then have a crack at it.