Dammit, I have to change my pants again.

Thomas Palmer

Dear Apple,

Booo-yahhhhhh.

Sincerely,
Dev Team

chopstickhero

A word of advice to the Cupertino bois: give up because you are just continuously losing.. I can't keep up with the losing streaks.... is this an election between Obama and Clinton?

Just give up and open up the damn device for all will be forever happy with Apple. It might actually increase sale numbers....so consider it a good advice.

Screw AT&T execs

mr_oshodi

also, I could be totally wrong about this, but it looks like they're planning the firmware for concurrent release with the new iphone.

ntrgc89

@Grifter: why would the new iphone be so much more difficult to hack? Do you really think they're going to make a completely new OS for a product with just a few tweaks in hardware?

I think the new iPhone is going to look and function exactly like the current one, except it will have a faster connection, possibly GPS, and maybe a higher megapixel camera (no doubt higher capacity as well), but none of those are really "revolutionary" ;-)

ntrgc89

@RoCKSTaH53: They very well could have "legally" opened the door for unlocked phones -- but they were greedy and wanted that fat AT&T kickback. An article I read on Maximum PC's website stated that they make 75% of their revenue on each iPhone from the contract, not from the initial sale. In fact, the iPhone is still not out in several countries that have mandatory unlocked phones, because Apple is still trying to find ways to skirt their laws so they can get their kickbacks from providers in those countries, too.

HeartBurnKid

Everyone is so happy about this, but soon there will be a whole new iphone that will have all new issues. I don't know if this will ever end. I am waiting for the new one (because of contract reasons/3g/etc) to come out and plan on buying it then. Then they will have to start all over again with the hacks, firmware, etc. I applaud all of the help with hackint0sh and so forth but at the same time I do agree with drbles... if you do have a problem with your hacked phone and need service good luck!

I do like my risks... so if you are using the hacks ladies and germs, please donate or these people might not be around to help out!

Grifter

Here's hoping that they "fix" the iPod Touch just as fast - I could stomach paying $20 for a glorified patch once, but I'd cut off my hands before I paid it AGAIN.

banks

@Jesus Diaz: Well even if they'll have an extremely tough time, they've got a hell of a head start.

workingonyourinvoice

So can we install this on an already unlocked and jailbroken iPhone?

AlphaTeam

@dagamer34: Which doesn't matter because the current generation of iPhone doesn't have 3G support. T-Mobile's in the process of rolling out 3G anyway; I'm sure that by the time iPhone has 3G support, T-Mobile will offer it.

Anyway this is excellent news. I finally have a reason to upgrade from 1.1.1.

jopari

Can I totally wipe it and install OpenSuSE?

The Great Aussie Evil

@workingonyourinvoice: Read the article. Apple is going to have an extremely difficult time "patching" this one because there's nothing really to patch, I'm afraid. It's their Apple's pwned firmware.

Jesus Diaz

@daath: No, I don't think I "misunderstood" what toolchain is. I think you have done just that, though.

Jesus Diaz

Well that was nice of them to break it while it's in beta. This way it'll be patched up by the time it's fully released (the time when it could actually make a difference). Well done.
Are these guys on Apple's payroll?

workingonyourinvoice

@TallDudeFromBrazil: i think you're missing the point. in-house "hackers" have full access to everything they need AND hacking it is their job. renegade hackers DONT and usually have other things going on in their lives (like real jobs). if THEY could find the treasure with not only NO MAP but also blindfolded. you really believe that the paid team that Apple has cant do it WITH a map, shovels, and a metal detector?

@daath: "I think you misunderstood what a toolchain is - It's not the previous development tool, it's the tools used to create a product ;)"
.................................................

errrrrrr? isnt that the same thing? or was the "previous development tool" NOT a tool to create a product?....

izim1

I feel bad for any person who unlocks or hacks their iPhone, should it need service. FIRST thing that any Apple rep asks is "Can I have your phone number please?" and they match it against AT&T's system for verification. So...what happens when your number isn't there? Bummer...because I have AT&T and when I had problems, it was no issue to get a new phone shipped out ASAP.

drbles

@izim1: haha they go ahead unlock it, knowing that their phone won't work, simply so that they can bitch about how Apple won't give them an unlocked phone.

RoCKSTaH53

Hopefully this shows the dev community that while Apple can't legally open the door to unlock phones because of contract restrictions, they really don't care if people use their SDK to unlock. I mean, they released the whole thing to the public... do you really think they expected the dev community to not be able to get in?

They get to open up the phone to official apps for those of us who are fine with a regular iPhone and AT&T and they made it easier, while still honoring their contract, for developers to open this thing up and unlock it.

Can we stop bashing Apple for not offering unlocked phones now?

RoCKSTaH53

I think you misunderstood what a toolchain is - It's not the previous development tool, it's the tools used to create a product ;)
[en.wikipedia.org]

daath

@izim1:

I think s017jrs point is EVERYONE ELSE BRAINPOWER > ANY COMPANY BRAINPOWER.

That is how hacking works. There's always someone somewhere capable of doing what "needs" to be done.

You, as a company, can't compete with everyone else.., it doesn't matter how talented your team is.

And besides that, its harder to dig for a treasure (fix) without a map (sourcecode).

TallDudeFromBrazil

Funny i work for TMo and my wireless service is from verizon. and as of now i dont see a reason to switch. its funny because this company is really and i mean reeeaaaaalllllllly slow on updating to that 3G network, and with talks on the new spectrum (4G) i may never want to leave verizon, if TMo is that far behind in keeping up with the rest of the bunch. although my bill is pretty high. thats the only downpoint.

Northwood

Is it possible to install the beta firmware from the SDK to the iPhone without any magic or is it hidden somewhere?

TallDudeFromBrazil

That picture cracks me up every time.

davere

i believe that i am reading this correctly and this firmware will be similar to the custom PSP firmwares. you obviously wouldn't update it to an apple firmware just like you don't update to another firmware now when your ipod/iphone is jailbroken (unless you are willing to jailbreak again)

awperk

Apple just needs to give the eff up.

sorensilk

@dagamer34:not to mention they drop calls without mercy.

@s017jrs: c'mon kid. You really believe an in-house team of rich and professional programmers can't find what a group of renegade hackers can? You really believe they're running around in Cupertino with s.jobs sitting around reading hakint0sh.org waiting for the dev teams to hack his precious phone and show him what's wrong?

Really?
technically, its impossible for apple to patch your phone. You have people still using 1.0.2 firmware. Apple can't do shit about it. Apple didnt "brick" anyone's phones. They just release 1.1 and waited for morons to do it themselves, for no reason. It'll be that same with 1.2. They'll release 1.2.1 and wait for people to upgrade for no reason. And people WILL do it. Why? Who knows........

izim1

@killerstache:
that's what she said =(

discounteggroll

Isn't this kind of like Ralph Nader running for president.

Camperton

@RainyDayInterns:
TMo doesn't have a 3G network worth talking about.

dagamer34

I normally hate to use this term, but hacking the firmware is the most literal example of "thinking outside the box" I've seen in a while.

sumocat

why not just wait to release this news after 2.0 comes out officially? Seriously.

James

Wouldn't it have to open to a "jailbreak"? So Dev teams can dev. Couldn't they easily lock it down with the a 1.2.1 public release in June.

For three months developers develop apps. Then they are offered the opportunity to sell apps on iTunes. Making iTunes the only way to get them on the public 1.2.1 version?

CEOself

Anything? Anything at all? Dual chips for double-coverage roaming?

THAT I gotta see..

-W

Turbo Driver

@JacksSenseOfRejection: Why don't you just goto AT&T buy a referb iPhone and then use ZiPhone and walah, you can still use Tmob even though I think they are a joke. My friend just did it recently and he was up and running within 2 minutes.

blachole

Stop the hyperbole. You can't unlock it to work with any carrier you want. IT WON'T WORK WITH VERIZON!!

bspence

@RainyDayInterns:
TMo coverage north of atlanta is horrible. I had to switch to AT&T to be able to use my phone in my house.

RokMartian

Let the iPhone virus era begin!

Biggy

Wow that was quick... maybe JAVA will have a chance on the iPhone after all!

Joseph

Why would one go from a TMo to ATT? That doesn't make ANY sense, not if you actually want coverage :-)

RainyDayInterns

Sweet, this sinches it. I'm finally going to get an iPhone. I'm tired of my stuff only half syncing with my MBP. And I've been apprehensive about getting the phone without a definitive way to unlock with full features.

I don't need a $500 paper weight after all, and I'm not buying out of my TMo contract. I hate TMo, but I'm not about to give them $400 to buy out my contract. Eff them that's why.

JacksSenseOfRejection

Best image possible for this story? Yes.

GC

So when will this be released? Maybe it will force Apple to release the official release a bit earlier?

blachole

now this time don't release the code until AFTER the thing comes out!

s017jrs

Just when I thought that we wouldn't have anymore iphone news until june, i awake to find this story.

I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

Carbonfly

Amen!

Northwood

jesus, that was fast

killerstache

@HeartBurnKid: they do sell legal unlocked phones in countries tht require them. and stop reading "maximum pc". or atleast dont tell people you do.

BTW if only 1/4 of their profits is from the hardware sales and the other 3/4 is on kickback from an 18-24 month contract, then it stands to reason that the "exclusive" deals also help the consumer cover costs. my wireless rate is still what it was before so i know IM not directly paying apple out of my contract (ATT is just taking a smaller cut) and i can honestly say that i feel the phone, with it's capabilities and all, is worth more than $400, ESPECIALLY if it were unlocked from the get-go..... (a friend has the $600+ N95 and the $300 blackJack and i thought THOSE were worth it....

izim1

This is bad. As awesome as Apple is, they're still a corporate person who is focused only on profits. Anything that will threaten those profits is dealt with.

As glad as I am that the iPhone Dev Team jailbroke the 2.0 software, they should have KEPT THEIR BLOODY TRAPS SHUT! Now Apple knows, I predict that two things will happen:

1) iPhone will get delayed as Apple closes any loopholes

AND

2) the "new and improved" 2.0 software will be harder to jailbreak

martini1179

lol holy crap that took forever to turn on... are iphones really that slow? glad i went with something else...

mikeysnipa

@newgalactic: Turns out that the 1.2 Firmware doesn't contain any of the Bluetooty, WiFi, Radio functions included in the actual production firmware. So, nothing to see here.

newgalactic

SDK what?

Pixelantes Anonymous

@Jesus Diaz: couldn't apple just institute some sort of callback like wga into the iphone?

Paradise

@bspence: It's "voila!" you lummox! :P

@bspence: It will work with any carrier that uses a compatible connection.

Kaiser-Machead

this is awesome full respect to the dev team!!!!keep up the good work

Manve

@Grifter: what's the point in showering when you're going to get dirty again??think twice...

Manve

Any word on whether the new firmware contains an updated Bluetooth Stack (A2DP)? Or is this something that Apple would not include until the official release in June?

newgalactic

@bspence: Any carrier worth speaking of. Someone call Verizon and tell them to join us in the 21st century with GSM as the world wide standard.

danmandle

@killerstache: I'm surprised it took this long. I've tasted the sweet nectar of the Gods, and it tastes alot like unlocked goodness and grape soda.

tamoko

@blachole: Haha you wrote 'walah'

Jordan Golson

Now if the video would just show more than the passcode lock screen

gamecrazychris

@izim1: And why shouldn't I read it, pray tell? It's probably the least biased source I've ever seen for hardware and software reviews (as long as we're not talking about anything by Valve), and it's full of very useful tips and tweaks for somebody who knows and loves computers.

Oh, and here's the article in question: [www.bloomberg.com]

And no, that figure doesn't mean that your money to AT&T is subsidizing your iPhone. Frankly, I'd have a hard time swallowing that, just looking at the price tag on the thing. If it were, the iPhone would be cheaper than the iPod Touch. This is Apple double-dipping, pure and simple.

HeartBurnKid

@izim1

"Hacking" the phone is not about finding something like an unlocked door or one with a bad lock. At least not always. Sometimes its about finding out that Apple built one of the "load bearing walls" of the phone out of the software equivalent of bricks, which they can't change without making 90% of things on the phone not work. (Did you know you could cut a single brick out of a brick wall? Neither do most people, but its a highly effective way to get something small into a house with no one noticing. Just like in this case with the iPhone).

Software is the most complex thing ever created. It is *very* hard to make simple software that is hack proof. It is impossible to make something like an iPhone that is hackproof. It is just too complex.

Having the same education and training as many of the people who would be at work creating the iPhone, I would say they are going to be on average *less* capable of finding their holes than the cracking team will. Usually exploit teams are much better trained in all the ways things go wrong in software than whomever they are attacking. It doesn't take a very highly paid programer to make most of the components of the system, however to determine if they are foolproof requires lots of time of very very skilled people, of which, apple is not going to have the capability of getting enough of. Money is not enough of a motivator for most of those people, and many military/government outfits are competing for the same groups. (I'd say a disproportionate number of these very bright souls I've come across were only motivated by the pure "neatness" of the projects they were on).

There is a very good chance this is exactly what the dev team does all day :o). They're going to be oodles better at it than the people at apple who just think about doing it all day. And there are more of them too.

It is because the iPhone does so much, that it will always remained hacked.

--Michael

gte910h

Wow, it took them a month or two less than I expected to find a hack to install unsigned apps. This was the type of evolution I was waiting on so now think I am ready to buy an iPhone (I might still wait for 3G).

Building that hack into the firmware is truly a brilliant approach and will make it accessibly to many more people who may have otherwise been hesitant to use any of the Jailbreak apps.

Vagabum

A new iPhone coming soon? How can I have missed this? Links to previous articles is very much appreciated.

VirreVojj

So, um, why this is going to be hard for Apple to fix?

Pender

My..um... roommate wondering when the step by step unlocking guide for dummies is coming out on Gizmodo

chickentamer

@danmandle: Seriously? I'll take Verizon over ATT and Sprint any day.

allstarecho

interesting thought. i dont know how the official SDK works, but would it be possible for amazon to develop a music store app? is there a restriction on that?

rndmideas

that video really speaks for itself... and by that i mean that video was completely pointless.

mwalker05

Am I the only one that finds the video completely fail? I mean it shows nothing. "Oh sweet it says pwned on it, giggle giggle fart"

rawbdee

Come on, look closely, this is NOT a real Iphone, this thing have 2 slits on top,...the borders are not the same,...anybody?

parnico

Holy snap that is beastly.
An unlocked iphone software before it exists.
sick.

smacbook14

What if this was the plan all along? Remember before apple took a neutral stance on hacks to their phone? they said something along the lines of " feel free to tinker, but we are not responsible if you break it" We were all in some agreement that the idea behind the statement was to make ATT happy since they are in business. We all know any phone apple sells is $ for them. This just brings the iphone owners one step closer bliss.

hyoo82

Well, without the AT&T collaboration, Visual Voicemail would not be possible. I don't own an iPhone, but my friend does, and that is one of my favorite parts of it. I hate having to call into my voicemail, to listen to messages from people i'd rather hear later just to get to the important messages.

Either way, this is good news for people who don't care about that.

FatalFlaw