iPhone Dev Team jailbreaks firmware 2.0... before it's out
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted March 11th 2008 11:35PM
posted March 11th 2008 11:35PM
Update: Dev chat room chatter claims that the 2.0 is now fully unlocked as well.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Engadget editors, please stop the posturing. Hackers and geeks are not the typical "end-user." A more secure, stable and, yes, controlled environment is actually beneficial to the majority of consumers. The programmers and power users understandably want to maintain the status quo -- one in which they have utter freedom to do what they deem fit. This virtual caste system is exactly what contributed to the sad state of personal computing today (and to some extent business computing as well).
Imagine how hopping mad people would get if their TV sets would crash as frequent as PCs. Now image automobiles that are as unreliable as PCs; I'm sure you can see outcries and massive lawsuits. So here lies the truth: An open, free-for-all architecture is paradoxically anti-consumer. It unfairly tips the power scale to the digital elites. No wonder they have been the most vocal critics of iPhone's original closed model and now the marginally restrictive SDK, despite the fact that the general pubic have been voting with their wallets.
Sadly, the geek community has long become yet another establishment. They have been exercising their will on the PC landscape, all to the detriment of the common folks. Any attempt to curtail their power - even so slightly as in the case of iPhone SDK - of course is met with self-righteous contempt and outrage. So here's my plea to my fellow programmers and techies: Stop poisoning the digital ecosystem with your unchecked "freedom" to shit all over it. A more responsible developer group is a huge step toward restoring the balance of power, and bring forth a computing platform "for the rest of us."
isn't the site about news? engadget isn't telling to hack your iphone, just that these people have hacked it. It's just like when someone makes a jet car newsworthy, it doesn't mean you have to do that to your vehicle.
Allow me to translate this neo-Bolshevik tripe for you:
digital elites = Non-dumbasses
common folks = Fucking morons
That better? Don't believe me? Look around at the grocery store sometime. Notice the twat on her cellphone blocking the entire aisle with her cart while ignoring her five sub-moron children running wild? That's your "common folk."
Intelligent people, like those who discovered the original jailbreak should restrain their creativity so that creature can have a phone it can't, in its infinite stupidity, fuck up? I think not.
The capable will always have an easier time of things than the stupid. Period. No amount of wishing or whining or restraining those who aren't stupid will change that.
Am I the only one that remembers "the only apps for the iPhone will be WebApps"? Oh, well...what happened?
OH - that's right! Some people jailbroke it, and enough of those digital elites put neat apps on their phone, that common folk with the same phone looked at it and said "wait - why can't my phone do that?" Then all of a sudden, Apple came marching out with trumpets about some "amazing" SDK.
Or how about those geeks that did that crazy stuff with multiple desktops on UNIX? No way any common folk would want that, right? But Spaces in 10.5, well, Apple is brilliant for that contribution.
Seriously, your comments sicken me, and I am not exaggerating. I can understand if someone were just a total idiot, and making a bad argument because they didn't know how to make a good one. But you write out full sentences, in a well spoken manner, that essentially makes the argument that innovation is bad because it isn't accessible to everyone. If you were around in the dark ages, I have little doubt you'd have damned Guttenberg, as the market shows the common folk are perfectly okay getting their daily Bible verses in Latin during Mass.
I think what he is trying to say is that for most people a secure environment can in some ways, protect users from themselves. Obviously innovation is good, but things can't advance too quickly or else you will alienate those who are not willing to take the time to adapt.
As far as the matter at hand, I believe its more of a implementation issue. Companies releasing a product with as much fanfare as the iphone will certainly attract the likes of malicious software developers. An open environment would leave apple's legal and PR department very vulnerable as a "facilitator" of such malicious activity.
I'd like to bring up an alternative question; Does the iPhone's unsanctioned third-party program environment actually benefit the power user? By keeping the community within a more tech inclined group, the phone itself will not receive the public attention that would make it attractive to the malicious developer.
Good post. Basically that's the whole point. This is not a WiMo6 device. And it shouldn't be. It's meant to be easier to use and less prone to conflicts and config issues than your standard smartphone.
Apple is giving people what they have been clamoring for for ages but is trying to keep the experience together and to not piss off the carrier. They are limited in what they can allow in that regard. Don't like it? Go elsewhere
If you want free unrestricted development. Go with WiMo6 or get yourself an Android phone (when they hit the market). Be happy and dev to your hearts content. Or even jailbreak an iPhone.
Seriously so much bitching about a product. You don't have to buy an iPhone. There is no shortage of competition in this arena. Vote with your wallet. But filling the intertubes with vitriol about your dislike for a specific hardware device is fairly childish and annoying.
FREEEDOOOMM!! Yeah whatever. I'll take a nicely integrated suite over the usual OSS mess anyday. And should be FREE to do so. (see freedom goes both ways) Thanks!
I'm just pleased as punch that engadget can turn every article about the talents of others into mindless non-comedy about themselves.
Really, engadget, go back to the front page and see just how often you try to make EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE about yourselves.
They also gave us the power to low rank you. Yay Engadget!
Does no one realize that this means EVERYTHING?!!?!? APPLE ROYALLY FUCKED ALL OF THE NON-PARTNERED DEVELOPERS on this one. The release of the SDK last thursday wasn't the full shabang. They only gave us a sandbox to play in - we really wanted the beach. What I mean by that is that they gave us the SDK but no way to pass the data on to the phone itself. "Here go play with this emulated iphone". On the other hand they gave all of their partners a headstart on "REAL" apps. Ones that had rich open gl and AL.
So the news that hackers have gotten the 2.0 out of the phone before june is amazing. That means that we can finally get to work on REAL apps and stop playing in their limited sand box.
C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!
Of course this might not be an accident. ATT probably doesn't have software folks standing over Apple's shoulder; throw a few exploitable holes in there, your phone goes international, and your US carrier stays happy! Play along for a bit, issue a few threatening statements, throw a brick at the careless, really sell it - because I don't know about you, but I don't like corporate contract law.
EXACTLY! Jeez, it's not that tough to figure out.
Say w3rd. F&%K Apple for locking down their software. I commend them jailbreakers. Let this be a lesson Apple, quit locking down your devices. If you pay money for something, you should be able to do whatever the F*&K you want with your device. I hope they hack the hell outta the future "iPhone 3G" before it comes out too. Apple, you better listen to engadget and STOP locking up your devices. Not only are you pissing off the consumers, but your making enemies far and wide. Open your devices now, or we'll keep opening them by force!
Wow I want to get my hands on the beta + jailbreak so badly.
too late on the combo breaker, bud.
"just let people do what they want with your devices, since they're clearly going to do it anyway."
Exactly!
No.
I think this is great! There will always be a hacking / jailbreaking community. And if they (we) crash the phone, or mess it up - who cares! they're voiding their warranty and yadda yadda yadda.
So Apple is going to have good quality apps in the app store and this will guarantee that the user experience doesn't get messed up. and for those who want to play, go for it!
Torrent of firmware?
Yaaaaaaawn. I don't give a crap about this thing called "iPhone" until a) it gets 3G, and b) is open to personal experimentation
Hey, thanks! For nothing.
I'll ask my friend from china if they have any hacked iPhones over there!
Hey guys, too much can not be said about the jailbreak or it's method, but I am planning to post a video giving a tour of the firmware up on YouTube sometime in the next couple days.
Stay tuned and thanks for your support!
kudos to dev team
I'm somewhat of a broken record on this, but when it comes out say "Screw apple, I'm going with Android." Android will have practically all the functionality and more with an open platform. Not to mention that when it comes out they will open up the source code, which mean porting to all sorts of devices. No doubt the iPhone will be one of the first.
Apple, get ready to get your clock cleaned by an example of what the iPhone and it's OS should have, and very well could have :(, been.
I agree with the article. Open-source isn't just a platform. For me, it's a PHILOSOPHY for developing software. You keep the software's source code nice and open to all so that people can do whatever they want with the software/firmware, perhaps do more than even paid software engineers do!
Unfortunately, open-source philosophy in this case (or at least in the way I put it) conflicts directly with current patent/copyright protection laws which stipulate that your iPhone/iPod/Samsung P2/Samsung T10/any device is still property of the original company marketing the device...even though you've paid $100+ for that product. -_-
Mr. Jobs...and all you electronics companies out there...please...take heed!
Please, do we really want it to be a free for all on our iPhones. Even if its by choice you know many people would be tricked into downloading malicious content.
I think the current situation is fine. Let Apple be the official gatekeeper, let them vet the apps and ensure a reliable environment.
Those that want more can always go and jailbreak their phones. But I think that requiring that deliberate step will keep things alot more sane, as those who don't know enough to be careful won't have to worry about it.
Only Nerds, Geeks, and Addicts care whether the iPhone is Jail Broken or not. The "Normal" population really doesn't care. Just the people reading sites like this.
"Only Nerds, Geeks, and Addicts care whether the iPhone is Jail Broken or not. The "Normal" population really doesn't care. Just the people reading sites like this."
The "Normal" population (the IQ100s as I call them) won't have the faintest clue. They'll only be half aware of half of the things their new toy can do and they'll be too dumb to imagine there might be more.
"Normal" (aka thick as pigshit) is what big companies wish *everyone* was, so that their products can be as crippled as they like and the users can be milked of every penny.
"Half way awake" is the minimum level for folk who want the devices they've bought to actually do everything they're capable of, without having to ask a 'gatekeeper' (aka toll-collector) for permission every time something new is developed.
Fortunately, although "Normal" is the state of the majority of the population, a significant enough fraction have enough brain cells to realise they're being ripped off by the manufacturers of clever devices and to look for ways around the pointless money grabbing restrictions.
This means that there will always be ways around tricks that are designed to do no more than limit what can be done with a device that you've *bought* and *paid for*.
Long Live the JailBreakers!
Stuff the idiots who've enough brain cells to participate in a forum like this but are so pig ignorant that they *still* prefer the idea of living in a software jail.
Dave J.
Apple and Steve Jobs will never give in. Read the articles about Apple and Steve Jobs in the latest issue of Fortune Magazine for an insight.
And here is my advice to the iPhone Dev Team: I think that the you should get a life, stop hacking, use the Apple SDK and stop think that you are so cool.
And my tip for Engadget is to stop write so silly articles. There aren't any 2.0 Firmware you yet... Tomorrow I'm sure we will see an article that says" iPhone Dev Team breaks iPhone 2.0!!!" Like anyone cares. But if they do break 2.0 when it comes out. I hope Apple updates to 2.0.1 as soon as possible to stop the hackers.
Sorry, but this is ridiculous on the face of it. The title of the post on Engadget is misleading, as is the title of the post on ModMyiPhone.com. They didn't jailbreak 2.0. They claim to have jailbroken 1.2 beta. Then they make the leap of logic that 1.2 beta "will be released as 2.0." That is, on it's face incorrect. For those of you who have read-up on this subject, you know that 2.0 will contain a brand new kernel that will **only allow signed code to run.** 1.2 beta does not contain this new kernel, thus is not proof that the iPhone Dev Team has circumvented the 2.0 kernel's requirement for signed code whatsoever.
I have no doubt that some attack vector will be discovered eventually once 2.0 is actually in the hands of intelligent folks like the dev team. But, jailbreaking 1.2 beta ain't it.
What's a Windows fanboy?
Perhaps Apple is just following the rules in their contract with AT&T. If Apple really wanted to secure the iPhone and it was a priority for them I doubt they would have much trouble securing the device. AT&T has more to lose than Apple if the phone is hacked.
Is this an issue with piracy or is it an issue with version controlling? Apple seems to have a plan under wraps that is probably going to unfold for at least another 5-10 years from the looks of it over the past 3-4 years. Perhaps they don't want anyone becoming unruly and causing a disruption in their plans?
Piracy, really, isn't an issue. The few people that actually pirate software and movies and music to SAVE MONEY are few and far between. Most people over 30 will go out and buy the products they want because they can afford it. The majority of these "issues" with piracy come from college students and younger - people that really WOULDN'T EVEN BUY THESE PRODUCTS if they were available for free on the internet. They never had any intention of purchasing them, but instead, they can get it for free illegally, and they know that, and that should be fine in the minds of the businesses. Because the more people that use your product, the more popular it becomes, and the more popular a product is, the more money will be made by a company. Whether it is software, music, movies - it doesn't matter. You can't force people to purchase your products - that's fascism or scientology morality, whichever you prefer to call it.
People are going to share, whether you want them to or not. I think it would be better to embrace the majority of this sharing as it promotes a healthier society. And people are going to hack, and break, and tear apart any little gadget or devices you want to hand over to them. So quit getting your panties in a bunch and let it ride.
How is it that so many people don't understand why Apple keeps the device locked?
Since they are the sole provider of the iPhone (hardware and software), they are responsible for tech support.
So say the iPhone shipped unlocked right out of the box and a new user installs an 5 apps that run in the background and eat up so much of the cellular bandwidth that a good percentage of their calls aren't getting through because of it.
So now said user goes to the Apple store to have one of their CSR's look into it. How does a CSR determine that its the 5 apps running in the background thats messing up the phone? He doesn't know what those apps are, since they didn't ship with the iPhone and they are created by users.
So Apple gives you the best of both worlds. For those who don't want to jailbreak they have a completely secure phone free of any problems they aren't fully aware of (except for the screwed up screens on the 16GB models that they refuse to publicly acknowledge). Jailbreakers get the apps and freedom they wanted, and Apple doesn't have to deal with the headache of providing tech support for them. If you have the knowledge to go out and jailbreak a phone, I would assume you have the ability to troubleshoot as well.
Seems like everyone gets what they want in this arrangement. Why are so many users of jailbroken phones so angry with Apple?
they killed kenny!!
you bastards!!!
IRIX!
Don't you guys think this is a stupid move by the Dev team? It is basically shwoing Apple the shortcomings in the new firmware and they will work towards blocking them out when it finally comes out. This case you are helping the cat.
iPwnd - love those hackers!
hey can somebody tell me from where to download the this latest jailbreak for 2.0 so that i can install my third party apps without $99 developer fee to apple