RSSSoftware Developers Successfully Unlock iPhone
By Ed Oswald | Published August 24, 2007, 1:43 PM
Those waiting for a solution to use the iPhone on a network other than AT&T may have found it: a six-man team of researchers has claimed to crack the SIM lock. This means the iPhone will work on T-Mobile and other GSM carriers overseas.
The crack was produced by iPhoneSIMfree.com, which has invited press organizations to allow the group to unlock their phones for them. Tech Web log Engadget was one of them, and it wrote a post Friday describing the process.
No date for public release has yet been set for the software. However, such an application would likely be well received by those who may want the phone yet balk at the idea of signing a contract with AT&T.
It also appears that Apple was already ready for this eventuality: when unlocked, the phone still will perform as advertised save for visual voicemail. New settings appear which allow the user to select preferred network and EDGE usernames and passwords. All other functions work except for YouTube, which requires some additional work.
In addition, the unlock is upgrade and restore resistant, the group says. If true, this would make it difficult for Apple to retaliate against unlockers by locking them out of their phones.
iPhoneSIMfree.com's solution is much less involved that another method also disclosed on Friday by the Associated Press. In that solution, the phone has to be taken apart and soldered. In all, the process takes about two hours.
Unlocking your iPhone is perfectly legal under a 2006 exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. But it may be that nobody can give you the software to do it.
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|Unlocking your iPhone is perfectly legal under a 2006 exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. But it may be that nobody can give you the software to do it.
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|Unlocking your iPhone is perfectly legal under a 2006 exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. But it may be that nobody can give you the software to do it.
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|Unlocking your phone from any carrier is legal internationally recently posted a couple months ago, by certain ways.... Doing it hardware is illegal, not by software.
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|Why does Apple insist on making their products so controlled and unattainable! That's the reason M$ took the 100% OS market away from Apple in the 80's. Instead of controlling the OS, M$ designed something that would work on practically all available hardware. Apple could have made a killing with the iPhone if they just sold an unlocked phone. Even if they converted everybody in the US to AT&T they would still only have 270 million customers. It's a good deal for AT&T but not so much for Apple. Apple for some reason forgets that there are 6 billion people on this planet. If tomorrow AT&T should go out of business the iPhone is ph***ed. In business you should never put all your eggs in one basket. Why do these idiots at Apple just refuse to learn from their past mistakes?!!
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|You argument is flawed. First of all, you assume everyone wants an iphone. We all know it's not the case.
Second, at a $600 price tag, not that many people can afford. Comparing the iPhone to the PS3, the PS3 look very attractive for $600.
Third, telecom companies will never go out of business. Do you know why, because they pass all their expensive to their customers. Don't believe me, just look at your bill.
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|Yes, I'm going on “IF” everybody did want an iPhone.
And “IF” everyone in the US could afford it and wanted it.
And “IF” it were ever possible for AT&T or any telecom company to go out of business.
I wasn't being literal.
I know that Irony, Sarcasm, Rhetorical Questions, Reading Between The Lines and so on... doesn't work too well here but it couldn't really hurt to try could it! My point was that Apple historically and again made a poor business decision that cost them money. This goes for every product, no matter how cheap or expensive, if you restrict a user they will go else where.
And btw any company, no matter how big, with bad or crooked management can go out of business. Remember Enron???
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|Well the 17 year old is indeed quite intelligent but there is no need for flame as that is a hardware based crack.
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|Ed Oswald, BetaNews you are a moron.
A 17 year figured out first and long before your so called researchers did. The story broke real early this morning on NBC.
It begs the question: How many old aged researchers does it take to discover what a 17 year old can. Answer: Too many!
BTW, who brought the story to your attention?
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|1) you are the moron.
2) the cracks are different, the teen's involves hardware modification as well as software, the crack mentioned in this article does not require any hardware modifications.
learn to read, then learn to grasp the concept that multiple things can exist to accomplish the same goal.
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|I like how you claim he figured it out 'long before' these researchers did, then say it broke early this morning. What a stretch of time!
As said by others, it DOES mention the 17 year olds method too, but that one requires hardware modifications. This doesn't.
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|A 17 year old, George Holtz,from N.J. is credited with unlocking the code. His story is posted at the following link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com.../wid/11915829?GT1=10252
He posted a blog with the solution for free. We have conflicting claims in these two stories. Who really broke the code?
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|He will soon receive a letter from Apple. A court letter.
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|Considering how much this thing costs, you'd think they'd sell it outright/unlocked. There is no way I am gonna pay hundreds of dollars for a phone that is still locked to a carrier!
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|people just don't understand that they get a discounted phone from the carrier. that gives the carrier the right to lock it so you have to use the phone they partially paid for on their service.
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|Excuse me sir? How is the iPhone discounted?
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|Who knows. Without them selling an unlocked version, we can't tell if AT&T is subsidising the phones or not. Who knows. Maybe they'd be $1000 unlocked. :P
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|That should cause the price of the I-Phone to "come down to earth", Right?
http://osi-speaks.blogspot.com/2007/08/apple-i-phone-is-hacked.html#links
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|hmm seems someones lien again.it was posted in another forum that a kid from newjersey i believed crack this... now this hmmmm
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|It's possible that two people could have done this, you realize that, right?
Not to mention, this kid from New Jersey, sounds a little fishy.
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|"iPhoneSIMfree.com's solution is much less involved that another method also disclosed on Friday by the Associated Press. In that solution, the phone has to be taken apart and soldered. In all, the process takes about two hours."
,,,,,they mentioned it, read.
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|Its amazing that a few here thnk this is an Apple issue.
What truly amazes me is that the entire community has tolerated phones not being portable across providers!
Its time that everyone demand hardware portability to the extent that it is compatible.
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|Yeah, it's called a bleedin' monopoly, kinda.
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|foxfyre is quite correct, as are those making observations re carriers, and portability. It's not a monopoly as such, however perhaps another provider may come up a valid legal argument regarding restraint of trade.
But, it is all about exchange commissions, gotta be careful here so I'll leave it at that.
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|I guess AT&T can sue Apple for this. After all, this phone is exclusive for AT&T, and not suppose to allow other carriers to use it. Thought Apple is good for security, guess not. They can now throw away their "It just works" marketing gimmick.
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|no they can't apple has agreed not to sell the phone through any other carrier in the us. period. thats it.
they are not responsible if the security measures that they and at&t colaborated on are circumvented.
this has absolutly nothing to do with apple security or iphone security. grow up.
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|i still can't understand how that could have fly by all the anti monopolistic laws in US...
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|How is this has nothing to do with Apple? This has everything to do with Apple. If it exclusive, then they have the responsibility to enforce it. Just because it doesn't sell it for other carrier, it does not change the fact they have an exclusive agreement with AT&T.
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|What rock have you guys just crawled out from under?
First, if a provider wants to offer an exclusive arrangement with a provider this has nothing to do with anti-trust!
But the general issue of phones being locked and non-portable is an INDUSTRY standard practice! And that sucks.
And yet the public has heretofore done little complaining.
But I'm glad that a few of you woke up just in time to bash Apple. I'm sure glad you didn't miss your myopic opportunity.
Now you can crawl back under your partisan rocks.
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|Isn't apple the MOST secure platforms to have ever been made? (I saw that on TV somewhere.. On an apple ad) The iPhone based on the SUPER SUPER secure Sahari web browser.. (that was proven insecure in less then 10mins for release.)
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|no it doesn't. The samsung blackjack is an at&t exclusive, yet is very simple to unlock and use on other carriers including overseas. Should samsung be paying at&t each time a device is unlocked? no, because exclusivity agreements refer to only that the product will not be sold or advertised as working with another carrier.
please have something to post besides your idea of the meaning of exclusivity.
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|"If true, this would make it difficult for Apple to retaliate against unlockers by locking them out of their phones."
Oh no.. NO one wants the WRATH of Master of Hollywood Steve Jobs.. (also known as the most powerful person in Hollywood.)
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|thats awesome. and people are sometimes worried unlocking a device voids are contract or something along those lines, basicly if the carrier is allow to lock the device, they user may unlock it. but don't expect at&ts assitance with it.
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