iPhone 3G will need 'unbricking' when purchased?
More signs are emerging that Apple is taking new steps to restrict iPhone hacking with the release of the iPhone 3G.AppleInsider got its hands on a memo sent to AT&T retail employees that warns them to be on the lookout for a special iTunes "unbricking" utility that was supposed to be pushed to the computers of all retail employees last week. According to the memo, "this icon is for the iTunes utility that will be used for unbricking iPhone 3G devices during the activation process. ... Please note, this is not a full version of iTunes and is for use with activations ONLY. Employees should not use this software until Launch Day."A similar memo was distributed to employees of Rogers, Canada's besieged iPhone carrier, according to a post in the forums of iphoneincanada.ca. That memo also suggests that the iPhone 3G will need to be physically connected to the in-store computer to be activated.We already knew that the (mostly) convenient at-home activation process that was used for last year's iPhone launch was out this time around. It appears that every iPhone 3G will have to be activated in the store at the time of purchase, and all buyers will have to sign a two-year contract to boot, before it can be taken home.But what hasn't been clear is whether Apple has taken any additional steps beyond the activation process to deter iPhone unlocking. Since March or so, iPhone hackers have been able to get control of the iPhone by getting around the way the iPhone checks for a security certificate before loading code into the system, rather than trying to work around each firmware update as it is released.The AT&T memos suggest that Apple is shipping the iPhone 3Gs as "bricked" devices, which brings back memories of the bricked iPhones that resulted after some folks unlocked their iPhones and then downloaded the 1.1.1 software update. It's currently possible to hack an iPhone before it's activated on a cell network and unlock it to run on a different GSM network from the one it was intended, but if the iPhone 3G ships to stores as bricked, that might not be possible.With the release of formal iPhone applications, it's been interesting to wonder how unofficial iPhone development projects would continue. There's little doubt groups like the iPhone Dev Team will continue to build applications that Apple decides are not allowed in the App Store, but they might have an uphill battle if Apple has changed the way the iPhone 3G works.The retail employees of both Apple and AT&T might also have an uphill battle on their hands trying to get all the iPhone 3G devices unbricked and activated on July 11, the first day the phones go on sale. Silicon Alley Insider notes a survey by RBC Capital Markets indicated that 56 percent of those looking to buy a smartphone in the next 90 days want an iPhone 3G, which is in line with what CNET News.com readers said in our own poll earlier this year.
Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers
Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers
Apple this morning released yet another beta version of its iOS 5 software to developers, marking the sixth since offering a test version of the software in June.Boy Genius Report has posted a full change log of the update, and it appears to be mostly bug fixes, short of some additions to interface builder, the tools that let developers put together their applications. As BGR also notes, unlike the last beta, this one is not requiring developers to do a clean wipe of their testing devices ahead of installing the software. Apple has said it will release iOS 5 to users as a free update this fall. The company typically seeds several beta versions of its major software releases to developers ahead of time to work out any bugs and give the developers time to integrate new features and APIs into their applications. This is just the latest in a long series of software releases leading up to the public availability. AppleSo far, Apple has released a new version of the software every couple of weeks:• iOS 5 beta 1 on 6/6• iOS 5 beta 2 on 6/24• iOS 5 beta 3 on 7/11• iOS 5 beta 4 on 7/22• iOS 5 beta 5 on 8/6Of note, today's release comes some two days after a supposed release date found inside the code of the previous developer build.The new version of the software brings an overhaul of the notifications system, alongside a new messaging platform called iMessage that lets iOS users text and chat with one another free of charge. The software is also deeply tied to Apple's upcoming iCloud service, which will be used to ferry photos, applications, and settings back and forth between iOS devices, as well as serve as a free backup solution.Along with the new beta build of iOS 5, Apple released a new developer build of iWork for iOS that includes tie-ins to its upcoming iCloud service. The company also offered updated betas of iTunes 10.5, Apple TV software, and a new developer preview of Xcode 4.2. Update at 4:43 p.m. PT: TechCrunch notes that along with the bug fixes, this latest beta brings the end of life for Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs. Those are the identification codes, akin to serial numbers, that are associated with the device, regardless of the user, which have commonly been used by analytics and third-party advertising networks. As part of iOS 5 beta 6, developers are now being encouraged to create their own unique identifiers, specific to an application.
Apple this morning released yet another beta version of its iOS 5 software to developers, marking the sixth since offering a test version of the software in June.Boy Genius Report has posted a full change log of the update, and it appears to be mostly bug fixes, short of some additions to interface builder, the tools that let developers put together their applications. As BGR also notes, unlike the last beta, this one is not requiring developers to do a clean wipe of their testing devices ahead of installing the software. Apple has said it will release iOS 5 to users as a free update this fall. The company typically seeds several beta versions of its major software releases to developers ahead of time to work out any bugs and give the developers time to integrate new features and APIs into their applications. This is just the latest in a long series of software releases leading up to the public availability. AppleSo far, Apple has released a new version of the software every couple of weeks:• iOS 5 beta 1 on 6/6• iOS 5 beta 2 on 6/24• iOS 5 beta 3 on 7/11• iOS 5 beta 4 on 7/22• iOS 5 beta 5 on 8/6Of note, today's release comes some two days after a supposed release date found inside the code of the previous developer build.The new version of the software brings an overhaul of the notifications system, alongside a new messaging platform called iMessage that lets iOS users text and chat with one another free of charge. The software is also deeply tied to Apple's upcoming iCloud service, which will be used to ferry photos, applications, and settings back and forth between iOS devices, as well as serve as a free backup solution.Along with the new beta build of iOS 5, Apple released a new developer build of iWork for iOS that includes tie-ins to its upcoming iCloud service. The company also offered updated betas of iTunes 10.5, Apple TV software, and a new developer preview of Xcode 4.2. Update at 4:43 p.m. PT: TechCrunch notes that along with the bug fixes, this latest beta brings the end of life for Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs. Those are the identification codes, akin to serial numbers, that are associated with the device, regardless of the user, which have commonly been used by analytics and third-party advertising networks. As part of iOS 5 beta 6, developers are now being encouraged to create their own unique identifiers, specific to an application.
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