Obvious: unlocked iPhones may become bricks with the next firmware update

Monday, Sep. 24 2007 | Author: Griffith

Since Apple is only a few days from releasing the eagerly awaited iPhone update that will allow consumers to access the iTunes Wifi Store, they thought it would be a good idea to remind all of the users who unlocked their iPhones, or in other words, modified it’s firmware, that the next firmware update may render the device useless, or in the term we use: brick it.

Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone’s warranty.

This doesn’t mean that Apple hates you. It only means that they can’t and won’t guaranty that you’ll be able to update your iPhone successfully if you’ve tampered with it’s firmware. Sony released a statement very similar to the one above when custom firmwares started to emerge for the PSP, and so did XPTO company which saw it’s device’s software being tampered with.

But even with this warning… I’m certain that there will most likely be a flood of hate-articles if this next update happens to brick a random iPhone of some random European guy.

[Via our very own sister blog: Applegazette]