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New Firmware Fixes Previously Bricked iPhones

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the house-that-iphone-built-comes-crumbling-down dept.

drcagn writes "Ars Technica reports that Apple's new 1.1.3 firmware update unbricks iPhones damaged from unlocking and updating the firmware months ago. In September, users who hacked their iPhone's firmware to unlock it found their iPhone bricked when they updated to new firmware, creating a massive upset and internet furor. Although Apple claimed this was not an intended effect of the update, it held the stance that it is not their responsibility to ensure that updates work with users' warranty-voiding hacks, and many cried foul. This update, which provides new features Jobs showed off at Macworld, while not officially unbricking the iPhone, has restored iPhones from Gizmodo and a reader of the Unofficial Apple Weblog."

7 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Confused by Toonol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If a iPhone can receive an update that unbricks it, then it was never bricked in the first place.

    1. Re:Confused by GroeFaZ · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, it was just resting. On its back.

      --
      The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
    2. Re:Confused by jrumney · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think people splitting hairs about the use of the term "brick" are missing the point.

      Bricked is when you need to take out the soldering iron and connect up a JTAG cable. If you can still communicate with the firmware loader over USB, it isn't bricked.

    3. Re:Confused by vux984 · · Score: 5, Funny

      If a iPhone can receive an update that unbricks it, then it was never bricked in the first place.

      Correct. Welcome to the new age of blogger journalism where something is called bricked the moment even a single feature or other stops working.

      My wireless keyboard is on the verge of being bricked, excuse me... ... I had to go put in a new battery before I finished this post. Looks like it un-bricked my keyboard, whew.

  2. They are right by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "held the stance that it is not their responsibility to ensure that updates work with users' warranty-voiding hacks, "

    They shouldn't be held liable. You buy a product and modify it the manufacture can't, and shouldn't, be held responsible for the results.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  3. ABout brick by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Save yourself some frustration and realizer the term brick changed when it hit the mainstream market.
    Like 'Hacker'. You can't stop it, just sigh and go on, otherwise your just screaming into the wind.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  4. The brick it gracelessly by Sloppy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bricked about this happening to "meme" a couple years ago, then bricked the solution, so I'd like to brick some words of encouragement to anyone who feels bricked by the loss: brick your vengeance. If you can't brick "brick," then nobody can.

    Heretofore, "to brick" can brick anything. You can brick a beer; you can brick a pizza. You can brick a computer; and you can brick your girlfriend. You can brick your hat, except in Soviet Russia, where hat bricks you.

    Go brick something, and then brick somebody about it in the hopes that they'll brick someone else. Brick the word, so the whole world will brick that they bricked "brick." Hopefully after that, maybe they will have bricked that some words are better off left unbricked.

    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.