Pod2g Confirms iOS 6, iOS 6.1 Beta 4 Untethered Jailbreak

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Pod2g Confirms iOS 6, iOS 6.1 Beta 4 Untethered Jailbreak

Posted by timothy on Sunday January 27, 2013 @06:13AM from the stick-'em-together dept.

hypnosec writes "Well known iOS security researcher Pod2g has confirmed that a working untethered iOS 6 jailbreak is ready and would be released as soon as iOS 6.1 GM is released. In an interview with iDigitalTimes, the security researcher has revealed that they are already in possession of a functional untethered iOS 6 and iOS 6.1 beta 4 jailbreak, and the majority of the work has been done by @planetbeing and @pimskeks. '6.0 is jailbroken, 6.1 beta 4 also. Now we are waiting 6.1 to confirm and release,' said the researcher. He said that the jailbreak would have been possible without him as he came into the iOS 6 jailbreak scene at a later stage and provided pointers that pushed the other researchers to the maximum."

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Huh? by Desler · 2013-01-27 06:29 · Score: 0

"Would have been possible without him"? Is there a typo there?
1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 06:37 · Score: 0
  
  No.
2. Re:Huh? by Gaygirlie · 2013-01-27 06:38 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  No, he's just giving the other two the credit they deserve and says that he wasn't required, he was only helpful in polishing the jailbreak.
3. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 06:40 · Score: 0
  
  From the article
  
  "I arrived at the end, gave ideas that pushed them to their maximum, I kinda unblocked the situation, but it would certainly have happened without me helping", said Cyril.
4. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 06:42 · Score: 0
  
  The others had already done loads of work. So he wasn't essential to the process.
  To quote from the second link:
  
  "I arrived at the end, gave ideas that pushed them to their maximum, I kinda unblocked the situation, but it would certainly have happened without me helping."
  
  Pod2g said that he isn’t as involved as the other guys in the development of the jailbreak because of his work but, is responsible for handling communications, websites and some development. He said that @planetbeing was the man behind this particular jailbreak. "Now I am helping as much as I can in terms of communication, websites, and also development, but I was not involved the same way as previous, focused on my work and all.”
  it's a little poorly worded because normally you would expect "it could not have happened without me", rather than "it could have happened without me". But whatever.
5. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 06:45 · Score: 0
  
  RTFA: no it's not.
  "I arrived at the end, gave ideas that pushed them to their maximum, I kinda unblocked the situation, but it would certainly have happened without me helping"
  It would have been quite pedantic otherwise.
6. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:08 · Score: 0
  
  while it got modded down, i thought this was pretty funny. he's obviously not serious; he's making fun of how typical slashdotters overreact to everything.
7. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:35 · Score: 0
  
  No, he's just giving the other two the credit they deserve and says that he wasn't required, he was only helpful in polishing the jailbreak.
  And we all love and respect him even more for it.
  That is a gentleman, right there, folks!
8. Re:Huh? by arkane1234 · 2013-01-27 08:39 · Score: 1
  
  I take it your showing the truest of traits around here, you didn't read the rest of the paragraph.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
9. Re: Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 10:08 · Score: 0
  
  No, he said himself that they would've figured out a way themselves eventually. Nevertheless, pod2g is not to be underestimated, not is musclenerd...
10. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 21:43 · Score: 0
  
  What about this link? http://dreamjb.net/2013/01/jailbreak-ios-6-1-beta-5-guide/ - are its works?
Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 06:30 · Score: 1

Three cheers for our new digital heros. Is it now left up to hackers to fight for our freedoms? Do *your* part!
1. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by Nexus7 · 2013-01-27 07:21 · Score: 1
  
  Can someone clarify for me how exactly this is fighting for freedoms? AFAIK, iOS is pretty locked down, and this is in the EULA. Which ou agree to when you buy the device. I mean, no one who is carrying the mantle of digital freedom is lining up to get one of these iDevices thinking they're doing freedomish stuff, right?
2. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by kthreadd · 2013-01-27 08:05 · Score: 1
  
  Well, it's all relative. For a lot of people coming over to iOS from Windows and even in some cases Macs iOS is the first OS that they use where they actually have software freedom in that they want to use and feel confident about using third party software. The installation process on both Windows and Mac is terrible in comparison, especially on Macs where you have to know what a mounted dmg is. And that assumes that actually finding the software can be done in the first place. In comparison, iOS makes it so much easier for the user. Not all users of course, but for the majority. Waving the open flag won't bring those over, because iOS is better than what they had before.
  Linux is obviously a better alternative. Bring up Software Center, click and you're done. Too bad that Linux on the desktop didn't spread as well as it did on mobile.
3. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by SuricouRaven · 2013-01-27 08:46 · Score: 2
  
  Linux has its own issues. It's a lot better than it used to be, certainly - but it suffers in a manner from great diversity. One Windows or OSX computer is almost exactly like any other - you don't have to worry about not having the correct versions of many different libraries, or system files not being in the same place on every distro. So long as you stick to the distro's own store or repository, all is well - venture outside, and trouble looms.
4. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by arkane1234 · 2013-01-27 08:46 · Score: 1
  
  You're an odd individual. Either that, or isolated. Let's educate you.
  an iDevice is a quality product, and the operating system the same. Unfortunately, the alternative is something different, which is not what's desired by said person. The only thing missing is the ability to extend the operating system further, so that's what this is.
  Now that you understand, I'm sure you can concur. If not, re-read this until you understand.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
5. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 15:10 · Score: 0
  
  Pretty much all of those problems go away if you build from source, so the Linux world has very little incentive to change.
6. Re:Digital Robin Hoods and Ned Kellys by hawkinspeter · 2013-01-27 20:52 · Score: 1
  
  I've never agreed to an EULA when buying a device; it's always after purchase when you've got no real choice except to agree to it without reading.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by tuppe666 · 2013-01-27 06:38 · Score: 3, Informative

Three cheers for our new digital heros.
...Apparently though its not Apple who are pretty much been anti-consumer for some time with EFF and others trying to keep the option of jailbreaking legal (Its still illegal on your iPad)
This is back from 2010 http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/feds-ok-iphone-jailbreaking/ [wired.com] The PDF about Apples responce and basically jailbreaking does this,
"Crashes & instability
Malfunctioning & safety
Invasion of privacy
Exposing children to age-inappropriate content
Viruses & malware
Inability to update software
Cellular network impact
Piracy of developers’ applications
Instability of developers’ applications
Increased support burden
Developer relationships
The Apple/iPhone brand
Limitation on ability to innovate"
It also says your breaking Licence agreements and copyright infringement too as well as well as DMCA anti-circumvention
Boycott Apple products...Its not like there are mass of better value alternatives, that support this.
1. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by BasilBrush · 2013-01-27 06:57 · Score: 0
  
  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3743
2. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:16 · Score: 0, Informative
  
  And there's a mass of malware to go with it. You're probably infected and don't even know.
  http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223777/Massive_Android_malware_op_may_have_infected_5_million_users
3. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by KiloByte · 2013-01-27 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Limitation on ability to innovate
  What the fucking fuck! They're claiming that jailbreaking reduces the ability to innovate?
  
  --
  The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
4. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:19 · Score: 0
  
  Almost undecipherable grammar and syntax aside, almost all of those warnings in your post and the KB in another response are true. Have you jailbroken an iPhone? Sure you get some nifty new features, but it really does cause increased battery drain and instability (depending on the jailbreak apps you've installed). Like everything else in life, it's a trade-off, but Apple has a legitimate business reason for not wanting devices jailbroken.
5. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by SuricouRaven · 2013-01-27 08:37 · Score: 2
  
  I think they mean business innovation, not technological. The ability to lock down hardware such that the manufacturer still retains control even after sale does enable a number of successful new business models. If the user can buy the hardware and do as they please, businesses are largely confined to the basic method of trying to sell equipment for more than it cost to manufacture.
6. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by arkane1234 · 2013-01-27 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  No. thanks, though.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
7. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by AmiMoJo · 2013-01-27 09:11 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  I don't see why anyone would buy an Apple device and then jailbreak it. There are equal or better Android equivalents the are not locked down and even if you do jailbreak an Apple device you are still forced to use iTunes to manage media on it.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
8. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2013-01-27 09:21 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Here's one reason (but not the only one):
  Some of us, having used both, prefer iOS.
  
  --
  #DeleteChrome
9. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  To be fair, most of that list is completely true. And I say that as a person who has all my devices jailbroken since the iPhone3G and iPad1.
  Only the legal one is factually incorrect, and of course the too-vague-to-interpret which can't be factually argued either way.
  Crashes & instability - There are quite a few apps that push the devices way past their limits. I've personally experienced the slowdowns and memory leaks caused by Winterboard, as well as had various tweaks just end up breaking things until removed.
  Malfunctioning & safety One time after jailbreaking a phone I discovered the combination of a specific jailbreak app plus iBlacklist would cause a strange memory leak. It would run perfectly fine for about 7 days, then the cell radio would go dead until reboot.
  While it was dead, up until you went to use it there was no indication that it happened. Most certainly a malfunction! Had an emergency cropped up just then that required calling 911, having to wait two minutes to reboot could easily mean the difference between life and death, even if a rare situation.
  Invasion of privacy
  Viruses & malware - No app in the cydia store is vetted or checked by default, and most not at all. There have been plenty of stories of trojaned apps for all 3rd party stores.
  Exposing children to age-inappropriate content - Apps have to willingly abide by the parental controls and built in age restrictions. If an app does not do so, Apple does not approve it.
  This isn't the case with Cydia apps.
  Inability to update software Very true - both the OS and store apps alike.
  My iPhone 4s is currently stuck on the latest 5.1.1, awaiting for the 6.0 jailbreak.
  At first, the jailbreak tools came pretty quickly after an OS update, but as the low hanging holes have been patched, it gets harder and harder with more time needed to release a working jailbreak.
  Additionally, apps are compiled with a minimum version, which has less to do with a number in the file than it does the APIs the app requires to be present. Any apps needing 6.0 I can't install or upgrade to. Sometimes the developers choose to not raise the version requirement on newer versions, especially if they don't use the new features. Others raise it to the max no matter what the update is, even fixing a text typo.
  Cellular network impact While I've never experienced this myself, I've read news stories of apps wrecking havoc on the cell network. Also, at least by AT&T's definition, MyWi is considered an evil network app, as it lets you tether using your existing data limits without paying extra for the tether plan. While that last example is bullshit, from their point of view I can certainly see why they would claim it. Using what I pay for, without paying extra?!? What a thief that would make me.
  Piracy of developersâ(TM) applications No argument here. If you've ever seen Installious before, it made piracy easier than the hayday of bittorrent did.
  Instability of developersâ(TM) applications This would be another point of view thing like MyWi.
  For example, I have a GPS spoofer installed. I can have it return any particular cords when an app asks. If I am not on wifi at the time, that is the only geolocation info they will get.
  There are also tweaks designed to change an apps default behavior, some of which have been known to cause crashes or slowdowns - thou some are well worth even those problems.
  Increased support burden I have no doubt at all that there are a good number of morons out there who will jailbreak their phone and then call Apple to fix what they broke.
  People should know better than to expect that, and it is impossible for Apple to even provide such support with all the extra variables a jailbreak introduces. But people can be stupid.
  Developer relationships I've personally had a developer call me a pirate due to using a jailbreak, despite the fact I literally jus
10. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by AmiMoJo · 2013-01-27 09:34 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  Really, what is better about iOS compared to Android on a similar high end phone like the GSIII? Maps are the same, Gmail app is the same, browsers are pretty similar and you have a choice of several (not just skins) in Android. Both have voice control and search. Android has apps for pretty much everything iOS does. I suppose maybe there are some iOS games that have not been ported (and vice-versa).
  Let's face it, most people text, tweet and take pictures of their food with their smartphones. Some like to play Angry Birds or My Little Pony. Their choice of iPhone 5 or Android phone is largely down to what their friends use and how much of a douchbag hipster they are. Well, that and old people who think smartphone = iPhone.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
11. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by jimbo · 2013-01-27 09:53 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  You started well by acknowledging that the top models compete on equal merits and stating your opinion that one could cater to people's needs as well as the other so there's, in your opinion, little reason to choose the more restricted brand.
  Then with that last sentence you turned into a blind religious constipated infantile hater and ruined it all ;)
12. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 09:54 · Score: 0
  
  I have an iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
  While I really like the Note 2's gigantic screen and ability to use a third party keyboard TouchPal, there are a few rather serious problems preventing me from using it.
  1) It has no ability to play just the audios of music videos in the background, or with the device switched off like I could with iOS. Most of my music these days are music videos and I don't want to be forced to convert them into MP3.
  2) Music playing randomly pauses. It is simply not an acceptable music player.
  3) I don't feel safe using it to keep confidential information such as banking user ID and password. I also don't feel safe using it for making financial transaction because the possibility of Malware is so real.
13. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 10:00 · Score: 0
  
  2010 called and it wants it's outdated argument back. It's called iCloud... My iPad 2 (which I got back in the iOS 4 days when an iPad 2 was the new hotness) has been connected to a PC for iTunes exactly twice, once to activate it, and again to upgrade it to iOS 5. My wife's and my iPhone 4S have never been connected to a PC.
14. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 10:25 · Score: 0
  
  Funny. I interviewed for a tier 1 tech support position a few weeks back, and just out of the interviewees 'hipster douchebag' pretty much summed up my opinion, before getting into the interview.
  Needless to say I didn't get the job. Thankfully it turned out to be a relief rather than a loss.
  On the other hand, they offer pretty good entry level pay. On the minus side they slap you in the face with all the perks you don't get access to.
15. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Cinder6 · 2013-01-27 11:04 · Score: 2
  
  Your argument, as presented, gives no reason to prefer Android (there obviously are reasons, though). For myself, I prefer iOS over Android because the UX is much snappier and more fluid, leading to a sense that the phone/tablet itself is faster. Certain UI elements provide much better feedback on iOS than Android, such as the rubber-band effect vs. Google's "light-up" effect (not sure if this has a name). Also, other elements are more clear as to their purpose--IIRC, there are a few buttons in the Android settings app that look like toggles, but in fact are buttons that navigate to another menu.
  All of this is just a long way of saying "iOS is more polished than Android". I don't have a need for any of Android's advanced configurability, and I have yet to see another tech company beat Apple's hardware build quality.
  (Before anybody asks: The most recent Android device I used was a Nexus 7 running 4.2. I bought it for myself, but wound up returning it after a few days.)
  
  --
  If you can't convince them, convict them.
16. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 11:39 · Score: 0
  
  really - you had trouble deciphering that? strange, I read it with ease. may i suggest you take some high-school english classes to improve your english comprehension?
  yes, yes i may, and i do. fucking shit-covered retard.
17. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Eythian · 2013-01-27 12:40 · Score: 1
  
  Erk, Firefox on Android does the rubber-band thing, it's terrible. The light-up effect is much more preferable to me.
18. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Cinder6 · 2013-01-27 13:57 · Score: 1
  
  Interestingly, I just tried Android Firefox today and saw the rubber-banding. I was pleased at first, but it's not as fluid as it is on iOS. I couldn't tell if this was because of the phone (an Incredible 2) or just a shoddy implementation.
  
  --
  If you can't convince them, convict them.
19. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Eythian · 2013-01-27 14:09 · Score: 1
  
  It seems quite smooth on my N4, I'm just not a fan of that way of doing things. Although, android does do it very subtly when you hit the end of a list while scrolling at speed. It's minor enough to not be distracting.
20. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by smash · 2013-01-27 15:37 · Score: 1
  
  Nicer hardware. Have yet to find an android phone that feels as nice in the hand as my 4-S. Also, apple hardware support - if you buy your devices outright with no plan (like we can in australia). Break your shit? Take it to apple and you get a new phone for fairly cheap. Last i did it, $280 bucks for a brand new replacement handset.
  
  --
  I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
21. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 18:11 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Limitation on ability to innovate
  What the fucking fuck! They're claiming that jailbreaking reduces the ability to innovate?
  People using internal APIs that were not intended to be used, if the company cared about keeping those applications from breaking when an internal API needed to be changed, would prevent forward innovation dependent upon the internal API changing.
  However, side-loaded applications have been frequently broken, and in some cases, particularly unlocking, intentionally so.
  This has been particularly so with regard to SIM unlocks. For example, the "TurboSIM" and similar products which identified themselves as official SIMs when first queried by the baseband firmware to pass carrier lockdown check, and then on subsequent baseband requests, reported a SIM ID for operation on another carrier to get around that lockdown, were intentionally broken. The intentional breakage was implemented by updating the baseband to query the SIM ID for the carrier locked SIM on each cell handoff.
  In another example, the AnySIM software unlock was intentionally broken twice. In the first instance, there was a check added to the seczone contents, which are not updated when the baseband is updated. This was an intentional "bricking" of iPhones which had been software unlocked, when a fix was easily possible (I personally "unbricked" over 120 AnySIM unlocked phones in the SF Bay Area). In the second instance, they added cryptographic challenge/response for the baseband update to prevent additional unlocks using AnySIM by disallowing access to the NAND flash ID, which is part of what is used as the key to the TEA checksum of the seczone.
  So demonstrably, they have intentionally, rather than unintentionally, broken things which depend on internal APIs, so they are being disingenuous about saying unlocking or jailbreaking stifles their ability to innovate; they don't give a damn, they change things all the time.
22. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by tepples · 2013-01-27 19:03 · Score: 1
  
  Certain UI elements provide much better feedback on iOS than Android, such as the rubber-band effect vs. Google's "light-up" effect (not sure if this has a name).
  Overscroll bounce was left out of Android by design because of an Apple patent. A version of Android is distributed under a free software license, and free software cannot implement patented methods that are not licensed royalty-free.
23. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 20:18 · Score: 0
  
  Parent post should be +5.
  The only guy that provides an Informative and detailed response and it just sits invisibly at the bottom of the thread.
24. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by AmiMoJo · 2013-01-28 00:51 · Score: 1
  
  I guess it is a matter of taste. Personally I find the iPhone to look somewhat dated (the basic design has been exactly the same for years) and everything up to the latest widescreen ones was too small to use comfortably. The 5 is about the minimum screen size I would want. My hands are only average size.
  For the best feel some of the newer HTCs with their grippy backs are pretty nice.
  You can get insurance on any phone you like here in the UK, including immediate replacement.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
25. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by KingMotley · 2013-01-28 07:26 · Score: 1
  
  I can't send free iMessages to my friends with iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches with a droid.
  There aren't any droids that can airplay to my AppleTV (or my girlfriends) .
  Droids can't sync to iTunes and use the same metadata (Have I played it? Thumbnails, actors, rating, description, etc.etc.).
  Droids don't support FindMyFriends (Sure, they have another app for it, but it's not compatible, and I'm not buying all my friends droids).
  I do the first three every single day, and the last about once a week. I've never seen a droid that is rock solid stable (Sure, I've heard plenty of people claim it, but then something happens), or has as nearly refined UI. I use my phone to watch movies, send texts (iMessages mainly), and play games with friends and family (Word with Friends, Hanging with Friends, SongPop, etc.) I'm sure some of those have compatible versions, but why would I want to hope the NEXT game my friends jump on has a version too? Too many headaches, no thanks. My iPhone does it all in spades, why would anyone want to switch other than to save a few bucks, maybe.
26. Re:iPhone cattle explicitly agree to a ltd license by AmiMoJo · 2013-01-28 11:09 · Score: 1
  
  So what you are saying is you became Apple's bitch and now can't get away from them because you are locked in.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
So hackers=researchers now? by ikaruga · 2013-01-27 07:00 · Score: 2, Interesting

I aprove this new terminology.
1. Re:So hackers=researchers now? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:31 · Score: 1
  
  Um, this has always been what hackers are.
2. Re:So hackers=researchers now? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 09:23 · Score: 0
  
  Whitehats are often called security researchers since the word hacker got a stigma on it.
does more harm than good. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:01 · Score: 0

... why, again, is everyone so keen to buy devices that obey someone else? "For now" you can claim it's all fine because you can jailbreak, but that's becoming harder and harder and eventually all the doors that don't require your own personal billion dollar fab will be closed. If a company abuses you and you keep on buying their oh-so-shiny products, they are never going to change. The only way to stop the locked-down only-with-permission ubiquitous-marketing-data-gathering computing future is to refuse to buy such devices. That's the only message companies will listen to.
I think these "jailbreakers" are doing more harm than good. Sure, it's great to let people own the devices they buy and not have to ask permission from Apple to install things, but in the bigger picture it hurts because it makes the masses think everything is A-OK in having all computing be locked down and centrally controlled, and it removes the market pressure from companies. The trend is clear: computing was once totally open, and is now teetering on the brink of being totally closed, what with the coming Secure Boot, and locked down tablets and phones, soon we'll all have to obtain permission to do what we were free to do 20 years ago.
Fuck that.
1. Re:does more harm than good. by dingen · 2013-01-27 07:15 · Score: 2
  
  why, again, is everyone so keen to buy devices that obey someone else?
  Because a lot of people care more about usability and functionality than openness and freedom. As long as people can use Facebook and Youtube on their iPhone, they're perfectly fine with it.
  
  --
  Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
2. Re:does more harm than good. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Because a lot of people care more about usability and functionality than openness and freedom.
  False dichotomy. Openness does not preclude usability or functionality. In fact, it often enhances functionality. Simple UIs and "safe" software sources can be put on top of open systems.
3. Re:does more harm than good. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:40 · Score: 0
  
  Devil's advocate:
  Locked down devices give herd immunity. If Joe Jailbreaker is locked out from compromising the security of their device, it means that there is one less device that has malware on it.
  As an iOS developer, it also means one less device that is leeching pirated software, so it means more money in the ecosystem.
  If piracy isn't a factor, it can mean the ecosystem has twice to 10 times the revenue as before.
4. Re: does more harm than good. by dugancent · 2013-01-27 07:50 · Score: 1
  
  False or not. iOS is stable and easy to use
  
  --
  SJWs are the new boogeyman. -Me
5. Re:does more harm than good. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:50 · Score: 0
  
  That's akin to saying you shouldn't try and make a black person free because the economy will crumble... just let it magically fix itself!
  seriously?
6. Re:does more harm than good. by arkane1234 · 2013-01-27 08:55 · Score: 1
  
  I'm thinking you're missing the ecosystem of the iOS operating environment.
  It's a choice people make, and if you don't like it then you can just not use it. It's by far not a false dichotomy... by very nature if it's open then the user can freely place untested things onto the device. For those that want to not worry about what goes onto their phone or iPad, this is what's desired. If you want Linux (or ubuntu) on your phone, go for a phone that does not have that.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
7. Re: does more harm than good. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 11:00 · Score: 0
  
  iOS is easy to use? Care to explain why it took me (and many others) days to get the sound to work? It turns out that if you unplug your device when playing in a cradle, the audio CAN disable itself. It took me days to undo this - I had no idea what was wrong, so it couldn't be solved easily.
  Please STOP the MYTHS that iOS is easy to use. I've had quite a few similar issues all because "too much" was abstracted from the user.
  If fanboys would stop this tripe, I wouldn't get so annoyed when things do go wrong with iOS.
8. Re:does more harm than good. by dingen · 2013-01-27 12:11 · Score: 2
  
  I'm not saying the one cancels out the other. I'm just saying people like a thing that works and is easy to use. The iPhone is that. Whether it's open or free doesn't matter to most consumers. This answers the question why people buy these sort of systems in the first place.
  
  --
  Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
9. Re: does more harm than good. by dingen · 2013-01-27 13:03 · Score: 1
  
  It took you days to fiddle with the audio buttons on the side of your phone when you had an issue with the sound?
  Wow.
  
  --
  Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
10. Re: does more harm than good. by dugancent · 2013-01-27 13:27 · Score: 1
  
  Because each and every one of you are idiots. Nothing more.
  
  --
  SJWs are the new boogeyman. -Me
11. Re:does more harm than good. by tepples · 2013-01-27 19:05 · Score: 1
  
  If piracy isn't a factor, it can mean the ecosystem has twice to 10 times the revenue as before.
  You appear to assume that every single user who infringes copyright would have paid full price for the software otherwise. Or what am I missing?
Apple v. Samsung by tepples · 2013-01-27 07:13 · Score: 0

Boycott Apple products...Its not like there are mass of better value alternatives, that support this.
Apple is trying desperately to eliminate a "mass of better value alternatives, that support this." And it's been succeeding in some respects: Apple v. Samsung.
1. Re:Apple v. Samsung by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:10 · Score: 0
  
  Which actually eliminated nothing other than a potential transfer of money.
2. Re:Apple v. Samsung by tepples · 2013-01-27 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  Which actually eliminated nothing other than a potential transfer of money.
  If you're referring to the fact that only damages have already been awarded so far, I seem to remember that Apple is also seeking an injunction.
3. Re:Apple v. Samsung by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-28 04:59 · Score: 0
  
  You fandroids are completely fucking retarded. If you had a clue, you'd realize that Apple got nailed with lawsuits as soon as the iPhone took off. They responded and still have many more suits against them than they are pursuing.
When those are the only available devices by tepples · 2013-01-27 07:16 · Score: 1

why, again, is everyone so keen to buy devices that obey someone else?
Because sometimes only "devices that obey someone else" are available to the public at all. Case in point: Which set-top video game player obeys its owner, as opposed to its manufacturer? Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony consoles obey their manufacturer, and until very recently (Steam Big Picture), PCs haven't been marketed for set-top gaming use.
Sweet! by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2013-01-27 07:32 · Score: 1

I've been waiting for this, if only to run SBSettings on my iPad Mini.

--
#DeleteChrome
1. Re:Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 08:34 · Score: 0
  
  I just want iBlacklist. Had an ID theft issue, and some asshat bill collectors keep trying to ping my phone 24/7/365 with all sorts of legal threats of something that is provably isn't even mine. The DND mode is bullshit... just means their crap goes to voicemail which ends up stuffed full every few days.
  Oh well, I think I remember (correct me if wrong) that someone at Apple told the DMA (direct marketing association) that "an iPhone will always ring for them?" I could be completely wrong or deluded.
  Oh well... at least Android + Mr. Number keeps the garbage at bay.
2. Re:Sweet! by arkane1234 · 2013-01-27 09:00 · Score: 1
  
  That is the reason I use Google Voice for my phone number, and have since 2006. I've walked through nearly 5 phones since then, and have thought of them as nothing more than dumb terminals when it comes to the phone feature. Lots of awesome features with Google Voice.
  
  --
  -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
3. Re:Sweet! by kimvette · 2013-01-27 11:25 · Score: 1
  
  Why I jailbreak:
  * SBSettings (it provides the UI that iOS ought to have had from day 1)
  * Shell prompt with BSD userland and a mobile terminal
  * OpenSSH
  * Autolock settings
  * five icon dock
  * activator
  * remove background
  
  --
  The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Ouya? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 07:53 · Score: 0

N/T
1. Re:Ouya? by tepples · 2013-01-27 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  My cousin ordered an Ouya. But I see about two hurdles before Ouya becomes a viable alternative: final units have to ship in April, and it has to be in enough English-speaking households that at least small companies find it profitable to target. Consider the history of other alternatives to Sony and Nintendo handheld platforms: GamePark Holdings' products failed to catch on outside Korea as far as I can tell; Pandora shipped so late that Android-powered smartphones filled three-fourths of its niche; and the nD appears to have been canceled. Was there a very good reason why these failed?
Just release it now! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 09:07 · Score: 0

I've been sitting on 6.0 knowing 6.1 would be harder to get a jailbreak for.
Someone explain this to me... by CohibaVancouver · 2013-01-27 09:13 · Score: 1

If the Apple ecosystem is too closed for you, resulting in you needing to jump through all these jailbreaking hoops, why buy an Apple product in the first place? Why not buy something else from the get-go?
1. Re:Someone explain this to me... by kimvette · 2013-01-27 10:06 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Perhaps some people prefer the iOS UI and app selection compared to Android on phone-size devices?
  
  --
  The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
2. Re:Someone explain this to me... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 10:14 · Score: 0
  
  If the Apple ecosystem is too closed for you, resulting in you needing to jump through all these jailbreaking hoops, why buy an Apple product in the first place? Why not buy something else from the get-go?
  Two words: Retina display.
  Bad software can always be worked around. Bad hardware cannot. So you choose the best hardware, regardless of the software installed on it, and then tweak the software to meet your needs.
3. Re:Someone explain this to me... by MrEdofCourse · 2013-01-27 10:50 · Score: 2
  
  I'll try to answer this...
  I love the Apple ecosystem. I have iPads, iPods, iPhones, Apple TVs, MacBooks, etc... I love it all. There are some exceptions, like using Microsoft Office instead of iWork and Mail, but for the most part, I really love Apple's ecosystem.
  I don't want to start something here where platforms are argued, and I understand and respect other opinions, but for me... I've always had to use Windows through the years. I've developed for Windows and supported Windows for service and support. I can't stand using Windows. I find Macs and OS X to be far more elegant. I find things to be simple and easy for common tasks, but very robust for advanced tasks via the terminal and the fact that it's UNIX. I've always loved Google services, and bought a Nexus 7 to develop for Android.
  Like my distaste for Windows, I have a distaste for Android. It's incredibly messy. Tasks that should be simple can be very difficult not just to figure out, but even to do on an ongoing basis. The iPhone feels like my Mac only with a mobile optimized interface. Even a PC has this same connection, but to a lesser extent. With Android, it just feels completely isolated from my Mac or PC as if it's own device. I think that feeling is fine for many people... hell, I think all of this is fine for different people, but for me, I want to feel like my set of usage is consistent across my notebook, netbook, desktop, phone, tablet, and tv.
  I could go on and on about other things I really dislike about Android (fragmentation for example), but the bottom line is that WP8, Blackberry, WebOS, Android... iOS is what I prefer.
  So all of the above is with *stock* iOS being preferred. So then comes the question of whether I prefer jailbroken iOS versus stock iOS. For me, I much prefer to jailbreak. In part because jailbreaking in of itself doesn't really do anything. Your iPhone is exactly the same except for a little Cydia icon. From there, you can do pretty much whatever you want, and you can do it in incremental steps in any direction you want. Want to change the default Map app? Boom, it's one tweak and everything else is the same. Want to go all out and make your phone a mess? You can do that too. I tend to be mostly conservative, making changes that only add mostly productive functionality, but I do add a nice subtle animated background and a few other cosmetic enhancements.
  Also, it's not a "jumping through all these jailbreaking hoops". It's usually just a couple of months or so after a new iOS device cycle that a jailbreak is released and all you have to do is click and follow some simple instructions on the screen. It's not much different from say having a new Android OS come out and waiting before you can upgrade your device or if you buy a new device, waiting for some of your apps to upgrade for compatibility. So far, this is the longest we've had to wait for a jailbreak, and it's still much shorter than how long I've been waiting for some of my favorite apps (CNN, TiVo and others) to become compatible with my Nexus 7.
4. Re:Someone explain this to me... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 13:31 · Score: 0
  
  Because Apple offer the best integrated application experience across multiple applications in the industry. The competition, being "open" results in mandated, essentially unremovable crapware loaded onto their phones by the carriers.
  I prefer to Jailbreak my phone, load what I want/trust and not have to worry about all that other unsecure stuff. I get the best of both worlds. Advanced operating system *and* security.
5. Re:Someone explain this to me... by SpooForBrains · 2013-01-28 02:51 · Score: 1
  
  Well my reasons:
  I actually bought an android device (a Galaxy Note, which I never bothered "jailbreaking" because it was good enough as it was), which I then had stolen.
  A colleague gave me a 3GS she had lying around for me to use. It's now mine. However for me to proceed to sell it so that I could purchase another android device would be (in my opinion) a pretty crappy thing to do. So I'm stuck with it for now (and not ungrateful at all, it's a decent phone and it was free).
  My point being many people will have similar reasons for sticking with iOS but wanting to customise it beyond the limits of what Apple allow.
  
  --
  "The dew has clearly fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning"
6. Re:Someone explain this to me... by tlhIngan · 2013-01-28 05:16 · Score: 1
  
  If the Apple ecosystem is too closed for you, resulting in you needing to jump through all these jailbreaking hoops, why buy an Apple product in the first place? Why not buy something else from the get-go?
  Because Android makers are in a phallus measuring contest and its sucks.
  If you want a decent phone with a usable sized screen (and none of thise "phablet" crap sized screen), Android goes right out of the door. A flagship Android phone with a 4" screen? Doesn't exist anymore - all Androids that are good have bigger and bigger screens - from a Galaxy S III to a Nexus 4, and while I can BARELY use a Galaxy Nexus single handedly, it's getting annoying when I compare it to my iPhone.
  Hell, they're making phones as accessories to these things because they're so f'ing huge they're unusable single-handedly.
  And no, I wasn't completely happy that Apple was forced into this size contest as well, though they do have a nicer implementation.
  Androids with smaller screens all suck in some way or another - low memory, crappy CPU, low res screen, etc. etc. etc.
  It's actually getting stupid that everyone's being a measurebator instead of trying to design a usable phone. Hell, we'll be back to the old Motorola DynaTAC sized cellphone by the end of next year if the rate of size increase holds.
7. Re:Someone explain this to me... by SpooForBrains · 2013-01-28 09:57 · Score: 1
  
  A flagship Android phone with a 4" screen? Doesn't exist anymore - all Androids that are good have bigger and bigger screens - from a Galaxy S III to a Nexus 4
  Like this you mean?
  
  --
  "The dew has clearly fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning"
Leave Apple aloooone! by PopeRatzo · 2013-01-27 10:08 · Score: 1, Funny

Apple has lost 1/3 of its value since Fall of 2012. I think we should give them a little slack. More than half their profits come from the one product, the iPhone. They have a lot of exposure to changing tastes, and their sales projections for iPhones in China were way missed. Investors are getting out of Apple faster than a drunk junior gets out of a prom dress. Their management is probably suffering from PTSD right about now, so we probably shouldn't hold their behavior against them.

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
I'm one of those anti-apple apple users by fiver22 · 2013-01-27 11:52 · Score: 1

Man, their policies bug me, many things about their products bug me and I lean linux for OS of choice. But a few years back I got an ipod touch ?3rdgen? for a 1 moth sobriety present (yay me). I tried not to let my normal snobbishness show as I unwrapped and started to play with the thing. I quickly fell in love with it -32jibbies of storage -apps like stanza, google maps, skype, etc. Music at my fingertips --and my favourite apps: a guutar toolkit with a great tuner and metronome and a simple 4-track. The thing lasted forever and never left my side. One day I found jailbreaking was NOT some uber-geek-hax0r trick and here I sit with my lovely ipod touch 5 (6.0.1) just DROOLING for 6.1 to get released so I can get the functionality of a jailbreak back. I'm not talling cracked apps that I don't pay for -they mean little to nothing to me. I pay for apps that work and ask for payment. I mean things like sbsettings, cydia, the ability to play around inside my device, a sense of OWNING my device. Imagine THAT? actually owning something that you paid for.
Lack of technical details by dimethylxanthine · 2013-01-27 14:36 · Score: 0

Rather disappointing the complete lack of even vague details about how the Jailbreak came to be. Hopefully there'll be something to munch on once 6.1 GM is released...
Irresponsible disclosure by Bogtha · 2013-01-27 14:39 · Score: 2, Insightful

This is rarely mentioned in these types of stories, but I think it's worth highlighting: jailbreaks are security vulnerabilities. If these guys know about a security vulnerability but are deliberately postponing release so that Apple don't patch it before 6.1 is released, they are deliberately choosing a course of action that harms users. Are there any other situations in which irresponsible disclosure is so accepted, or is it just when Apple are the target?

--
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
1. Re:Irresponsible disclosure by tlhIngan · 2013-01-27 17:35 · Score: 2
  
  This is rarely mentioned in these types of stories, but I think it's worth highlighting: jailbreaks are security vulnerabilities. If these guys know about a security vulnerability but are deliberately postponing release so that Apple don't patch it before 6.1 is released, they are deliberately choosing a course of action that harms users. Are there any other situations in which irresponsible disclosure is so accepted, or is it just when Apple are the target?
  
  Happens on Android as well in order to root them or get past locked bootloaders.
  Though, these vulnerabilities are typically NOT remote accessible - you have to have physical possession of the device in order to jailbreak them. That's not to say there haven't been a few remote-accessible ones (just like there have been a few Android malware apps that root your device in order to install themselves), but they tend to be far more rare. AFAIK, only 3 versions of iOS were actually usable with jailbreakme.com.
  If you have to have physical access to do it, all bets are off anyways.
2. Re:Irresponsible disclosure by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 20:46 · Score: 0
  
  You need to have physical access to the device, and it must not have a keycode / passcode in order to be exploited. If you have no keycode / passcode on your phone, then you can't claim to have security against physical access in the first place. The only thing that gets compromised by this is Apple's trusted platform framework.
3. Re:Irresponsible disclosure by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-28 04:26 · Score: 0
  
  For the intents and purposes of this release it isn't irresponsible. It would be irresponsible to disclose it in a way that apple could easily deal with it because that would prevent the purpose of it.
He is no security researcher by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-27 18:20 · Score: 0

This guy is no 'security researcher'. If he was he would tell apple and given then a chance to fix it before release.
PPAs by tepples · 2013-01-27 18:55 · Score: 1

One Windows or OSX computer is almost exactly like any other - don't have to worry about not having the correct versions of many different libraries, or system files not being in the same place on every distro.
For the record this is true of each Linux distribution as well. One Ubuntu computer is the same as any other, and it'll stay the same on any other distribution that closely follows Debian.

So long as you stick to the distro's own store or repository, all is well - venture outside, and trouble looms.
At least on Ubuntu and other distributions based on Debian, there's a middle ground: third-party repositories designed for a particular distribution. Ubuntu calls them PPAs.
What business model for free software? by tepples · 2013-01-27 18:58 · Score: 1

Pretty much all of those problems go away if you build from source
Except that there are several kinds of application where there's no business model to allow building from source. The canonical examples are games, playback software for rented videos, and tax preparation software.
1. Re:What business model for free software? by SuricouRaven · 2013-01-27 22:40 · Score: 1
  
  In theory you could solve most of that problem by just releasing the source under a 'no modification' license. It'd render any form of restriction or DRM trivial to bypass, but... it already is. For that to happen though you'd first need to convince everyone involved that DRM is utterly futile and that they should just abandon all hope of ever getting it to be more than a curb-high deterrant, whch isn't going to be easy.
Android pod touch by tepples · 2013-01-27 19:08 · Score: 1

Why not buy something else from the get-go?
What is Android's counterpart to the iPod touch (a 4" tablet)?
1. Re:Android pod touch by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-28 08:04 · Score: 0
  
  What is Android's counterpart to the iPod touch (a 4" tablet)?
  http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mp3-players/YP-G1CWY/XAA
Broken by design by tepples · 2013-01-27 19:15 · Score: 1

Perhaps the idea is that if it were disclosed to Apple, Apple would fix it the wrong way. An application whitelist that a computing device's owner does not control is not the correct solution to the problem of malware. The correct solution is a robust capability framework, as seen in OLPC Bitfrost and (to a lesser extent) in Android.