The iPhone Dev Team plans to release a simple, consumer-friendly version of the hack to the public on New Year's Eve. It means that owners of "jailbroken" iPhones -- handsets that have already been hacked to enable them to run software and programs not officially sanctioned by Apple -- will now be able to use their device on any mobile phone network they like, rather than be tied to specific network providers, such as O2, which has the exclusive iPhone contract in the UK, and AT&T, which has a similar deal in the United States.
The unlock, codenamed "yellowsn0w" by the iPhone Dev Team, will only work on jailbroken 3G handsets running version 2.11.07 of the iPhone's baseband software, which controls the phone part of the iPhone.
Jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones is a fairly tricky procedure, and so hackers are always looking for ways to simplify the process for relative novices. Most jailbreaks and unlocks require iPhone users to follow a series of steps before installing the hack, and users have to be careful not to mistakenly update software or firmware on their handset. Owners also face the risk of breaking, or "bricking" their iPhone, while trying to hack it, rendering it unusable. Installing hacks on the iPhone invalidates the device's warranty.
Apple admits it has been fighting a "cat and mouse" game with hackers since it first launched the iPhone in June 2007. The company's chief executive, Steve Jobs, had hoped that opening the iPhone platform to third-party developers might stop the hacking attempts, but groups of engineers, like those on the iPhone Dev Team, seem unfazed by Apple's attempts to thwart their activities.
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