The “Break it Down” Blog

Grant Gochnauer sends in the news that if you hacked your iPhone to work on another network, or just because you are hardcore, keep in mind that the next software update from Apple will likely brick the phone (read: “kill it”).

Apple’s reason? They are saving baby seals and fighting terrorism with locked iPhones, or this:

“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,” the company said in a statement issued after the close of the stock market. “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.”