One of the new iOS features Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced at WWDC this week is Activation Lock. It’s designed not only to deter thieves from stealing the company’s devices, but also prevent anyone from ever being able to jailbreak an Apple device.
There’s been a surge in thefts of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices over the last year or so, and officials have called upon the company to do something about it. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg actually blamed Apple gadgets for the rise in his city’s crime rate. Now it appears that one jailbreaking fan approves of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new iOS feature—even though it actually prevents jailbreaking.
Jailbreaking In iOS
CNET author Adrian Kingsley-Hughes believes that the long-fought war Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has had with jailbreaking makes sense now. He said it looks like the fight wasn’t about jailbreaking at all, but rather against the rising theft rate of Apple devices.
Of course many smartphone users jailbreak their devices for purely personal reasons, like wanting to be able to use apps that aren’t sold in the Apple App Store. However, even though Kingsley-Hughes is in favor of owners being able to jailbreak their own devices, he feels also that “Apple has a duty to do everything in its power to thwart jailbreakers at every opportunity.”
Apple Will Have To Keep Activation Lock Up To Date At All Times
Activation Lock is designed to render Apple products useless to thieves because even after being wiped clean, the device still requires the user’s Apple ID. Kingsley-Hughes said that with the addition of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s new Activation Lock, it’s important for the company to keep the feature up to date at all times. Sometimes the vulnerabilities left open to jailbreakers have been left open for weeks or even months, so he feels that keeping Activation Lock up to date all the time is the only way to make stealing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices a complete waste of time.
Will Apple’s New iOS Feature Prevent All Jailbreaking?
On the other side of the debate, WCCF Tech blogger Adnan sounds to be hard at work on actually jailbreaking iOS 7. The blogger states that the possibility of jailbreaking iOS 7 devices appears to be “pretty bleak” at this point, although he believes that it’s just a matter of time before a “solution” to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s latest attempt to thwart jailbreaking is found.
