Over the past 24 hours jailbreakme.com has quickly become an iOS jailbreaking phenomenon. The web-based jailbreaking solution for iOS 4.3.3 works like a charm, opening up Cydia on your iPhone or iPad in a matter of seconds. With such an easy solution, should you run the jailbreak?
The jailbreakme.com solution takes under a minute to complete, but it’s not without risks. Apple is planning to patch the exploit in an upcoming software release so being stuck with 4.3.3 should be a consideration. Also, jailbreaking your device may void the warranty or worse, brick your gadget — though jailbreakme.com urges its solution is 100 percent reversible.
Are these risks worth it? Well, it depends on the device. For iPhone users and iPad WiFi+3G users jailbreaking unlocks the free tethering/Wi-Fi mobile hotspot feature. As an iPhone 4 owner who pays an additional £12 per month for the feature, the savings is certainly tempting. With paid apps being free via Cydia, there’s plenty of additional savings to be had depending on where your moral compass points.
Though both of these benefits are certainly noteworthy, the primary focus of Cydia is to “experience iOS as it could be, fully customizable, themeable, and with eery tweak you could possibly imaging”. For the iOS user considering switching to Android because of its openness, jailbreaking could keep their desires at bay.
In short you’re risking your warranty, possibly bricking your device and being stuck with iOS 4.3.3 for the chance of free apps, endless customization and tethering/Wi-Fi mobile hotspot. If you understand the risks and really need to cut costs then by all means go right ahead. If you find value in legitimate app purchases and look forward to iOS 5 and its 200+ new features then we recommend taking a pass.
So what will it be my friends — jailbreak or no jailbreak?
