News

According to the latest research by iPhone Dev-Team Apple has taken steps to make iOS 5 more difficult to jailbreak and downgrade. Although the limera1n exploit used for iOS 4.x jailbreaks still works in beta iOS 5, only a tethered jailbreak is possible at this time. Starting up a jailbroken iPhone tethered requires that the device be connected to a computer while booting.

It's not clear if Apple's move can be countered in the near future, as the company will begin to generate a unique APTicket every time the iPhone is restored. Not only this, but the APTicket will be verified every time the device is turned on.

The popular skinning app for jailbroken iPhones, DreamBoard, is now free on Cydia. DreamBoard is a great alternative to Winterboard because it doesn't require you to restart your springboard every time you change themes. Dreamboard also allows much "deeper" themes and user-interface redesigns compared to Winterboard. Where Winterboard basically allows theme developers to re-skin existing iPhone graphics and interfaces, Dreamboard allows theme developers to build entirely new interfaces and methods of displaying information.

I don't know why I started following all these analyst reports, but since I did here's the latest:

Monday: Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore predicts Apple will announce an unlocked mid-range ($300 to $500) iPhone to penetrate the pre-paid mobile market share.

Tuesday: BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman believes Whitmore is wrong because Apple will never release a low-end phone. Instead, Bachman thinks Apple will discount the iPhone 3GS to attract people on a budget.

Today, analyst Mike Abramsky with RBC Capital Markets said Apple will break tradition and not discontinue the iPhone 3GS when the iPhone 5 is announced. Abramsky said Apple is “expected” to offer the iPhone 3GS for free to attract mid-market buyers and slow the growth of the Android market.

On Monday, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore told his clients to expect Apple to release two iPhones, one of which would be an affordable device to help Apple grab a part of the pre-paid mobile market share. But BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman says Apple is all about making exciting high-end devices, and he doesn't see them releasing a low-end phone this year. Bachman believes that AT&T's re-marketed iPhone 3GS will be the phone Apple uses to hook budget-conscious consumers.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore thinks Apple should and will embrace the mid-range/pre-paid mobile phone market in 2011. Two-thirds of the 1.5 billion mobile customers worldwide are pre-paid users, and Whitmore believes Apple will try to reach these customers by releasing an unlocked iPhone priced between $300 and $500. Perhaps the iPhone 4S?

“With Nokia and RIMM struggling,” Whitmore said, “the time is right for Apple to aggressively penetrate the mid range smart-phone market to dramatically expand its market share.”

Whitmore predicts that an affordable iPhone priced around $349 will not negatively impact profitability, and will help give Apple a bigger share of the $70 billion worldwide market.