IPhone 2.0 Jailbreak

The official release of the iPhone 2.0 firmware was cracked by the iPhone Dev Team, the same team which cracked the beta version released earlier in the year. On Saturday, July 19, 2008, they released a program which allows users to jailbreak and unlock iPhones which are running the new 2.0 firmware.

Fast Facts

1. Allows users to customize their iPhones with independently developed applications
2. Can unlock iPhones for use with any cellular networks.
3. iPhone 2.0 firmware officially released: July 11, 2008
4. 2.0 firmware leaked to the public a day earlier
5. A private group called the iPhone Dev Team released pictures of jailbroken 2.0 firmware on July 10, 2008¹
6. Same team cracked the beta version of the firmware in March, 2008
7. July 19, 2008: iPhone Dev Team released Pwnage Tool 2.0 for jailbreaking and unlocking first generation iPhones running 2.0 firmware.²
8. Pwnage Tool 2.0 can activate and jailbreak iPhone 3Gs, but no unlocking solution currently exists.³
9. Pwnage Tool 2.0.1 released to patch up interface issues, but does not add any new functionality⁴

Update or Jailbreak?

The biggest draw of jailbreaking previous versions of the iPhone was the ability to install independently-developed applications. With the 2.0 firmware update, Apple's App Store allows users to officially do so. But jailbreaking still offers more options for customizing the entire iPhone operating system, which some users may find preferable.⁵

New, Improved Jailbreakage

The iPhone Dev Team updated their Pwnage Tool software from version 2.0 to version 2.0.1. They reportedly fixed issues with the interface that were preventing users from properly jailbreaking their iPhones. The new version does not include the ability to unlock the iPhone 3G.⁴

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