When Apple unveiled iOS 5 last summer, a lot of folks saw it as a direct shot at the jailbreak community. The new software included a number of new features that replaced popular jailbreak tweaks like Notified and Xpandr.
And not only that, but the iOS update included new security measures to make downgrading to previous firmware versions extremely difficult. So you can see why it appeared that Apple was looking to stop jailbreakers in their tracks…
But recently I realized something. It’s been over a month since the A5 jailbreak dropped, and nearly two months since the A4 version was released. And not that we’re complaining, but we still haven’t seen an update to patch either one of them. This is a bit strange for Apple, considering that it patched the last major jailbreak, JailbreakMe 3.0, in less than two weeks.
Of course, there could be a number of explanations for why Apple isn’t giving the current exploits as much attention as it has in the past. For starters, the PDF hack used in JailbreakMe 3.0 garnered a lot of publicity — it was a major security flaw. So it makes sense that Apple responded quickly.
Then there’s the easy answer, which is that Apple just figured it would wait until iOS 5.1 to patch the current jailbreaks. In fact, the word is that the upcoming software update patches the exploit used by Corona.
But what if Apple hasn’t addressed the current jailbreaks yet because it just doesn’t care anymore. As Saurik pointed out, the iPhone-maker didn’t even think to leave a comment on the Copyright Office’s comment board regarding the upcoming expiration of the jailbreaking exemption. And we’re talking about a company that just last year pleaded with the US government to outlaw the practice.
Is the infamous cat and mouse game between Apple and iDevice hackers over? No. Next month’s iOS 5.1 will likely patch the current exploits, and we’ll have to start all over again. But you have to admit it’s interesting. Apple doesn’t look like it’s gunning for jailbreakers anymore — it looks like it’s backing off.
What do you think?