iPhone unlocking software: open source developers where are you?

By Stan Beer
Tuesday, 04 September 2007 14:49

Technology

Last week before leaving for a short overseas trip, I asked my local carrier if I could unlock my Nokia N73 from the carrier's network so that I could replace the SIM with a cheap local prepaid SIM in the country I was visiting. No problem, I was told, the carrier's call center rep even helped me to do it. Why should it be any different for the Apple iPhone and AT&T?

The short answer is that it shouldn't. iPhone owners in the US would rightfully feel a sense of indignation over two things. One is the outrageous attempt by Apple and AT&T to stop iPhone owners from using the hardware they have bought and paid for on international phone networks without having to pay ridiculously high roaming rates. The other is the outrageous attempt by a bunch of opportunistic software developers to reap a short term windfall from something that should be free.

There is no doubt that the iPhoneSIMFree crowd are a clever bunch of cookies to have come up with a software solution to unlock the iPhone. However, instead of hailing these semi-anonymous developers as heroes, intending iPhone owners  would do well to ask why they should pay for software that may be illegal to sell and will probably be rendered useless as soon as Apple releases an update.

Under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, it is perfectly legitimate to unlock your phone to use with any carrier you wish but it's possibly illegal to sell software that does it for you. I'm not sure why this is the case and from the sounds of things, many others aren't sure either. However, charging as much as US$50 wholesale which may translate into $100 retail for a copy of this software when Apple is probably already planning a "fix" to negate it is over the top.

What's more, it appears that iPhoneSIMFree is attempting to get around possible DMCA restrictions on distributing its software by getting others to distribute for them. Of course selling the software wholesale could also be deemed as distribution. In any case, the whole thing is taking on the tone of an operation that is trying to make a quick buck.

I'm certainly not saying that the iPhoneSIMFree developers don't deserve to make some money from being smart if the solution they have come up with is real. If they openly declared who they are and open sourced their software, they would no doubt gain a good deal of fame and kudos from being the developers who cracked the iPhone, which in turn could translate into further software development business. 

Meanwhile, an open source iPhoneSIMFree or software like it could provide a perfectly legal antidote to the restrictions currently in place.

The question then is are there any open source developers out there smart enough to come up with this much needed iPhone cracking solution? Come on, the world is waiting for you to make your name.