Upcoming iPhone Changes

Between the UK iPhone launch, the Canadian workshop leak, the imminent iPhone 1.1.2 update and the newly unhidden tidbits about possible future iPhone improvements discovered in iTunes, there is plenty to be excited about this weekend. While there is definitely a lot happening in the iPhone world, not everything is as it seems.

Poking around in iTunes has been a favorite pastime for many hackers and it often yields insight into Apple's next moves. In the recently released iTunes 7.5 hints have been found that point towards both the iPhone and the iPod touch operating like the other iPods and allowing users to directly access media and manage it manually. Also the subject of much talk is the voice memo sync code that exists but is not currently utilized. While these possible new features might have some users very happy, it is important to remember that Apple often adds support for upcoming features long before they are actually implemented. A good example is the voice memo sync code itself, which some reports are treating as a new development, but which has been around since iTunes 7.3. As such, there is no guarantee that the 1.1.2 iPhone update will enable any of this functionality.

On the topic of the new update, users with jailbroken or hacked iPhones need to be very wary of Apple. This new patch will undoubtedly brick offending devices just as the old one did. Furthermore, while Apple has so far been lenient on jailbreaking, considering that they have recently announced an official iPhone SDK in the not too distant future, the company could now revise their policy and also do nasty things to jailbroken iPhones. While bricking is not likely in this case, the update could relock the handset and prevent the current methods of jailbreaking from working again. If this is the case, people who currently use third party native applications will still be able to use their iPhone, but only with the Apple blessed applications built in.
IPhone hackers are unanimously recommending that users put off upgrading until the underground community has had time to thoroughly test the changes and ensure that the update can still be jailbroken, or is at least reversible.