92 replies to this topic

[Bitter]

NOTE: This topic will be updated almost daily, and this first post here will change depending on what the situation is on multiple Apple products and rumors, etc.

[1.16.08] So with the release of firmware 1.1.3 for both the iPod and iPhone recently, there has been a lot of rumors going around about what Apple was thinking for charging $20 for the 5 applications that originally came with the iPhone. (Google Maps, Email, Notes, Weather, and Stocks) Now you might think, alright, I can fish out $20, no biggie, but what some people do not realize is that Apple has NEVER charged for a software update package. Why charge for 5 applications that only needed to be ported over. It doesn't cost anything to move an application from the iPhone to iPod, both use the same exact OS and software, and I even have the same applications on my jailbroken iPod touch, so why charge, eh Apple?! Another big smack to loyal customers' faces was that this new update, including the applications, will come 100% FREE for anyone who buys an iPod touch as of now. In other words, Apple is charging its loyal customers that stuck with them since the beginning, and giving a freebie to the people who just decided to buy one now. Not cool.

In other news, people getting the new 1.1.3 upgrade will like the new features, such as being able to move Home screen icons and adding up to 9 pages for those icons. Same goes for the iPhone. Google Maps has a nice new look to it including a nifty feature that you just tap a button and Google Maps will pinpoint your location in the world within seconds, truly amazing. You can also now take a website and create a weblink, which is an icon on your Home screen that takes you to the website, like a bookmark, but on your Home screen. Of course all of those weblinks you make can be deleted and moved along with the other icons. For iPod touch users, the option to use the iPhone dock is also available, although I personally do not like it, it is there for those who do.

I must warn anyone like me who is using a jailbroken iPod touch to NOT UPGRADE, it will restore your iPod to the new firmware and remove the jailbreak.

For those who do not know what jailbreaking is, it is simply hacking. It is finding an exploit in the OS and finding a loophole to be able to install a 3rd party application, which allows you to install many more 3rd party applications right from your device, without the need of a computer. What can you do with a jailbroken iPod/iPhone? Simple, you can get rid of that dull, boring black background on your home screen and put your own themes on, change icons, add games, more applications, and many more things such as being able to FTP(SSH) to your iPod from your PC/Mac. Of course jailbreaking voids your warranty, so you need to know what you are doing.

Macworld '08
Other than the new iPod and iPhone features added, a new MacBook was also unveiled. The amazing new MacBook Air. The worlds thinnest computer ever created. Here is a little sneak peak at it.

As Steve Jobs stated at the Macworld '08 keynote, "The thickest part of the MacBook Air is still even thinner than the thinnest part of the Sony TZ Series (which is one of the thinnest laptops on the market)." The only thing you will not see in the MacBook Air that all other laptops and MacBooks have is anywhere to put a CD/DVD into it. Steve Jobs says in defense for the lack of a D drive, that all products you could need from Apple, as well as most of other companies, are available digitally through iTunes and other online stores, so there is no need for any discs. Logical, but we will see how that holds up. The new MacBook Air will start shipping in two weeks for a price of $1799.00.

There was of course many more things announced at Macworld '08, most of which aren't completely important, but if anyone would like me to discuss them, I would be glad to do so.

(Images provided by Apple.com)


I will update this topic as much as needed. Reply if you have any comments, questions, or if you have anything to add.






Bitter.

[Charles C]

This update sickened me, especially since I shelled out tons of money for the touch which I just recieved on Saturday.

[Bitter]

[1.16.08]: Someone has managed to unlock their iPhone, it is not a stable jailbreak though and will take more time to completely see if it will work, but at this rate, we can expect a stable jailbreak in at least a week or so. Here is an image of the unlocked iPhone.

http://www.gsm.com.v...th/113_done.jpg




Bitter.

[China J]

First of all that Mac Air is a beautiful product, but it will fail for sure.

Any laptop user first and for most enjoys convienence.  Lack of a spacious hard drive and read/write disk drive will kill this product quickly. Who in their right mind wants to carry around a external drive for the "Just in case" scenario? That bullpoop about that you can access disks drives from other computers to install software is already a standard in all their products and other computers via wireless, NAS and wired networks.

And a 64GB State Drive is $999 driving the price of the laptop to $3000 - The only people I can think of that would find that useful is internet theives walking around trying to find a strong signal lmao. poop! I have a 320gb WD Passport for $199 keep it in my pocket, bounce up and down and drop it with no worries... I'm sure in a year it will be about $100 bucks for that WD  Passport but I will still be happy and perhaps buy another one just for the hell of it.

Don't get me wrong the idea of a laptop being that thin is cool but scary at the same time... Let me explain lol - I went to the Apple Store today and one of the guys gave me the pitch and I called him out on it. A slight flex of the case will damage the logic board (pc known as motherboard). If someone bumps into you the wrong way even if this was concealed in a laptop bag, any flex will destroy it. Yes I broke their laptop. Cough* Awkward

Test 2: After being in the mall for about 3 hours decided to stop back in at the Apple store and guess what? That lil fold down area for the one usb jack would not stay closed from the wear and tear from from the one they put out there to replace the one I broke only a few hours before.

Test 3: Attached a portable superdrive(dvd burner/player etc) and Apple was gracious enough to set me up in a chase lounge chair. Sorta the average situation when in bed using a laptop. Guess what? the external superdrive fell off my lap... it didn't hit the ground of course because the usb was still plugged into the laptop. At this point the Apple guy was like see see! I was like see what? Who would want to be shocked or scared to death that their drive might hit the floor? He agreed true, but the real results came when the drive was place back in the correct position and we ejected it... The disk was was ruined because the drive was not level and of course spun around in circles a few times because it was dangling from it's usb cord lmao.

I think mostly today was the wrong day to be so confident for Apple especially with me being bored and needing a good excuse to just get out for a while.

[GTA3Fan]

I'm not much into Apple products, but I know for a fact that that MacBook will NOT last long. What Notebook producers need to do is make the CD Drive like the PS3. It will eliminate space and the tray opening into something or being bent trying to put disc in o taking one out. Put the eject button on top by the keyboard.

[RuneCore]

You just can't have a computer without a CD drive...thats just idiotic...and only 1 available USB port...

[Bitter]

[1.17.08]: Apple apparently seems to be discussing the $20 price tag on the 5 applications that are now available on the iPod touch. But besides the rumors, the "Purchase It" button on iTunes for the new applications has been disappearing on and off for the past few hours. We are not sure if it has anything to do with the controversy over the $20 price.

It has been confirmed by Apple that anyone who bought an iPod touch any time after December 27, 2007 will receive the new applications on their iPod touch in the 1.1.3 update for free.


Jailbreak Update: All efforts so far to jailbreak the 1.1.3 firmware have failed. Hundreds of people are volunteering to upgrade to 1.1.3 to test possible jailbreak attempts. Things look a little slow today, after yesterday having an almost successful jailbreak breakthrough. I will edit this post later if I learn more about what is going on.

More to come soon.



Bitter.

[China J]

GTA3Fan, on Jan 17 2008, 09:48 AM, said:

I'm not much into Apple products, but I know for a fact that that MacBook will NOT last long. What Notebook producers need to do is make the CD Drive like the PS3. It will eliminate space and the tray opening into something or being bent trying to put disc in o taking one out. Put the eject button on top by the keyboard.

All the macbooks, ibooks, Mac Mini & IMac's have the SuperDrives like the PS3 - I think Mac started it all. Yes I wish PC Companies like HP, Sony, Dell and etc would get with the program and do the same.

[MylesTaylor]

China J, on Jan 17 2008, 09:09 AM, said:

GTA3Fan, on Jan 17 2008, 09:48 AM, said:

I'm not much into Apple products, but I know for a fact that that MacBook will NOT last long. What Notebook producers need to do is make the CD Drive like the PS3. It will eliminate space and the tray opening into something or being bent trying to put disc in o taking one out. Put the eject button on top by the keyboard.

All the macbooks, ibooks, Mac Mini & IMac's have the SuperDrives like the PS3 - I think Mac started it all. Yes I wish PC Companies like HP, Sony, Dell and etc would get with the program and do the same.

What he said. Apple has been doing this long before the PS3 ever came out. The first iMacs had the slotloading drive I believe and most Powerbooks several years ago. You can't even buy a Laptop newer than 4 years without a slotloading drive.

As for the Macbook Air, I wouldn't want one. I don't mind the lack of drive so much mainly because I rarely use my drive on my computer except to watch DVD's when traveling and I would definitely miss it then. However, I would really mind the lack of USB and Ethernet Ports. I work for an ISP and when networking I use my ports a lot for programing routers, wireless radios, and a multitude of other things.

However, that said, I want to point out that the market is not for people like us. For your average college student that wants something light to put in their book bag, take notes, watch movies online, browse the internet, and that is completely switching over to wireless in every way, this is the perfect computer. It's definitely not a desktop replacement, which is what my Macbook Pro is, but it's an awesome portable computer for a secondary computer or if you use the computer only lightly. I think it will really appeal to the 12" Powerbook fans who have been stuck with either the Macbook or the 15" Macbook Pro. There are a lot of people who fit into this class and Apple didn't have a laptop for them. Well now they do. If you want a computer that's thin, wireless, and lightly used, the Macbook Air is for you. If you want a computer that can do anything, go with the Macbook Pro or the cheaper Macbook which is one of the best laptops out there. (CNet's Editor's choice of the year)

[Bitter]

[1.17.08]: Update on people spreading rumors about the iPod touch $20 upgrade:


Apple has confirmed that the reason the "Purchase It" button has been taken off iTunes for people wanting to buy the $20 upgrade is NOT because of people complaining about the price. There are technical difficulties and the system seems to be charging some people twice for the upgrade by accident, so they are taking the system offline while that work on the problem. I repeat, it is NOT because of the hefty price for applications that should have been free.

Apple has also said they ARE offering rebates to those who bought an iPod touch between Dec. 27th and Jan. 14th and bought the upgrade, they will give you a $20 rebate.

And to end the rumors about Apple releasing a 1.1.4 in the near future to make everyone happy about the upgrades and such, not true. Sorry everyone, I guess we better figure out that jailbreak soon, eh?

More to come.


EDIT:

A near miss! Some progress was made in unlocking their iPod touch. Nicox45 of ipodtouchfans.com recently posted an image of their 1.1.3 firmware iPod touch which appears to be unlocked. He says quote, "I got a copy of a backup folder from the user ifanaddic and synced my ipod with it, i got this:" Of course, by "this" he is referring to the picture of his iPod below. He says someone gave a shot at jailbreaking and sent him the files and he attempted to sync it. That is what he got. What does this mean? Anything at this point. We know for sure it is all positive for the hopes of a jailbreak very soon. For someone to somehow alter the firmware, which is very visible from that picture, is a big deal and brings us one step closer to a jailbreak. I will keep everyone updated.



Here is a picture of his iPod: http://img237.images.../imgipodmx0.jpg




Bitter.

[Charles C]

In the second screenshot of the touch, are those new buttons rolled out with the latest touch?

[Bitter]

Charles., on Jan 18 2008, 07:52 PM, said:

In the second screenshot of the touch, are those new buttons rolled out with the latest touch?

Which image do you mean by second screenshot?



Bitter.

[Charles C]

http://images.apple....y2_20070621.png

[Bitter]

Charles., on Jan 19 2008, 10:56 AM, said:

http://images.apple....y2_20070621.png

That is an iPhone, but the applications are the same, except the SMS application. And the iPod application is called Music instead, and there is no phone.
But other than those differences, yes, the new applications are pre-installed on new iPod touch's for free.

UPDATE!!! [1.19.08]: 1.1.3 fake jailbreaking videos have been popping up all over the internet, but finally, there is one that we can actually believe is real.



Here are the reasons why it is most likely real:
1. The dock
2. Moving icons right from the home screen.
3. wiggly icons while moving.
4. pagination
5. Installer.app is present on the Home screen.

Now you must be wondering, why doesn't he just tell everyone how he did it? NO. If someone finds a way to jailbreak now and releases a tutorial now, Apple would surely find a way to patch it before the SDK is released in February. The best strategy right now is to wait until after the SDK is released to tell everyone how to jailbreak the iPod touch 1.1.3 firmware. And besides, the only way it could have been done was through a ton of manual processes in the procedure, so it gives the person time to develop an automatic jailbreak so it will be an easier couple step process when the SDK comes out.

I will update this more later.


ANOTHER UPDATE: For those who are waiting to update to 1.1.3 until there is a stable jailbreak released like I am, and want the officially released 1.1.3 applications instead of the ported ones from 1.1.2 iPhone, the touchdev team IS working on a way to back-port the applications from 1.1.3 to 1.1.2 and release them on the Installer for 1.1.2 users to download them to your iPod touch and iPhone.





Bitter.

[Charles C]

Bitter, on Jan 19 2008, 04:35 PM, said:

Charles., on Jan 19 2008, 10:56 AM, said:

http://images.apple....y2_20070621.png

That is an iPhone, but the applications are the same, except the SMS application. And the iPod application is called Music instead, and there is no phone.
But other than those differences, yes, the new applications are pre-installed on new iPod touch's for free.



Bitter.

I'm completely aware of what the iPhone is. I just didn't look on the screen of that image, I was just looking at the sides.

[Bitter]

Charles., on Jan 19 2008, 05:36 PM, said:

Bitter, on Jan 19 2008, 04:35 PM, said:

Charles., on Jan 19 2008, 10:56 AM, said:

http://images.apple....y2_20070621.png

That is an iPhone, but the applications are the same, except the SMS application. And the iPod application is called Music instead, and there is no phone.
But other than those differences, yes, the new applications are pre-installed on new iPod touch's for free.



Bitter.

I'm completely aware of what the iPhone is. I just didn't look on the screen of that image, I was just looking at the sides.

I changed the iPod touch picture to a side view so ther isn't anymore confusion


Bitter.

[China J]

http://www.iphonegee...m/software.html

A friend of mine has his phone working with t-mobile and I asked him how did he accomplish that and he referred me to this link... Yes I saw his phone personally.

[Bitter]

China J, on Jan 19 2008, 09:54 PM, said:

http://www.iphonegee...m/software.html

A friend of mine has his phone working with t-mobile and I asked him how did he accomplish that and he referred me to this link... Yes I saw his phone personally.

Yeah, that is kinda like last year's news, but thanks for posting it though.
AnySIM has been an application in Installer for quite some time now, which is one of the applications used in changing your service to a different provider other than AT&T on the iPhone.
There are quite a few tutorials on how to do it, but do it wrong, and you turn your iPhone into an iBrick.



Bitter.

[Bitter]

[1.23.08]: There is word on the iPod/iPhone scene that another jailbreak has been found. If this turns out to be true, a possible stable release of a jailbreak could be sooner than we thought. The thinking behind it being, if there is more than one way to jailbreak, then one can be released now, so even if Apple does patch it before the SDK release in February, there will be another backup jailbreak procedure ready. More to come soon.

Also, for those who are on firmware 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 still like me, if you are looking for the iPhone apps and notice the old repository is missing, it is because they moved hosts and new domain, just add the following source in your Installer: http://applerepo.com
Easy.

In other Apple news, Steve Jobs reports that Apple had its highest sales ever within the first 2 weeks of January this year. Mac sales are up 40%, the highest since the early Macintosh in 1984.



More to come soon.







Bitter.

[Bitter]

[1.24.08]: I have sad news to report today, NateTrue, a member of the touchdev team that jailbroke 1.1.3, released a jailbreak and tutorial on the internet without the permission of the rest of the touchdev team. This is extremely bad because it is way too premature and Apple will surely patch it before the SDK is released. NateTrue has been kicked off of the touchdev team and is now shunned from the iPod/iPhone community.

NOTE: This jailbreak is for the iPhone ONLY (so far) and is a VERY illegal release, the touchdev team plans on releasing a better jailbreak without NateTrue that is legal and hopefully Apple won't patch it so soon. I will not link to the jailbreak tutorial or any of its files because it is illegal and I do not support any of that. I can link you to a touchdev member's blog that confirms this.

http://www.zdziarski.com/

Also, a SNES emulator for jailbroken iPod touch's was released the other day and can be found along with the GBA, NES, and PS1 emulators in your Installer. This is currently in BETA, so no official release yet. When the official release is available I will post it.

More to come soon.




Bitter.