iPhone Unlocked by Teenager

George Hotz is a 17-year-old kid from New Jersey who’s off to college. He doesn’t need to study engineering, because he’s already proved he’s one of the brightest bulbs in the box. He figured out how to unlock the iPhone so it can be used by carriers other than AT&T. In his spare time, he’s going to do some consulting work for Certicell and Puremobile. And he’s traded the first phone he unlocked for “a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones.” He's keeping the car and sending the phones to three others who helped him. His blog merely goes to show that what one man can lock, another can unlock.

Mr. Hotz’s approach required some manual dexterity as well as intellect, as a soldering iron was necessary. Since his solution hit the web, others have posted solder-free ways of doing it. Naturally, AT&T and Apple are opposed to the tinkering. The AT&T says, “The iPhone must be activated before it can be used. iPhone includes a pre-installed SIM card for your convenience.” Apple says, “You should use the SIM card that came pre-installed in the iPhone.”

Well, whose damn phone is it? What these two companies have done is created an arrangement whereby they lock out competing carriers. AT&T (of the Deathstar logo) clearly has an interest in this, and Apple gets to charge more for their phone with this kind of exclusive. What of consumer choice, though? The world has come a long way since Henry Ford said, “You can have any color car you want, so long as it’s black.” Yet, rent-seeking companies keep trotting out the same kind of thinking.

Secrets, of course, make money in business, and one isn’t sure that living in a world where everyone had access to America and Russia’s nuclear launch codes would be comfortable. There is, however, something to be said for transparency. It’s hard to lie, cheat and steal right out in the light of day. That is not to say that AT&T or Apple behaved illegally in creating their arrangement, but that doesn’t make it right. Anything that prevents the owner of a device from doing as he pleases with it is irksome, and without a compelling social good involved, it's hard to accept.

The iPhone is a nifty little gadget, and Mr. Hotz has proved himself a clever young man. However, one would rather he come up with a hack to make the cell phone better in other ways. For example, it only rings when someone with whom one wants to converse is on the other end. Or it always gets through to the other party. Or once a week, God himself calls just to say “hi.” By comparison, roll over minutes just aren’t that important.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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