Hackers have once again wrested a measure of control from Apple's iron-fisted
grasp of iPads and newer iPhones with the release of jailbreaking software that
allows hundreds of unapproved apps to be installed on the devices.
The package, called Spirit, was released over the weekend for devices running
firmware versions 3.1.2, 3.1.3, and 3.2, which until now weren't easily freed
from Steve Jobs' Howard-Hughesian control. The software allows users to
customize homescreen images, tether the devices to a PC so they can be used as a
modem and do other things that Apple considers verboten. It also allows users to
install third-party apps from unapproved repositories such as Cydia and
RockYourPhone.