Apple iPad Hacked And Slated For 24 April UK Release

Tom Jowitt,

Hackers have reportedly already cracked open the iPad. Meanwhile another report has suggested the device will hit UK shores on 24 April

Just one day after the Apple iPad finally arrived in the United States, a well known hacker has reported that he has ‘jailbroken’ the device.

According to various reports, MuscleNerd, a member of the iPhone Dev Team which is committed to hacking the iPhone OS, jailbroke the iPad after just one day of experimenting with the tablet device.

iPad Hack

MuscleNerd reportedly used the “Spirit” jailbreak designed to open up the iPhone, according to MacNN. This uses a browser exploit to open up the operating system and it allowed MuscleNerd to apparently install non-approved applications and to run apps simultaneously. A video is available here.

Jailbreaking is essentially a process which allows users to run any code on their device, and which allows them to avoid Apple’s restrictions, i.e. code not authorised by Apple.

Once a device is jailbroken, users can ether download many applications that previously unavailable through the App Store. This could include adult apps for example, that Apple recently banned from the iTunes apps store.

There are also a number of apps available from unofficial installers, as well as illegally pirated apps.

With a device as eagerly awaited as the iPad, it is perhaps inevitable that the hacker community would seek to crack the device as soon as possible.

Apple has already faced criticism over its decision to opt for an obscure mobile standard specifying micro-SIM for the iPad, which is different from any other device. The use of micro-SIMs means that, even if the iPad arrives unlocked in the UK, users will be forced to buy the SIM cards from specific mobile operators, to ensure 3G connectivity for their device.

iPad UK Arrival Set For 24 April?

Free Prize Draw: Win one of the first iPads in Britain
Free Prize Draw: Win one of the first iPads in Britain

Meanwhile, other reports are suggesting that the iPad will hit UK shores on Saturday 24 April.

According to Bitterwallet, this date was mentioned by two separate sources. It cited one source as “an individual claiming to be an Apple employee who explicitly claims the date is correct.” The other source has been told by an employee that staff working in Apple’s UK stores are not allowed time off on 24th April, and that extra staff have been asked to work in-store.

Last month, UberGizmo also suggested that 24 April would be the UK release date, after it also said that Apple staff had been told not to take leave on that date.

Apple is of course keeping mum on the reports and the official word on its UK website is that the iPad will arrive in the UK sometime in ‘late April’.

eWEEK has its own iPad on the way from the US, but we won’t be using it. It’s a prize in our latest draw for newsletter subscribers.