To Jailbreak, or Not to Jailbreak?

There has been a lot of talk about Jailbreaking your iDevices in the news. And most of it bad. It is unfortunate that Jailbreaking has been given such a bad name. Apple and Mainstream Media, would have you believe that if you Jailbreak your iDevice you will A. make yourself susceptible to Viruses and Hackers and B. Only those who pirate software jailbreak. Apple does not want you to "root" your device. They do not want you to be able to choose how your device should act, or look, or what software you can run. Congress, has recently decided that Jailbreaking is not illegal. However, I would still restore your iDevice to original before you send it in for service. As for why would you want to? More on that after the jump.

So why should you Jailbreak your iPhone, iPod or iPad? Well, for everyone that is a different answer. For me, I do it because I like the functionality of displaying my email, calendar and notifications on my Lock Screen with apps like Lockinfo. I also like to be unique, which includes how my iPad looks! So if you want to Theme your iDevice, then you will need Winterboard, which is a Jailbreak App. Don't like the sounds your iPhone makes when you get an SMS message? Want more options? Yep... Gotta Jailbreak it. Sure you can find sources to get pirated Appstore Apps from, if you look hard enough, But it is not a default setup for Jailbroken iDevices. As a matter of fact, the majority of people I know who have a Jailbroken iDevice, do not have any of the Pirate scene apps installed.

So the question is, do you need to Jailbreak? Well, you have to decide that for yourself. Will it make your iPad a haven for viruses and hackers? Not a bloody chance. Will you go to jail? Nope, not even close. Will you void your warranty? Only if you are foolish enough to take your Jailbroken iDevice to the Apple store for service. Instead just restore it thru iTunes first. Then it is no longer Jailbroken.

So go read up at the Dev Team's Blog and join the Darkside!