New instructions for iPhone hardware unlock

A group of hackers have successfully unlocked the Apple iPhone's hardware, we reported Tuesday. Now the full details have been published online, and the unlocked mobile phone is currently up for sale on eBay.

The unlocking project, dubbed Finding JTAG, outlines a 10-step unlocking process that will enable you to use any SIM card in the Apple iPhone, without the need of modifying the card in any way, says Apple Insider.

Hacking the iPhone

The process involves forcing the Apple iPhone's read-only memory to accept unsigned code on the handset's built-in NOR flash storage, which controls some of the key functions in the Apple iPhone.

This enables the code to change the default settings in the Apple iPhone, which is set to bar all but AT&T SIM cards from making and receiving calls.

"Once the code is on the NOR [memory] we can do whatever we want," Finding JTAG's public representative, George Hotz told Apple Insider. "So patch out the [carrier] lock; voila, unlocked Apple iPhone."

Before you set out to try this at home though, it is best to know that unlocking the Apple iPhone's hardware is a complicated process and potentially fatal for the handset if you don't know what you're doing. "You only get one chance to do this right," Hotz warned.

The unlocked Apple iPhone is now up for sale on auction site eBay. At the time of writing, the highest bidder was willing to pay $1,575 (£788).