George Hotz, the 19-year old hacker who made headlines for unlocking Apple’s original iPhone, has now released the first-known jailbreaking tool for iPhone 3GS.
The tool, called “purplea1n,” initially was only available for versions of the Windows operating system-excluding Windows 7-but Hotz declared in a blog post that a version for the Mac is now available. The software requires that the latest version of iTunes is installed and is for iPhone 3GS with 3.0 firmware.
“Note the binary size of purplera1n, it’s smaller than C++ hello world,” he blogged. “No 20MB thing that needs to be torrented. And no IPSW to download. This is how jailbreak should be!”
Jailbreaking allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to run applications that are unavailable through Apple’s App Store. The unapproved apps can then be installed through programs like Cydia and Icy.
Hotz made the news in 2007 for unlocking the original iPhone, allowing it to be used with any SIM card. He later said he traded the unlocked device for a Nissan 350Z and three locked iPhones.
Acknowledging the latest tool is in beta, Hotz advised users to back up everything before using. Steps for installation are described in the blog.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information about “purplea1n” for the Mac.