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Apple Posts Apple TV iOS 4.1 Firmware, Jailbreak Already In The Works

Even though the new Apple TV hasn’t arrived in our homes yet, a few hours ago Apple posted the official firmware of the new device online. Available for download here, the firmware is a custom version of iOS 4.1 - and you know what that means: jailbreak and apps.

Steve Jobs said that the new Apple TV doesn’t come with 3rd party apps but they could open to the possibility “when the time is right”, but the fact that the Apple TV is running iOS leaves a very few doubts to the jailbreak community: there has to be a way to jailbreak in there, and that would allows everyone to install additional apps now.

Matter of fact, the Dev-Team guys have updated their official blog post about the SHAtter exploit (the one with the jailbroken iPod Touch 4G video) confirming that SHAtters has been used to decrypt the Apple TV firmware’s keys.

It’s looking like SHAtter is going to be the gift that keeps on giving.  Even though the new AppleTV isn’t yet in people’s homes, the firmware is available on Apple’s normal public distribution servers and SHAtter has been used to decrypt its keys!

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a brand new version of Cydia running on the Apple TV in a couple of months. Whether the Apple TV needs jailbroken apps and tweaks already, that’s all up to the developers’ creativity.

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Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, and Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more.

He can also be found on his other podcasts on Relay FM: Connected and Remaster, two shows about Apple and videogames, respectively.

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