The Greenpois0n jailbreak has just been updated with “Absinthe A5,” an enhancement that enables for the first time an untethered jailbreak of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
For those unfamiliar with jailbreaks, MacRumors posted an excellent explanation: “Jailbreaking is the process by which users can open up their iOS device systems to load third-party software and hacks not authorized by Apple. Procedures for jailbreaking iOS devices are typically divided into two categories: “tethered” tools that required the device to be connected to a computer each time it is booted, and “untethered” tools that allow the device to be booted independently.”
The update, announced by hacker p0sixninja, is available for download now (the site is currently under heavy load and may not resolve consistently). Compatible devices and software include the iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0 (9A334) or 5.0.1 (9A405 and 9A406) and the iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1 (9A405).
Today’s release has been anticipated for several weeks, with jailbreak developers posting teaser images and videos as they moved closer to a public release.
A related effort by the iPhone Dev Team, “Corona,” is expected soon and will offer more flexibility in the form of a command line interface with over 20 options for advanced users who wish to customize the process.