Bypass iTunes on iPad

"Hack and bypass iTunes and install any software, games, and apps."

Many smart device manufacturers lock down the electronics they sell. They claim it enhances security by preventing users from accidentally installing malware and viruses. While this does work as a band-aid for incompetent users and their poor security practices, it also blocks knowledgable power users from doing what they really need to with their devices. Unfortunately, Apple and others keep trying harder and harder to keep people from jailbreaking and rooting their own devices, which they bought with their own money. Sony recently sued a researcher who developed a method for bypassing encryption on their PlayStation 3 device in order to install Linux, an option Sony had previously removed.

Locked-down devices, and the companies behind them using aggressive laws like the DMCA in the US to prevent their jailbreaking, shows that the issue is as much or more about control than it is about security. By limiting devices to pre-approved program and "app" stores, companies are able to take a continued cut of money spent by their users, prevent interoperability with other companies and developers that don't follow their rules, and deliver advertising in the future.

The best solution is to not buy locked-down devices, and to replace ones you have with open solutions. While you can keep jailbreaking and rooting devices, with each firmware revision reverting your changes, all the holes will eventually be patched. Consider Android-based devices, which run on a variant of Linux, or, better, a device that isn't tied to any one large company.