macbit.net

Update: while I haven't tried it myself yet, those enterprising programmers have rolled out a jailbreak for 1.1.3 for the iPod Touch and confirmed jailbreak for 1.1.4 for iPhone for Mac users. Windows users will have to wait a bit longer...

I recently bought an iPod Touch (16GB) and after reading up a bit about it, decided to jailbreak it within the first hour after opening it to enable the "missing" iPhone applications such as Mail, Notes, Google Maps, Weather, and Stocks. The jailbreak process takes under 30 minutes in all after downloading the necessary files and is really quite simple. Here is my condensed, step-based version that most anyone can follow.

Prerequisites (download as needed and save to your hard drive)

- Macintosh OS X (10.4 and above)
- Current version of iTunes
- Current version of Java
- iPod Touch 1.1.1 Firmware
- iPod Touch 1.1.2 Firmware
- Jailbreak software (for firmware version 1.1.2)

I. Downgrading the iPod Touch to firmware version 1.1.1 (if you are already at 1.1.1, go to step II)

a. plug your Touch into your Mac and open iTunes

b. Press down the power button at the top of the iPod while holding the Home button. After 5-10 seconds, release the Power button while still holding the Home button. The iPod should now display “Recover mode”.

c. Option-click the Restore button (shift-click for PC users), navigate to where you saved the 1.1.1 firmware, then click on "OK". The downgrade will proceed and after a few minutes, you'll have an iPod Touch in 1.1.1 factory condition.

d. Unplug the Touch and quit iTunes.

II. Jailbreaking the 1.1.1 iPod Touch

a. Connect to a Wi-Fi network with your Touch and point Safari at "http://www.jailbreakme.com". Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Install" button. It might take a few attempts to get the TIFF exploit to kick off, but once it does, it only takes a few seconds. You'll be logged out of your Touch and once you log in, there will be a new Installer application on the Touch desktop.

b. Tap the Installer app and click on the "Install" button along the bottom of the screen. Scroll until you find "Tweaks 1.1.1", click on the folder, and then click on the "OktoPrep" item. Click on the "Install" button on the top and let it run. You'll be returned to the Touch's desktop and you are now ready to update to 1.1.2.

II. Upgrading the iPod Touch to firmware version 1.1.2

a. Plug the Touch back into the Mac and open iTunes. You should be automatically prompted to update to firmware version 1.1.2 but if you aren't, go ahead and click on the the "Update" button. Once completed, leave the Touch plugged in but quit iTunes. If iTunes doesn't show firmware version 1.1.2 as being the current version to update to, option-click (shift-click for PC users) on the Update button and navigate to the downloaded 1.1.2 firmware file.

III. Jailbreaking the iPod Touch 1.1.2

a. Launch the downloaded jailbreak.jar file; when prompted, enable SSH and change the password if so desired. This is the longest part of the process and will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Let the Touch reboot when completed and when you log back in, you will now see an "SSH" icon alongside the "Installer" icon.

b. Launch the Installer, click on the "Sources" button along the bottom, then click on "Edit", then "Add", enter http://applerepo.com, then "OK". Wait for the sources to refresh then click on "Install". Scroll down the "iPhone Apps for 1.1.2" and install the desired apps (for Mail and Maps, be sure to also install the "Prep" items before installing those two apps).