Jailbreaking Older iPhone for Siri: 5 Reasons Why it’s Not Worth the Trouble

Apple’s brand new voice-enabled artificial assistant, Siri, is a major hit at the moment with iPhone users. It has been cited as one of the reasons why many people have opted for the new iPhone 4S. Although, currently only available on the iPhone 4S, people with older devices like the iPhone 4 and the 3GS are desperate to bring the service to their devices as well and have opted for jailbreaking. It’s not really a good idea to do that.

Here are the reasons why jailbreaking your older iPhones for Siri can be a bad card to play:

Copyright Issues: Although it may be fun to bring in the most advanced personal assistant to your iPhone by jailbreaking the device, it is just a matter of time before Apple turns their attention on the copyright violators. What the user is doing by jailbreaking the device for Siri is violating Apple’s copyrigh - he/she is extracting encrypted Siri files - this is not recommended.

Device Problems: Constant fiddling with the iPhone and numerous attempts to jailbreak it can ultimately lead to a permanent breakdown or disabling of the device. Installing Siri on iPhone 4 or 3GS needs someone with clear technical know-how, which is a very rare thing to expect from the average consumer. Note that just one wrong move and you might end up owning a new paperweight for your home rather than a smartphone.

Faulty Service: Many users, according to reports, have claimed Siri can be a fun for the first couple of weeks but slowly becomes less so. The service even tends to show problems or even break-down as soon as users, just out of curiosity, start making complicated or advanced queries. Although the official Siri commercial shows a wide range of possibilities, the reality, it seems, is nothing like that shown in the advertisement. At its worst, Siri remains fully functional as long as the questions are - Siri, what is your favorite color?” or “Siri, what are you wearing?” Otherwise, it’s not worth all the trouble the user will have to go through.

Security Concern: Remember that once you start fidgeting with your iPhone, you are inviting a host of unnecessary security issues that will probably surface at one time or another. The only way Siri can be brought into an old iPhone is by jailbreaking it. Now, jailbreaking can create malicious security holes that could allow other unsafe files to be downloaded. There is also a chance that workarounds related to Siri could have a dangerous payload built into it. Bascially, hacking the device could invite a host of problems.

There are Choices: Before you decide to mess with the iPhone by jailbreaking it, remember there are alternatives. There are the likes of DragonGo or Vlingo. They may not be Siri but are very similar to the services that Apple actually provides. It is recommended that you give others a chance before getting into jailbreaking and bringing in Siri.

(Information from eWeek.com)