Cupertino, Calif. - Confirming a warning issued by Apple in a press release earlier this week, many owners of iPhones who had installed software meant to unlock the device for use on networks other than AT&T found their phones no longer worked after installing an iPhone software update from Apple.

Apple said that such unlocking software, which recently became available commercially, could cause "irreparable damage" -- and added that such damage would not be covered under the iPhone's warranty.

Reports on gadget sites including Gizmodo and Engadget revealed that some unlocked or modified iPhones continued to function after the update was installed -- but would only work with their original AT&T SIM card -- essentially "re-locking" the phone to AT&T's network.

Additionally, many third-party applications installed on the iPhone no longer functioned after the optional software update.

In addition to disabling unlocked iPhones, the software update put out by Apple this week added iPhone access to the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store.

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070928/ap_on_hi_te/apple_iphone_5

http://tinyurl.com/2np5es (Engadget)

http://tinyurl.com/yqafyc (New York Times)

http://tinyurl.com/2fkqnb (DMW previous coverage)