iOS users will find that a new update awaits them today which is essentially iOS 5.0.1 (Build 9A406). This is replace the current version of iOS 5.0.1 but does not appear to sport any major changes with one exception – decrypted ramdisks. For those who may not be so technically inclined, what this means is that theoretically Siri could be extracted from the iPhone 4S and ported to other iOS devices “legally”.
This revelation was tweeted by none other than MuscleNerd, a prominent figure in the iOS hacking/jailbreaking community. Previously Siri’s system files were encrypted, therefore for iOS hackers/developers looking to port Siri over to non-iPhone 4S devices would be tantamount to piracy as it would infringe upon copyrighted material which is a big no-no. These decrypted files basically leave Siri’s files open for the taking, which we guess could be construed as a legal loophole of sorts.
We can’t be sure why Apple decided to leave the files decrypted for hackers to exploit, perhaps it was a rushed job to get the update out (which some are speculating was released due to international releases of the iPhone 4S), but either way it is likely that Apple will re-encrypt the files in iOS 5.1. For now it appears that it is legal to port Siri onto non-iPhone 4S devices.