Hoping to make some money on the side, 24-year-old Tokyo resident Daisuke Ikeda had an entrepreneurial scent around him, thanks to his allegedly selling five jailbroken iPhones between March 26 and May 23. Ikeda reportedly made around a combined $1,200 in profit from the five units, with all five including a cracked version of Monster Strike, a popular mobile game that was banned from Apple’s App Store at one point before being reinstated.
However, when authorities arrested Ikeda, it seems as if they knew that he sold many more than just five illicit iPhones. More specifically, Ikeda is believed to have sold around 200 units over the course of a year, allowing him to rake in $49,243 in profit, according to an unnamed investigative source.
Jailbreaking an iPhone is an alluring prospect for some, seeing how the practice helps provide deeper access to iOS. Furthermore, there are apps that take advantage of that unfettered access with the ability to do everything from running emulators to changing the look and feel of the operating system.
Apple is not too thrilled with jailbreaking, however, since the company believes the practice compromises iOS’ security. Furthermore, jailbreaking voids your warranty and can cause stability issues, such as reduced battery life and slower performance.
It is unknown which iPhones Ikeda sold, and uncertain what his punishment will be, but he faces charges of trademark violation. His arrest is believed to be the first of its kind in Japan — a miracle seeing as how iPhones have been available for purchase in the country since 2008.
