Apple hits would-be unlockers where it hurts: iPhone maker warns of warranty-voided bricks

Thick as a brick.
That’s how dumb you’d have to be to fiddle with your iPhone, according to Apple Inc. Indeed, the company warned that fiddling may well turn the high-end gadget into a brick.
The iPhone maker yesterday attempted to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of anyone thinking of tinkering with their device to unlock it. Those interested in unlocking their iPhone presumably wish to rely on service from a carrier other than AT&T Mobility in the United States, or to resell the unlocked device.
Why the Cupertino, Calif.-based iPhone vendor chose yesterday to send a Halloween-horror message to would-be unlockers is unclear-a number of Web sites have been promoting unlocking software for weeks-but last week Apple signed deals with O2 U.K., T-Mobile in Germany and Orange France to bring the iPhone to Europe.
Thus, Apple may be concerned that between now and Nov. 9, when the Euro-iPhones are set to launch, unlockers could purchase handsets in the United States, unlock them and resell them to Europeans too anxious to wait six weeks. The warning may well be designed to reassure Apple’s new customers that their holiday sales prospects will be unsullied by a stream of unlocked iPhones from America.
“Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future, Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed,” read the company’s statement. “Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update . later this week.”
With phrases such as “irreparable damage,” “permanently inoperable” and “voided warranty” running through the minds of iPhone owners, who needs Halloween?
Or a threat of legal action?