Get iPhone OS 3.0 For Free

Update: 3.0 is now live, but you still don’t need to shell out $10 for it.

At the end of their WWDC keynote, Apple released the golden master of iPhone OS 3.0. This will be the final version unless some giant, unforeseen bug creeps out of the woodwork. It’s scheduled to be released June 17th. It’s free for iPhone but will cost $10 for iPod Touch users, but you can get it for free via bittorrent. Search for iPod2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw and download it.

To use it, hook up your iPod to iTunes and click the restore button with the appropriate modifier (option for OS X, shift for Windows). This will bring up a window where you can choose the 3.0 software you downloaded. Now, just wait and when your iPod reboots, you’ll be using 3.0.

I’m using it now, and aside for some button issues with the YouTube app, it’s all good:

If you’re still concerned that the GM version is different from the released one, you can just hit restore in iTunes and you’ll get 3.0 directly from Apple’s servers, free, but I can’t tell any difference between the two. And while you’re watching that torrent download, you can take a look at some of the features in the new release.