It seems that Microsoft’s Windows RT has got a jailbreak/unlocking solution of its own. The new jailbreak method makes it possible to run unsigned desktop apps on devices like the Microsoft Surface RT.

For the uninitiated, Windows RT is the ARM version of Windows 8 and has been designed to take advantage of the new Start UI while only allowing select (Microsoft) desktop apps to be used in the legacy desktop mode. With this new hack, desktop applications can theoretically work without needing Microsoft’s special signed approval.

I say theoretical because there are currently no Windows ARM desktop applications, and existing Windows 8 desktop programs won’t work because they aren’t compatible in their current form with ARM processors.

The good news is that this new jailbreak could open up the door to homebrewing efforts or even allow full-on unofficial conversions of popular Windows legacy desktop apps.

What does Microsoft have to say about all of this? Actually, a Microsoft spokesperson has said “they applaud the ingenuity of the folks who worked this out and the hard work they did to document it”.

Microsoft says that the hack/jailbreak method isn’t a security threat. That said, they do not guarantee that the exploit that allows the hack to work will always be in place. Whether Microsoft will work on an actual patch right away or not is unclear at the moment.

What do you think of this effort? Does the idea of possibly eventually running homebrew Windows RT desktop apps appeal to you or not?

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