The developers behind the iPhone Dev Team and Chronic Dev, among others, released a new version of their iOS jailbreak tool, Absinthe, last Friday. But is jailbreaking iOS devices still en vogue? It certainly seems like it: the latest version, which performs an untethered jailbreak of nearly all iOS devices running iOS 5.1.1—including the iPad 3—was reportedly used to jailbreak at least 973,086 devices over the Memorial Day weekend.

Jailbreaking skirts around the built-in security features of iOS, allowing users to install third-party software not approved by Apple, customize the user interface, and even access an iOS device's command line and file system. It can also enable unlocking a (GSM) device from a particular carrier for use on an alternate carrier, or using SIMs from local carriers when traveling abroad.

Jailbreaking can sometimes be a difficult process because developers must often find security holes that allow the jailbreaks in the first place. Apple constantly works to plug those security holes, and many times, new versions of iOS or devices with newer processors are difficult to crack. They may also require "tethering" to a computer with jailbreak software running in order to reboot.

Absinthe, on the other hand, requires just one click to jailbreak all current iOS devices running the latest version, 5.1.1. Ars' own Jon Brodkin used the software over the weekend to jailbreak his device, saying that it worked well for him. "It's pretty amazing that you can do it with one click," Brodkin said. "It's hard to miss the 'jailbreak' button—it's probably the easiest-to-use piece of software on the planet."

That simplicity is combined with what's known as an "untethered" jailbreak. That means the device can be rebooted on its own, retaining the patches that allow installing non-App Store apps and other hacks.

Such ease of applying a jailbreak using Absinthe, as well as its wide compatibility, likely proved a strong incentive for casual users curious to see what advantages jailbreaking offers over the Memorial Day weekend. For instance, Brodkin uses F.lux, which automatically dims an iOS device's screen at night for reduced eyestrain. Other apps, like SBsettings, allow quick access to common settings like Bluetooth and WiFi without digging in to the Settings app. Advanced users can even install SSH, HTTP, or other servers and run them directly on an iOS device.

The original version of Absinthe released in January worked with A5-powered devices, including the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. The latest version, 2.0.2, also works with the third-generation iPad; over 200,000 of those were jailbroken over the weekend, according to the developers behind Absinthe.

Although it's a small percentage of overall users, nearly 1 million new iOS devices being jailbroken is a strong indication that even casual users are interested in an option to install "unapproved" software on their devices. Perhaps one day, Apple will offer a user setting similar to the upcoming Mountain Lion feature known as "Gatekeeper," which allows users to install any app or limited installation only from "trusted" sources.