Apple: Next update could break unlocked iPhones

Software unlocking of the iPhone has become the "deal of the day" with paid and unpaid solutions.   Apple has an answer for that, and you may not like it.

Apple issued a statement Monday afternoon warning users of unlocked iPhones that the next software update it ships will probably break their phones.

It's not clear how many people have unlocked their iPhone to run on networks other than AT&T's, but there has definitely been some interest among early adopters who want no part of AT&T's network. Most of those folks were always operating under the assumption that Apple might relock their iPhones with future software updates, but were they expecting Apple to actually disable the phone?

Many expected the phones to be re-locked, but most likely none expected this.  Was this coincidence, or done explicitly by Apple?  What do you think?