There's nearly half a million devices that have been jailbroken on iOS 6 (over 470k). To the extent to which that number is low because of the lack of a tethered jailbreak, the lack of a jailbreak on recent devices, or simply the lack of interest in iOS 6 (as the main feature seems to be "Maps no longer works well"), I am not certain.
However, for purposes of "DRM has won against piracy", you have to first look at the demographics of piracy: the average person on Hacker News is a technically proficient user who is out a lot and relies on their cell phone for everything in their lives, from driving directions to business calls to reading websites like Hacker News.
Your average pirate is from a fundamentally different set of demographics: one of the most common is a middle-school or high-school student that shares an iPod touch (not an iPhone) with their sibling; the device probably doesn't leave the house much, and was a hand-me-down from the father (who probably doesn't have much time for games anyway).
I thereby take a lot of issue with people who attempt to frame conversations about anything involving normal people--whether it be the benefits of closed ecosystems, how users spend their money, or really anything--by aiming the spotlight on people who have enough money to own an iPhone 5, or even an iPhone 4S: the iPhone 4 is still selling, and it is still selling like hotcakes, because it costs $200 less up-front. I would even argue that it would be selling better than it is if it weren't perpetually sold out ;P.
In all honestly, I am not even certain why anyone would spend $200 to get an iPhone 5 instead of the iPhone 4, and I actually understand many of the various subtle technical differences... to the normal user, though, the only things they really are able to make decisions about are how the iPhone 4S supports Siri (which, of course, the iPhone 4 could easily handle, as demonstrated by the numerous jailbroken users who actually have installed it on that device--but then this device would have nothing at all which differentiates it to the normal consumer ;P), and that the iPhone 5 is slightly taller (which might even be a turn-off) and has a metallic back (which many will perceive as making the phone more sturdy to drops, but AppleCare+ protects against accidental damage--including drops--and costs only $100).
The result is that if you want to discuss what people who feel even slightly money-constrained are doing, you have to do so in the context of the iPhone 4. Yes: there are people who own recent iPhones and pirate, but at least the few I know (grrr) are in a very weird demographic (super-highly technical people who believe it is a moral sin to purchase information bits and will go to insane lengths to never spend a dollar on, say, iTunes).
I think looking at the technical side of things as an attraction for 'normal' consumers, is the wrong way of going about it, especially with consumer electronics. It's pretty evident by now that people want the latest (and perceived best) device, even if the technical differences aren't that massive. It's enough to be able to say to friends, "I got the iPhone 5".
I'd also assume the iPhone 4 being perpetually sold out is either a determined move by Apple to force sales on upper models, or is just a result of having production lines focused on the upper models. I don't doubt they'd sell either though.
Admittedly I used to be that person, as a teenager. Once I got full time employment, I definitely starting buying more things I would pirate, both for the reason that it was a pain getting updates to apps (Apple does well in this regard), and also because there was no financial reason for me not to if I had the money.
However, for purposes of "DRM has won against piracy", you have to first look at the demographics of piracy: the average person on Hacker News is a technically proficient user who is out a lot and relies on their cell phone for everything in their lives, from driving directions to business calls to reading websites like Hacker News.
Your average pirate is from a fundamentally different set of demographics: one of the most common is a middle-school or high-school student that shares an iPod touch (not an iPhone) with their sibling; the device probably doesn't leave the house much, and was a hand-me-down from the father (who probably doesn't have much time for games anyway).
I thereby take a lot of issue with people who attempt to frame conversations about anything involving normal people--whether it be the benefits of closed ecosystems, how users spend their money, or really anything--by aiming the spotlight on people who have enough money to own an iPhone 5, or even an iPhone 4S: the iPhone 4 is still selling, and it is still selling like hotcakes, because it costs $200 less up-front. I would even argue that it would be selling better than it is if it weren't perpetually sold out ;P.
In all honestly, I am not even certain why anyone would spend $200 to get an iPhone 5 instead of the iPhone 4, and I actually understand many of the various subtle technical differences... to the normal user, though, the only things they really are able to make decisions about are how the iPhone 4S supports Siri (which, of course, the iPhone 4 could easily handle, as demonstrated by the numerous jailbroken users who actually have installed it on that device--but then this device would have nothing at all which differentiates it to the normal consumer ;P), and that the iPhone 5 is slightly taller (which might even be a turn-off) and has a metallic back (which many will perceive as making the phone more sturdy to drops, but AppleCare+ protects against accidental damage--including drops--and costs only $100).
The result is that if you want to discuss what people who feel even slightly money-constrained are doing, you have to do so in the context of the iPhone 4. Yes: there are people who own recent iPhones and pirate, but at least the few I know (grrr) are in a very weird demographic (super-highly technical people who believe it is a moral sin to purchase information bits and will go to insane lengths to never spend a dollar on, say, iTunes).