Apple can afford the losses with the new app store on its way. While most of the apps will be free, there will be high profile things (anti-virus anyone) that apple will make a pretty penny on. You can bet your butt that any commercial product that makes its way to the iPhone will leave a nice wad of cash in Steve's wallet

They are going to find a way to unlock it just the way they did with the other iPhones. You cant stop them, they work to unlock things and they are going to find a way to do it!!!

"...Apple will sell more iPhones, AT&T will make more money and customers will pay more while losing..."

-you think?
:)
Notwithstanding, your article is truthful, and thanks.

rotten shame. there's lots of people who'd buy an iphone if it weren't for AT&T's high priced plans. the alternative of course, it to get a blackberry through t-mobile or verizon. the blackberry basically does everything the iphone does (though not nearly as elegantly) and some people do prefer a real keyboard. I suppose I'll wait another what is it, five years(?) for AT&T's exclusive to expire...

my Q is this...the locked phones will only be in the US? What about other countries who wish to use a carrier of there choice?

This is beginning to sound eerily similar to the exclusive Mac software licensing policy in the early 90's that eventually brought Apple (and Jobs) to it's knees, paving the way for BIll Gates to monopolize the computer software industry.

My question is d same as above......What if I want to buy an iphone and use in India? Is it possible for me to chose my own carrier......

The article throws light on previous unknowns about iphones. May be if this is the right blog, could you please let me know if the new iphones could be used in any other country outside the US with-out the unlocking stuff. We have do not have AT&T's services available here. So will it be an issue ?

the features are ok but need to improve not able to send the sms.

It is stupid. AT&T can't force customer to return their iphone. I can simply say I lost it or someone stole it from me. Do I need to pay the monthly fee while I am not using your service any longer?

Apple and ATT are fighting enemies of their own making. The unlocking demand is mainly driven by the desire for choice (and particularly by travelers wanting an option to switch SIM cards as is common in most of the world).

With the iPhone 3G Apple should do what's standard elsewhere, offer it at full price for those who want it unlocked and you get a $$$ rebate from ATT when you activate with them (or you just pay $199 at the ATT store for it w/ contract).

The vast vast majority of the current iPhone grey market has nothing to do with ATT/US usage and is mainly for overseas users.

For those asking, I would guess Apple will be just as tough on unlocking in other countries as in the U.S., though the severity of the rules may vary with the carriers. And remember that a few countries, like Italy, will have more than one carrier so those customers will have a choice (and the benefit of competition).

I live in Pakistan,and since in this country the 3G isn't offered,is there any chance to get hands on it?

As long as I can use it to surf to www.treehoo.com the web that plants trees to fight global warming and climate change...

I want to buy iPhone...but i am not sure if it works in my country, so my question is Does iPhone work in Republic of Kosova

Remember this: When the first iPhone came out, you couldn't get your foundation discount (FAN discount) For a UPS worker that is a pretty big amount, but the new iPhone you actually get the discount. That is a big deal. Pretty sure that the text part of the plan is gone, but GPS is covered...MM

Unlocking and jailbreaking an iPhone right now is simpler than installing Firefox, or even printing a spreadsheet. I predict that it will be less than 24 hours before a point-and-click unlocker is generally available.
Unlocking is a MUST if you leave the United States and wish to use your phone. In the past I've been stuck with $1600 dollar bills from AT&T before for simply forgetting to turn of data connections and roaming with EDGE. AT&Ts global roaming plans for this are not all that attractive either - still incurring per-kilobyte charge on each and every bit of data transcieved. By far, in Europe and even in Canada, the best thing to do is get a local SIM card and use that. The only way to have that SIM card work at all is is to unlock it.
If you travel, unlocking could save you thousands of dollars!

They have about 6 millions current iphone out the. many of those customers want to get the new Iphone. What will they do with the old one?. sell it to unlock it. Yes is an used phone but you can change the carrier.

In Asia as in France you could not sell a locked phone. Nobody would buy one. It seems to me that "selling" a locked phone is misrepresentation. Essentially you are just renting the phone, you don't really own it. Sellers of locked phones should be forced to say these are rentals, not sales.
Has some enterprising lawyer checked this out as a possible class action?
I used to work as an expert finance and economics witness for 11 years and have been cross-examined in 27 states and Canadian provinces.

Here in Australia, two carriers will carry the iPhone (Optus and Vodafone) both providing the phone on fixed contract plans and pre-paid plans. They'll also allow customers to buy the phone outright.

Australia (like the rest of the world except the U.S. and Canada) has a far more sophisticated cellular phone network.

If the consumers would band together and not buy it Apple could be forced to give us the choices we want. We, the consumer, don't realize how much power we have over companies. Steve wants our dollars. Make him earn them. Rather than using our heads and our wallets to change situations like this we just whine about it. Cool phone! I would like to have one but I don't "need" it and don't want it bad enough to use ATT....

This article contains an inaccuracy or two.

1) You must return the iPhone if you cancel in the first 30 days. After that, you can keep the iPhone.

2) This increases the cost of an unlocked iPhone. ETF (estimated at $175, but unknown at this time) + first month of contract + activation = ?. Which is to say that the cost of a legal unlocked iPhone will probably be more than the article suggests, but we don't really know how much it will cost.

Isuppport the descision to boycott the IPHONE as long as it is unavailable to unlock. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying this phone will cost $199,

so i wait

In Switzerland where I work, 2 carriers will offer the iPhone on July 11th, but plans are expensive.
In France where I live, it'll be out only on the 17th as an Orange monoply. At least they just dropped the price of an 8Gb V1 from 400 to 100 euros (170$).
An in France, you have the choice of either a 2 year subscription, or for a little bit more per month, only 12. And all carriers are forced by law to unlock the phone after 6 months.

What if I plan on using AT&T, but want to unlock it to switch out the SIM when traveling. I'm still paying AT&T their pound of flesh and how would they know? When someone comes out with a way to unlock the new one I actually would gain something, wouldn't I? I have been waiting for the new iPhone to come out and was excited at the announcement, but I do travel, mostly in Europe, often. If anyone has any insight I'd love to hear it!

capitalism

I don't think Apple will be able to do much technically to make the iPhone harder to unblock, but the new activation rules will make it much more inconvenient to buy an iPhone for the purposes of unlocking.
People who intend to keep the phone but wish it unlocked because they travel abroad should be able to do so, though they might risk Apple disabling the device in the future with an update.
Also, Marcos raises an important point. AT&T will only require the return of the phone if you cancel the contract within the first 30 days. I should have made this clear.
The new rules still make it a much bigger hassle to buy an iPhone solely for the purpose of unlocking and reselling it.

Jobs is getting in trouble for something not of his making. Like with DRM, he fought what was seen as an impossible battle with the music industry, and won, but DRM was the compromise he had to swallow. Now he's trying to do the same thing with the cellular industry: let the phone manufacturers lead the charge, that way we get better phones. In the past the phone was seen as incidental, the plans were where the money was. Remember, Apple went to Verizon first and they said they wouldn't work with him - they didn't want to give up control. So Apple and ATT developed this system TOGETHER to buck the status quo. They deserve to recoup their R&D through this deal, and profit through their mutual desire to push the industry in a better direction

this choice of Steve jobs will backslash him again!! He will never learn... People will probably try stealing iPhone now!! Think about it if u make it harder for me to get a iPhone I'll just to take them from u!!! If I was a apple worker like at a apple store I would steal iPhone and sell them to people that know how to hack iPhones !!

ok it still has a point of being unlocked, first what if im leaving the us for a vacation... oh the 2$ roaming is just great and dont forget paying by the byte for a phone that is useless without the net, so there is a point! also unlocking will come with a jailbreak; even though the appstore is great it has many restictions so many people will still want good old installer.

-alek

ps i dont think att can take away your phone

for the people that ask if you can use the iphone 3g in other countries, yes apple plans to sell them in 70+ countries by 2009 or u could buy it, unlock it and pay 2 plans (this would work good if u have family/freinds in america, they could add a iphone line for under 50$ and you could just forword 30$ a month to them (for data) because you would be using ur phone with a local network through unlocking no minutes would be used on ur freinds acount)

@David Zeller

I'm sorry, you've lost me. What rights do the grey reselling/unlocking industry have as far as making money off the iPhone? They didn't design it, develop it, market it or subsidise it. Others work legitimately with Apple to develop Software apps and Hardware accessories and these are the companies iPhone owners should be supporting.

No one HAS to buy an iPhone. Not owning an iPhone is not detrimental to one's health or wellbeing. Why not just get an AT&T cotract? If this doesn't suit, then buy something else. If Apple can't meet thier sales targets thru AT&T then they'll have to meet the market demands.

Playing cat and mouse with Apple and the networks just causes suspicion and mistrust on both sides.

Personally I'm glad the networks are subsidising this phone and revising thier data plans and network speed. This is where the real 'revolution' is IMO.

buy it online from O2 website ;)

I think one could live without an Iphone and it's predatory restrictions.
It's nice, but it's not nice being stuck with a phone and service that will charge me several dollars a minute if I want to call back the USA because of AT&T abusive international rates. I'd rather have a simpler phone, be able to unlock it and change SIM cards when Itravel.

I don't live in the United States and cannot understand the hype around the iPhone. I prefer Nokia phones, and will be waiting for the Nokia Tube. Adding 3G/Video Calling and GPS to a mobile phone is pretty old fashioned. The Nokia N Series had that stuff for years!

They have made it hard to unlock . I don't know about all countries though

read this
http://blog.ukphoneshop.com/mobile-phone-unlocking/so-you-think-youre-going-to-unlock-the-new-iphone-3g-think-again/957/

Why can't they sell iphone at a higher price without network service provider contract and at a subsidised price for those with network service provider contract?

I joined AT&T so I could use the iphone. I didn't know it AT&T is evil. Apple is not any less. Why are customers hammered in the head for loving apple products? Shame on you Apple. Shame on you AT&T.

What i dn get is....
iPhone is coming in India And will be available with 2 CARRIERS! (airtel and vodafone)
But India Dosent have 3G as yet....
I Wonder How Apple Intends To Run The 3G iPhone In India..
Hopefully They Wont Remove the 3G feature just coz there r no networks here.
i mean.....is wont be Long bfore 3G comes here

I think the new iPhone will be available unlocked one or maximum two months after official release. It is not only the US and the UK who will get the product but other 68 countries as well including some dodgy places where you can buy “drugs and weapons” easily on the streets. I’ve been in some of these countries and I don’t think that a shadow market can be stopped that easily, maybe in the US and the UK but it is not the summit of the planet.

There has to be something illegal about those business practices. We as consumers need to put a stop to this. This whole cellphone contaract is ridicoulous. Thats why the cellphone industry treats us the way they do. If your service is reasonable and great, I will continue to utilize U!

Hello,

I switched from Verizon to AT&T just for the iPhone. I am very disappointed with AT&T's service. More bars in more places, maybe....just not where it's useful to me, like where I live. I thought dropped calls were a thing of the past.

The thing I don't understand is how AT&T is allowed to compete with Apple (by allowing blackberries on their network, and even selling them in stores), but Apple is NOT allowed to compete with AT&T. Maybe someone can explain that one to me.

Thanks.

I agree with Robert McNeil's comment. If enough people stay away from choosing or switching over to AT&T because of the iPhone, hopefully us T-Mobile folks will have a shot at it if it forces Apple to expand to different carriers.

I still don't get all the angry reactions. If you don't like the combination Apple/ATT, then go somewhere else! As stated so often, apparently there are other phones that do everything an iPhone does "and better". Well, more power to you! I love my iPhone as much today as I did on June 29, 2007.

I for one am not happy with the coverage of ATT in the US, but I am not unhappy either. Before I travel to Europe I go to my ATT store and they have always given me a special rate, just by asking! Though I am well aware of the advantages, I haven't had a need for a "local" SIM-card.

$415 for an unlocked it still a great deal compare to the old version. It's about the same price. Oversea local dealers will get a better price for 3g iphone. They will sell one way or other in to the US market at 250 to 300 for 8 GB. Copycat 3g cphone will come out selling around $150. As long there are people buying, privates’ dealers will find the way to make money.

have they got a fix for the camera? Mine worked till I downloaded the first set of photos the up to now, and after 4 different cameras, it still doesn't take new photos. Joe

If you buy the iPhone and cancel the service, they say you have to return the phone, so I would guess you get your $199 back then, is that correct? If you don't then I think AT&T can be sued, because they force you to return the phone + they charge $175 cancellation fee, that is not fair. What if you suspend their service what would happen?

@Amit
I don't see how AT&T can't refund your money if you return the iPhone, but don't be surprised if there's some sort of "restocking fee."

it is a nice site

For Chrissakes it's a freekin' cellphone, people, not a dialysis machine. If you think the price is to high...DON'T BUY IT.

I am astounded at all the people who are accusing Apple & ATT of "unfair" pricing. You don't exactly have to be Ayn Rand to know how a free market works. Companies can charge whatever they want for luxuary items. Ferrari charges more than I can afford, too, but you don't hear me crying about it.

Sheesh.

This is just fabulous.... just wen i thought i could finally afford it.. 1st of all the 1st iphone should have been cheaper in the first place because im not paying $400 for a touched up-cooler brand name blackberry. just be cause the made the product itself cheaper we're supposed to be happy?
we would have been better off buying the old one... and then att prices on extras are going up...ugggh i mean the only people who dont suffer is the rich!

if enough people really find this to be a problem we should just boycott..The companies will lisen cuz we dont need the iphone but thy need our money/the reason ive waited for the new iphone is because itd be cheaper not more costely. Theres no way in hell im buying that iphone unless i can have it on t mobile or at least a cheaper att price. As much as ive been dying for it im not risking my mothers gas money just for a popular brand name phone.soooo im boycotting fur sure.

AT&T has not yet specified how many Iphones a customer can buy, So if you really want one, Have a friend thats with AT&T buy TWO in the store and activate them both. Then give you the other one to unlock and Jailbreak

people: apple iphone will only be locked in the united states for at&t cause of the deal they both made every other country of the 70 mentioned will have a designated carrier and its the one who pays the most cash... and as everyone says we have genius people who unlocked it for the fun of live... when apple came they said it'll be unlockable and some 17 geek(no offense ) unlocked it lol take that stop worrying

The thing is, of course the 3g is gonna be easy to hack,

getting past that ridiculous contract and legalities of it all! that's the problem!

If AT&T didnt add on that must sign or cancel clause everyone would be happy.

AT&T is nothing but a bunch of gansta's in pin stripe suits!! Screw them.

If I can't get me a refurbished locked Iphone I will get a CecT phone. I'm not paying $500 for at&t service!!!

Apple's share will be going down and down after 3G IPhone go to market since the volume of selling IPhone will be dropped significantly due to the contract Apple has with AT&T. Apple trys to sell IPHONE but Apple does not think the AT&T network and puplic trust on AT&T service and network. I think Apple should not sign this contract instead of thinking as a manufactor of IPhone that thinking of selling the number of IPHONE in order to keep Apple's share up and attractive to investor. The side of carrier is opening for every company. This contract is look like win-win situation but Apple is closing a IPHONE market sell to public.

The new AT&T licensing scheme will only stop a few small-time operators from sending jailbroken iPhones to other countries. There are numerous scam artists, who come to the US from certain 3rd world countries and start companies in the US, with the intention of exploiting some legal loophole and then leaving without notice, before they are caught. They put lots of cash in a bank, to begin with, so they establish creditworthiness. They often buy lots of small items on credit, before leaving. Can you say "iPhone?" Then they just disappear. A few months later, they show up in another city, with a different name on their passport and do the same thing, all over again. The most notable of these scams is a gasoline tax scam that costs the US government millions. I can just see these guys purchasing an iPhone for every person in their company and then just disappearing a month later. AT&T wouldn't have any recourse. The licensing scheme only keeps honest people honest.

It's going to be generally cost ineffective for anyone to make a business out of unlocking iphone 3Gs. Otherwise expect the cost of unlocked iphone 3Gs to be about $199 + $175 + $other penalties. So an unlocked iphone 3G would be worth at least $375 + markup for profit. For illegals trying to disappear out of the country Apple will probably limit the quantity to something like 5 per customer so that makes the plane ticket cost to expensive to be worth it.

Okay Apple seems to have finally got the unlocking process chances to be way down with this new iPhone, but there is one flaw:
Let's say I bought the iPhone 3G and signed up with AT&T (which I plan on doing on July 11).
Okay now, let's say someone creates an unlock for the iPhone 3G (which will likely happen within 24 hours of July 11th by DevTeam or some other genius).
Now that I found an unlock for it, I will want to keep mine and sell another one(I can only imagine how much an unlocked 3G iPhone can go for on eBay).
I can ask AT&T if I can buy a new iPhone 3G with my current Iphone 3G contract because my first iPhone 3G got (lost, stolen, broke, you can make up something good).
How can they refuse if you are willing to pay for a new one?
There is no way they are going to be like "Nope, even though you bought an iPhone 3G with the iPhone 3G contract and someone has stolen it from you, we cannot replace it with an iPhone even if you pay for it."

Hi All,

This is for the guys who asked the Q about using the new iphone in India..
well in india also apple has tied up exclusively with providers like Airtel and Vodafone to provide Iphone sometime around September 08..so this makes it clear that apple has gone a long way in making sure they know all their sales. But my Q is ...ultimately if apple itself is the manufacturer..why is the affinity with the providers..why cant they enter the open market like Nokia or Sony....cos in countries like India ...people prefer choosing their network and handsets ..unless the package is offered really really cheap like Reliance Mobile.

great blog
i wanna buy an iphone 3g but i live in Malta if you've heard of it(its a small island in the Mediterranean sea near sicilly) and im going to england to buy one but i guess i cant use it in Malta and i cant use maltas vodafone mt carrier right? that is such a shame is there anything i can do??? send back on this e-mail please jetix4eva@hotmail.com

but after signing the contract i.e buy the iphone for 199$+40$ and then claim that the phone is lost then???????????????

Update: AT&T Selling iPhone 3G Without Any Contract To Consumers

Damn, I really wanted an iphone 3g but i have verizon and i had hopes of mking it work,Steve Jobs, you picked the wrong b***h with AT&T

The author needs to do some fact-checking. The Apple update didn't intentionally brick phones. It was a side effect that perhaps they didn't go out of their way to avoid, but it's not like they set out to destroy people's phones.

I think the worst part of all of this is the part where AT&T is requiring people to give back the iPhones that they paid $200-$300 for. In other words, youre not really buying the iPhone youre just renting it.

I wouldnt be foolish enough to expect them to just give me back what I paid for it and you can bet Id be throwing a hissy fit if they tried to somehow force me to give it up.

Apple can't lock the I-phone outside the U.S because in other countries the carriers are not responsible for what cell phones their customers have

If I buy and activate the new iphone at an apple store, can I still unlock it even though it's been activated?
I want to buy an iphone in the US, and bring home to use in Ireland, because it works out so much cheaper with the exchange rate.
Could I just sign up for the cheapest AT&T plan, then just unlock it and bring it home, they couldn't track me down and make me pay once I leave the country could they?

There is still a market for unlocking the iPhone. If you go abroad, you do not want to pay the huge roaming charges. By unlocking the phone and using a local SIM when you are abroad, still makes a lot of sense.

Luiz

Why the f*** do people in other countries want the 3G iPhone when their country doesn't even offer 3G!? Are you people retarded? BUY AN UNLOCKED REGULAR IPHONE, NOT THE 3G IPHONE. Morons...

Donal,
If you don't have a social security nbr, you won't be able to buy an iPhone. They'll do a credit check, which requires the social security, as well as a local address, before you'll be able to get a contract with at&t.

The iPhone is frustrating. First, I can't stand AT&T. I didn't like them when I had them years ago as my home phone carrier and dropped them as soon as I could. I have had T-Mobile for years and have no complaints. I don't want to go to AT&T, who by the way still has terrible customer service and ridiculous prices, the exact reasons why I didn't like them and wished to never deal with them again.

What is the big deal with letting people choose their own carriers? Apple could have probably sold more iPhones giving the consumers this choice. I, for one, would have bought the original iPhone and would be upgrading to the 3G today. But, no. I won't. I won't be capitulated like this.

This is Apple's closed platform idea from the 80's all over again...

you can get an iphone so easy! without a contract well some what.

Just buy an iphone. 8gb or 16gb get it activated because if you do not then you will get a fine by At&t. Once you have it do not use sim card you just got when you activated it. Just wait 30 days because you get charged for the minutes you used. So just wait 30 days get it disconnected after 30 days pay 175 to cancel it. Which comes out to 300 for iphone 16gb 35 for activation fee and 175 for canclaction. So thats 510 which is better then paying 800 plus in the other countries.

So you get a 16gb iphone no contract and its only 510 then sell it on ebay for 1000 make money buy another so its basically free =]

Aankit

btw im only 13 and i no dis haha

what if you said it was stollen or lost???

@noneed: I have a SSN and a local address, but I'll only be here for a month or so more before I go back to Ireland...Do you think it could work?

Unlocked Iphone 3g WITHOUT CONTRACT is already selling on ebay, like this listing

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-iPhone-3G-8GB-LEGALLY-UNLOCKED-Brand-New_W0QQitemZ200238301852QQihZ010QQcategoryZ3312QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I agree. boycott the iphone:get what we want

Yes, let's boycott. I hate AT&T. It's so stupid of Jobs to do that. I travel between my home country ans US a lot and I do like to use local sim card.

We should have a choice of what carrier we want. I don't care if it's $200 a month, I just want to be able to spend my money where I want to spend it and that's definitely not AT&T.

HEY Guys,.,,.

If you buy a phone in any At&T store, you got 30 days to return the phone without paying the cancelation fee....

So my "pequeño cerebro" give me an idea, buy 2 phones, one with contract and the other(s) one(s) WITHOUT CONTRACT.... You can activate like 10 iphones with one account ( for example: You can say that you "loose" your iphone.........

There you go "BatO"

I bought an iphone 3 moths ago, i dint't put any contract, and im using it with at&t i love at&t, i-love apple, i love windows, i love micro'''t, i love america, vote for me!!!!!!

I wonder why Apple didn't do like the Palm and sell the unlock with a higher price (to cover the cost) which I did since I used it oversea about 4 months a year.

I live in the US and still can't use the phone! I moved to Montana and AT&T does not have coverage here. There are thousands of people in town that would like to have them. In some of the western states ID, WY, MT SD, ND, NV, WA, OR there are probably 40,000 - 50,000 people that would buy an iPhone, but AT&T refuses to allow usage here and Apple won't allow "exceptions" to their deal with the devil (AT&T). If AT&T is not covered in some areas, you should be able to go with any other GSM network.

Screw AT&T

Steve, Google is right "DON'T BE EVIL" !

Wait....so is it possible to use an iphone with Verizon?

Unlock your iPhone 2.0 -Sim Unlock

I hate AT&T ever since they shafted me by extending my contract without notifying me or taking my signature on a new contract. I bought the original IPhone the day it came out only to return it the next day because I hate AT&T so much. I stand by my own rules and if that means that the IPhone will never come out for other carriers except AT&T, then I'll never own one.

Besides, I think apple will loose on such a devices' market share because Nokia (my favorite) will be launching a 3G touch phone just like the I phone only with a little wider screen "UNLOCKED" in the near future along with other makers. Even if the new NOKIA is priced $800 US, i will gladly pay it just to prove a point which is "screw AT&T"

Like OMG! I was the 1st person to graduate high school in my family and now I am the 1st one to have an iPhone!

oh man!!!!!
that contract terms and conditions turns me down from getting an iphone and apple is definitely losing another sales, AT&T is really wicked in doing business as their packages will always have to add up at least 10 bucks at the end of the month. another funny thing is, if i pay for the iphone and cancelled the contract Eg. 199 + 175. and AT&T will still require me to return the phone, then whats the point of BUYing the phone? giving money to them for NOTHING???

In most countries outside of the USA locking phones to a single provider is ILLEGAL and represents anti-trust or anti-competitive actions, which is why in Italy, Hong Kong, Belgium and a host of other countries the phone is already unlocked. Apple simply is holding on to a monopoly play until US laws catch up with the real world.

after reading the whole article i am sorry to say but i own an unlocked iphone 3g and can use any sim on it and am using it like i did with my unlocked iphone before it. contractless.

I live in Italy, I bought my iPhone 3G without a contract, to some 569euros for an officially bought iPhone 3G 16GB white is obsurd, however, a few points to add.
1) I can use it with ANY provider I choose
2) I make EUROS not DOLLARS, screw the US economy, don't blame Europe for High Prices, when it really isn't. 1euro here buys the same amount of Apples (and more better quality and natural ones at that) as a 1usd
3)I can use it with the amazing 3G network on almost all providers all around Europe, not unlike AT&T's crappy coverage.

Now, I am and will always be loyal fan to Nokia, and yes, I do have a Nokia, and probably will get the new Nokia TUBE when it hits the shelves, but in EU it'll be priced at around 500-800euros depending on the model. There are even times when Nokia touches four figure digits with there phones even today. So, to compare, It'll be more economic to buy an iPhone 3G than the new Nokia, but the difference then will be that the new Nokia will offer much better features and a more reliable handset, as they USUALLY do, hence their HUGE market share.

I am moving to France on military orders and have been with AT&T for many, many years. I just spoke to the rudest person from AT&T who told me I was crazy and that the request wouldn't get approved. I asked if she went into any details explaining why I would want the phone unlocked and she said no, that she just put in for it to be unlocked and my iiee number or something like that.
I asked if she would put more in the remarks and that I could provide a copy of my orders as proof I was leaving the United States. She pretty much just laughed. This is why I have become to hate AT&T.
Frankly, I can afford the phone when I get to France, but would prefer to just have one phone for coming back and forth. What happens when people fulfill the 2 years contract. At that point, why can't they unlock the phone?
They are crazy if they think I am going to pay AT&T rates for daily useage in France. I like the French law that makes it illegal to bundle a carrier to a phone. By law, all phones have to be unlocked within 6 months of purchase from a carrier.

It seems all the blogs about iPhone forget about the international travel...and there are many of us and we can all afford the best phones around.

We don't care if we have a 2-year contract but when i'm in 3rd world country i need a local SIM. Not for me but the local people can't afford to call my USA number.

If i sign a contact then just make the cancellation fee more than the subsidy then no one has to cry about anything.

i dont think that apple should have signed a contract with AT&T because AT&T has apple on a very strict contract. i think apple should have sold the iphone as a unlocked phone which could work under any network. thanks for the article it really expreesed the iphone issue in depth!

I don't know if anyone addressed this issue, but what if I 'loose' the iPhone will they provide me with another one, if I purchased insurance? How many times will they allow me to loose it? If the phone is not insured then what?

So if we buy 3G iphone overseas, will we be able to use it in the US without having any problem (I heard the software will automatically shut down the iphone once it is used in US) ?

You can't get insurance for an iPhone with AT&T, nor can you get insurance for any other PDA or smartphone. So for the people suggesting to say you lost it, that won't work. Also, if you buy an iPhone and sell it somehow and want another one, you have to pay 400 for the 8gb, and 500 for the 16gb, because you are no longer eligible for an upgrade. So selling the phone and then buying it again, comes out to 600 for an 8gb. It just seems like too much of a hassle. If you've got AT&T or if it works well in your area, get an iPhone, otherwise, they have other phones that can do what iPhone does so just get whichever one works with your carrier

To quote Scott in an earlier entry;

"They deserve to recoup their R&D through this deal, and profit through their mutual desire to push the industry in a better direction"
I think you're referring to market R&D because neither company is bringing anything especially new to the industry with the iPhone/plan other than trouble by bringing negative publicity to themselves. I"ve got an HTC TyTN II (or Kaiser in Europe) that does the same thing as the iPhone and even has a cam on both sides for convenience. Apple cheaped out with the iPhone as they did with their Intel platform Macs. I was forced to buy a MacBook as my client demand for these things has risen 10 fold. I still can't see what all the fuss is about after having used this thing for over a month. You can run scripts and automate programs in Windows or Linux too you know? I would have gotten more more value for my dollar with an HP/ IBM/ Toshiba notebook had I bought one. In fact, I could have purchased 2 of any of the above for the same price and with much better hardware. I wish there were a cross-platform VNC so I could have saved myself the price of a short vacation or part of my kids future college tuition.

cellularclinic.com have done a got job they have unlocked iphone 3g. i just checked on there website

hihi i just want 2 knw when will the guy unlocked iphone 3g,

Universal Sim is the first sim card adapter to fully unlock the iPhone 3G. Check the video and see how they are using 3G to brows google maps. No other unlock card can do this. And the cards are cheap as well.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbD-92cta-M

Does the new iphone work in hell? Cause all these greedy phone muckies will eventually have to deal with heaven itself when they move along in life. they got to remember when you leave this planet you don't take anything with you not even your golden parachute

what if u say i lost my iphone and need to cancel the contract!! U cant return it because its "lost" or "stolen". U cancel it and have a iphone woithout any stupid contract

GUYS,

Listen up! I have purchased an iPhone from ATT sold it for 850. Rebought two more because I have 2 accounts and resold both of those. Giving me a 16GB for free. ATT will not and cannot charge you for not giving your phone back with in 30 days or whatever. If you pay your 175 for canceling your service then its done and there is nothing they can do about it. Sometimes I wonder what people want the phone for if you have no sim card no 3G what good is the phone too you I sold one phone for 1200 to chile. The guy said they have no 3G and no sims sooo I sold it to him as a paper weight basically. Dont get stressed over the iphone 3G its not that great anyways I have one and signal fades maps are sometimey its not very reliable. Not to mention the battery life is one of the worst I have ever seen. Go on craigslist.org and purchase one if you want one soooo bad. I see them on there all the time. If purchasing off of ebay do not fall for the unlocked feature. Sure your not signing a contract but you definitely wont be able to use the phone without an ATT sim card. GOOD LUCK PEOPLE

Unlock iPhone 3G

Unlock iPhone 3G

www.ziphone.us

Well, just give this subject a decent time and it will come on seen, skipping the lie ... Five years from now there will be not even sim-cards in use since mobile providers and carriers will bundle together to provide a better service because of international competition ...

Situation as it is now is just about making money out of people grid ... and so far it works for Apple. Not for long thou ...

What? You need to give your SSN and a government-issued ID just to buy a phone?

THAT is the real scandal!

I can't stand AT&T. I will forgo using the iphone and use something compatible with another carrier just because I hate the AT&T company so much! They rip off their customers. I would suggest that anyone with AT&T keep a close eye on your minutes used and what you're being charged for. They are NOT military friendly - no matter what they say. They will make an agreement with you and then suddenly change it. Can't stand them and good luck to anyone who has them as a cell phone carrier or home phone carrier.

they already have the unlock hardware for the 3g....

what I want to know is....

what does Steve Jobs use?!?!?

I mean, ... presumably he leaves the US, right? does he use an iPhone? Does he have to unlock it?

I travel internationally and I don't appreciate having to pay the ridiculous roaming rates in other countries. If Apple/ATT allow the iphone to be unlocked at some stage within the contract period, it makes sense. It makes customers happy and there is nothing like a satisfied customer. I got my children's LG and Samsung's unlocked so when they spend a semester in London, they can use Vodafone's SIM card. Note that ATT STILL collects the monthly subscription under the contract.

Since the iPhone must be purchased with a contract, why does Apple and ATT worry? Why would someone sign a 2 year contract and then go out and pay T Mobile to use the same phone? After paying $400 for my first gen iPhone, why can't I have it unlocked? It is MINE! And after the 2 year contract with ATT for the subsidized one (3G), they should let me unlock it ! It would be mine already !

"""Unlocking and jailbreaking an iPhone right now is simpler than installing Firefox, or even printing a spreadsheet. I predict that it will be less than 24 hours before a point-and-click unlocker is generally available.
Unlocking is a MUST if you leave the United States and wish to use your phone. In the past I've been stuck with $1600 dollar bills from AT&T before for simply forgetting to turn of data connections and roaming with EDGE. AT&Ts global roaming plans for this are not all that attractive either - still incurring per-kilobyte charge on each and every bit of data transcieved. By far, in Europe and even in Canada, the best thing to do is get a local SIM card and use that. The only way to have that SIM card work at all is is to unlock it.
If you travel, unlocking could save you thousands of dollars!""""

MY QUESTION IS HOW IS IT DONE!!!!!

Easy to fix. Don't buy an iPhone. Get the G1 instead. It's way more cool and unlimited in potential where the iPhone will only work in the stark white walls of Applehood.

Okay after wasting much time reading peoples random thoughts and complains lets break this down some. I have been in wireless for 5 years now 3 of which as a store manager of Verizon Wireless and 2 as a store manager of AT&T. Now for one the LG dar just came out on VZW and i don't see anyone complaining that they cannot walk into VZW buy the phone and use it on sprint or altel. Why is it so with the iPhone. People want this phone with out a contract okay thats fine prices will probably be around 600/700 pr 700/800 But it will more than likyl still be locked. This is NOTHING new in the American cellular world but all the cry babies who hide behind their lawyers and their perceived knowledge of how the world works.

One based on ALL US carriers, if you purchase a phone at the 2 year discounted price and want to terminate contract within the first 30 days it is required to return the handset and receive a refund for the handset, NO company in the US in general can take payment for something, require you to return it and not give a refund (if you are in the return period)

Now for people who posted from the begining og the blog wanting it on tmobile your lack of logic and knowledge is overwhelming. at the time Tmobile didn't have any kind of plan for a 3G data network which would have done you little good and the 2G iphone would have been your best option.

In comparrison of the US to foreign countries that is also a depressing argument. Lets trade our american rights and live life the exact same way as those people do and maybe laws would be similar to their laws.

Many of you think only apple and ATT lock phones. international carriers have this practice as well yes on a smaller level but it is still done, remember there are only 2 GSM carriers in the US in correlation to that of the global market. If i am not mistaken Vodafone is the next largest GSM family other than ATT and their phones too are locked.

Now lets bring up the iphone as JUST a phone f att was the only carrier to stock this phone and apple did not sell it in their retail stores you could not buy then handset from an ATT store with out an account anyway so it does not matter. That is true for Verizon as well, now are there complaints against big red for that no because there is not a handset that they have that has a demand as high as the iphone.

Now lets ponder the "i lost my 3g iphone i have to buy another one" assumption. Good luck AT&T has placed an 18month hold on your ability to purchase another 3G iphone on your mobile number.

Now as an employee i do find it to be like a burnt grilled sandwich only one side burns at a time so its hard to burn the whole thing and that is life in the world of the iphone so deal with it.

Unlock 3g iphone is not a easy thing,
Unlock via software may cause many errors. We succeed in unlock 3g iphone via sim card
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If you travel or want to use other carriers, dont by iphone. There are plenty of decent touch screen phones, HTC, Samsung etc. If people are happy to pay big bucks for a locked phone locked to premium contracts, more fool them.
I have an unlocked iphone on the uk orange network. It isnt that good.
Some of the Samsung phones offer nice interfaces etc. The only way to stop apple is to not buy. Vote with your feet.

Can I unlock and configure the new iPhone to work with my TracFone account? I'd love to light up an iPhone and have it display how many days and units I have left. :)

This whole plan is short lived. The At&T/Apple agreement expires in 2010.
AT&T will then have to decide if they want to get into the iphone manufacturing business cutting out Apple plus deal with ever mounting competition from other iphone look a likes.
Now T-Mobile has a real competitive iphone type phone that is actually better than the original. Guess what, T-Mobile will allow you to unlock it too if you like.
Other countries have laws against selling locked iphones. The name of the game is competition. Does AT&T think they can live in this forced dream world forever ? China has plenty of unlocked iphone type phones and for less money too. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Aren't we supposed to be living in a 'global village' in the 21st century? If cellphone carriers charged the standard domestic rate to use your phone in other countries there would be far less need to unlock your phone. Wouldn't there?

PS - what's the difference between "unlock" and "jailbreak"?

Apple should've just gone with Sprint/Nextel wireless to carry their magnificent phone! AT&T/Cingular are money hungry (obviously, from the info from the article)! I know plenty of people who have AT&T/Cingular wireless service and they can't wait for their contracts to be up so they can switch, because some how the monthly bills get spiked up with fees... roll-over doesn't help. Apple can afford to break contract with them and go someone else and I know even more people who would congratulate the change! Go Apple! Run while you still have a chance!

What's the cost for the iphone unlocked?

I am a staunch Apple supporter, I have always used apple products and currently own 2 apple computers and 3 IPODS, and several other apple peripherals. However, I also travel the world extensively and prefer to use local SIM cards when I do so. I am (funnily enough) also an AT&T customer, have been for years and currently use a Treo 680 which is unlocked and therefore a true world phone. After reviewing the info about the iphone, I was close to purchasing, and went into an AT&T store yesterday. But the inability to obtain a reliable unlocked version that I can use in my travels is a dealbreaker, and I will not be buying an iphone until that changes.

I encourage y'all to deface the AT&T logo wherever you see it.

ihateatt.com

to Egyptian Magician and others like him/her:
You travel - what, two weeks a year? Of course it doesn't bother you to have a locked phone.

Living in Europe I go to other countries weekly, even to several a day, I divide my time between two or three main locations and have at least two different sim cards from different countries at any given moment.

Before iPhones locked phones were unheard of (I've had a cell-phone since 1997) and I for one don't like the direction Steve Jobs is going with this, it's limiting, inconvenient and irritating to a customer. I was really psyched to get an iPhone but still haven't for this reason only. I'd be willing to pay well for a great phone if it had a possibility to switch sim-cards - oh but wait, there are phones like that! Just not iPhones, Apple lost my business.

apple made a wrong decission giving the iphones to ATT. Thier service sucks and NO BARS in more places. They should've go with verizon.

I just don't know why Apple don't sell an unlock version. I am using the Treo 650, 680 and 750 unlock version so that I can just replace to different sim card when I am in that country. It has been working fine for me. I did pay for more for the unlock phone but it worth it if you travel often.

here's the deal: Even though you may pay $197 for an 8g iPhone 3g on the date of signing your contract, you pay at least $70 a month with the lowest rate plan and the data add on per month. If you keep that service for 2 years that is $1680 over all. You would be lucky if it won't be damaged by then.

When are people going to get over apple products? They may be great at marketing, but the product is lackluster when side by side with the competition. Do your homework. It's a status symbol that only appeals if you don't know the facts.

I would not take a free iPhone if it meant signing a contract with AT&T.

First of all when the Iphone 3G came out AT&T claimed to have the worlds fastest 3G network but if you look at a chart of their 3G they have 3G in pretty much 1/32 of the country. I have friends on AT&T that drop calls and lose service constantly......Verizon all the way!!

Why is it that the feeling I get, as a customer, is that both Apple and AT&T's primary aims are to rob me for every penny they can.

As usual, Apple with it's high-tech bad business exclusive practices that had kept the company smaller that it could ever be otherwise, and AT&T with it's bad quality high priced everything, can keep the iPod for their geeky few customers.
Who needs it? There are plenty of high quality touch screen phones on the market today that can do everything an iPod can but you can customize or buy it unlocked to use any network you want. Look at the latest HTC and LG phones, way better than iPod, without the restrictions.

I find it quite ridiculous that Apple and AT&T are becoming so uptight with the usage/distribution of the iPhone. To be honest, AT&T is not that great of a service provider. Apple should realize that the iPhone is selling in large numbers, and if they expanded their range of networks, they would make a significantly larger amount of profit. I have Verizon, myself, so unfortunately i cannot own the iPhone. The closest i could get was the iPod touch, which I love. If Verizon sold iPhones, I'd be first in line to get one. So as far as I'm concerned, the whole thing is a ridiculous ploy for specified sales...

To the right side of my website you can find how to unlock your iphone. It's very simple. take a look

I'm posting this from my unlocked iphone on tmobile. Don't be fooled.

I need to know if the iPhone 4G is coming out soon.

@Jay
If past is prologue, Apple will deliver the next generation iPhone in the late June-early July time frame.