unlocked posts

Filed under: Retail, iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage

Will Canada's iPhone be unlocked?

by John Burke (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009

The iPhone is slowly making it's way around the world. In Canada, there are now f our major carriers that support the device: Rogers, Fido, Telus and Bell. So how will Apple continue to stock and support the iPhone with that many carriers? That's where the story get's interesting.

According to iPhoneInCanada.ca, to make stocking and inventory easier, the iPhones in Apple's Canadian retail stores will arrive completely unlocked without any SIM card. Once a carrier is chosen and a SIM card is placed in the device, it will then be locked to that carrier. So what happens if you put in a SIM card from a carrier other than the four in Canada? The simple answer: we have no idea!

While we're not entirely sure what this means, it does present some interesting ideas. The Canadian iPhones could only recognize the four possible carrier's SIM cards, but may also be entirely unlocked. It'll be interesting to see how people that want to use the iPhone on unsupported carriers will take this news.

Tags: Bell, Canada, Fido, iPhone, Rogers Wireless, RogersWireless, SIM, Telus, unlocked

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Retail, Rumors, iPhone, iPod touch

Rumor: Unsubsidized iPhone to be offered by AT&T

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Mar 19th, 2009

Looking to pick up an iPhone, but not interested in getting bogged down by any contracts with "the Man?" Your time may have come -- The Boy Genius apparently got their hands on some slides from an AT&T training session saying on March 26, AT&T will offer a "No-commit" for their existing customers on both iPhone models -- it'll be $599 for the 8GB and $699 for the 16GB.

This isn't quite a deal anyone's planning to jump at, however, since the phones themselves are likely still locked to the AT&T network. Not to mention that you've got to already be an AT&T customer, and they're only selling one phone per line that you've already got. Which means these phones are... for Grandma, who doesn't want a contract and can't make it to the store herself? Businesses might be interested as well, we guess, but for most of us, it's still cheaper to just buy the phone and sign the AT&T contract (assuming that you actually want to use it as a phone).

What it does likely say, however, is that AT&T is expecting an iPhone hardware upgrade, and wants to clear out as much of the stock they've got now as they can (to suckers who are willing to pay more).

[via Engadget]

Tags: business, hardware, iphone, locked, network, no-commit, prices, pricing, rumor, stock, the-boy-genius, unlocked, unsubsidized, upgrade

Filed under: iPhone

iPhone in 29 new countries; unlocked in Hong Kong

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Sep 26th, 2008

Our sister site Engadget reports that Apple is now offering unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong via its online store. HK$5,500 (≈ US$700) will buy you an 8GB model, HK$6,200 (≈ US$800) gets you 16GB.

The Apple Store's terms and conditions limit sales to individuals in Hong Kong only, but who knows what the gray market will bring.

Three Russian carriers will also begin selling unlocked iPhones on October 3, with the 8GB model selling for over US$900.

In related news, 29 new countries will begin selling the iPhone, some today: Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger, Panama, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey and Venezuela.

[Via IGM.]

Tags: Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Croatia, Dominican Republic, DominicanRepublic, Egypt, engadget, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, HongKong, igm, iphone, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey, unlocked, Venezuela

Filed under: Hacks, iPhone

Unlocked iPhones a growing industry

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Jul 17th, 2008

A cottage industry has grown up surrounding unlocked iPhones, and two new companies are looking to cash in.

Brazilian company DesbloqueioBr came up with a clever way of using a SIM-card adapter to enable unlocking the phone and choosing a carrier at your discretion. It's much like the Turbo SIM unlock. (There's video showing how this works at our sister site, Engadget.)

It ain't cheap: according to this site, the company plans to charge as much as $375 for the hack. Trouble is, the call quality is apparently worse, and Apple can break your unlock with a software update.

So, if you're not willing to drop that much for a hack, and you're into totally shady, fell-off-the-truck deals, then this is for you: You can order a "original" Apple devices direct from a dealer in Hong Kong. You do have to place a minimum order of $1,000, but everything you get will be network-unlocked.

Who knows, though, if they'll get here.

Tags: DesbloqueioBr, iphone, turbosim, unlock, unlocked

Filed under: iPhone

iPhone to become subsidized, non-exclusive?

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on May 5th, 2008

RBC analyst Mark Abramsky says that the iPhone will exceed its projected goal of 10 million devices sold in 2008 -- possibly by selling upwards of 14 million. How is Apple going to get these sales figures? Well, Abramsky suggests that AT&T could subsidize the iPhone by up to $200 for the 8GB model. This would mean the 8GB iPhone could sell for as little as $199 (previously rumored here); and possibly increase sales by 50 to 100 percent. According to Abramsky, this would mean Apple would have to drop revenue sharing with AT&T.

Mr. Abramsky also believes that Apple will start to sell unlocked iPhones (or iPhones without a specific carrier) without a premium over the AT&T iPhones. He suggest that unlocked iPhones could increase the adoption rate by two to three times for Apple's phone.

All of Abramsky's conjecture hinges on Apple and AT&T agreeing to end their 5 year exclusivity agreement early. We here at TUAW see no real reason for either company to agree to that, at least not in the States.

Tags: analyst, at and t, AtAndT, ATT, iPhone, Mark Abramsky, MarkAbramsky, RBC, tweet-this, unlocked

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Retail, Apple Financial, Apple, iPhone

Analyst: 10% of iPhones sold to unlockers

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Oct 4th, 2007

Apple Insider has an analyst saying that 10% of iPhones sold in Apple stores in September were being bought by people who are then turning around and selling them unlocked. That seems like a big number when you picture the situation Gene Munster, the analyst, describes: "one Apple employee acknowledged that customers were buying five iPhones per store visit in order to turn around and resell them unlocked."

But is it really that big? 90% of people buying iPhones are sticking with AT&T, so considering that Apple got the support of a network and a slice of the service plan profits, a number like 10% of unlocks actually seems to me like it validates Apple's choice to sell the phone locked. SDKs, jailbreaks, and customer rights (oh my) aside, if only 10% of iPhones out there are unlocked (and the number's probably much lower, as all the iPhones sold before September were probably not unlocked at all), Apple's original decision was justified, in my view.

But I'm not defending them for breaking things with 1.1.1. Apple hasn't released the numbers on September sales yet, but 10% of a lot is still a lot, in terms of bricked iPhones because of the unlock crackdown. I haven't heard any tales of folks who paid a lot for an unlocked iPhone and then got a brick with the 1.1.1 update, but I'm sure they're out there and unhappy.

Tags: analyst, apple, financial, iphone, sales, stocks, unlocked

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Rumors

Rumor: Apple iPhone could be sold unlocked?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Nov 18th, 2006

Any and every rumor is in the air about the iPhone these days, but this one is probably the first of the recent batch that sounds pretty interesting. The mobile phone market is a pretty tough customer - carriers need to lock their customers down, and there are plenty of handset makers who already have large stakes in their turf. Apple has already stepped up to bat - twice - by trying to partner with one of those handset makers, and I think it'd be difficult to argue that they got anywhere past even first base.

Considering Apple's strengths - making great hardware and software - in light of their past failures in working with Motorola in this space, it seems entirely plausible for the company to aim for the stands on their third time at bat. By both developing and - this is the key - selling the iPhone all on their own, Apple not only gets to design everything their way, but they get to sell it to a much broader audience by offering it as an unlocked device through their own retail stores, rather than as a subsidized tool to force customers to either sign or break contracts, depending on their circumstances. This means Apple gets to flex their engineering muscles and rake 100% of their own profits - not a bad prospect for a company who is used to working solo in the hardware department, and by now is probably feeling the heat from sexy music handsets like Verizon's Chocolate.

For now, however, this is simply my attempt at applying some logic to a rumor. It sounds possible, but only January's Macworld (or 'the first half of next year') can provide anything to bank on.

[via digg]

Tags: iphone, motorola, rumor, rumors, speculation, unlock, unlocked

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