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AT&T and Apple Tightening Policies to Reduce iPhone Unlocking

For those supporting ATT

The Insurance Brokerage that I support has Crapular\ATT exclusively (About 80-100 phones\smartphones\etc.) and I can tell you outright horror stories of screwed up bills (One to the tune of $600), features randomly added, customer service that will try and force feed you new features\contracts worse then any telemarketing firm. (That one was for my company phone for the 3 months I worked with them.) And reception that was iffy. This was 2 years ago though so I will leave that last one as a possibility that things may have changed. And this was on a bloody corp account that is nation wide with thousands of phones on it.
Frankly it will be a cold day in Hades before I go back to ATT. Honestly Apple is killing sales all around because of this unholy alliance they have themselves locked into.
 
AlohaiPhone said:
I thought that as I saw him at WWDC... So thin.
maybe that is why Apple was not present to French Apple Expo...
Click to expand...

Why isn't anyone commenting on all the fat people giving presentations at WWDC?

Just because he's thin doesn't mean he is ill - no more so than all that fat people you see.
 
I have an idea what is going on here...

So, ATT/Apple sell this at 199/299, activated in store. So you say it is for a friend or whatever, and they say you have to activate in 30 days or "suffer the penalties".

At first I thought this heavy handed, and rather absurd. I mean, what are they gonna do, come knock on my door and make me give it back?

Then it hit me.

This is what I bet will happen: if you want it with no activation, ATT/Apple will run an additional charge (or pre-approval charge) deposit for 200.00- and you sign it authorizing that they can finalize the charge if not activated in 30 days. Sort of like a deposit on skis or a rent-a-car. So, you do not activate, they CAN "penalize" you.

But however they do it, so what? Whatever the "penalty" is, iPhones for unlockers is the SAME as it is today- the 199=>399, 299=>499.

Seems like a simple solution for Apple/ATT. And for us unlocker, no big deal- we are still 100 bucks ahead. So get your panties out of your butt- things will be fine!
 
koobcamuk said:
Right let's get this straight.

The 920SH cannot be unlocked. You can get a PSS SIM or variant, stick your SIM to it and use the phone to make calls. The camera doesn't work. To me this is not unlocking. I should know, I used to have this.

Tosser, see above. Variants do not count either. "Name a phone that cannot be unlocked";

"920SH". I did. I don't care about the variants in China - that's a different phone - hence the different name. As stated above, it's not a real unlock - you can't use the camera or the internet. Just SMS and call. Not only that, it's not software. It's a SIM HACK not and unlock.
Click to expand...

Good for you. I really don't care what terminology you use, quite frankly. To me it's about getting the phone to work with sim cards from other companies.






What are you talking about? The software is locked in Japan. The phone only has a 3G chip because Japan is totally 3G for the most part. The phones have firmware that is assigned to the networks in Japan.

Believe me, I know all about this.
Click to expand...

Yes, you propably do. Seems like a fun hobby to have.

I'm not saying a phone without a GSM radio can somehow be "Unlocked" to work with gsm. I am saying you can unlock the features already there. If you can't, well, it must be hardwired. Are you saying they've come up with firmware that is "unhackable"?

You have got to be kidding me. But really, I don't care. Any phone that has been sold in the western world has been unlockable.
Oh, and I'm no stranger to 3G. I'm not in the US. Hell, I even have 3G USB-stick.
 
Why must Steve Jobs and Apple be so controlling.

So many mistakes on the iPhone have been made by Apples control on it, they got locked in with one subscriber, they didn't allow third party applications, the SDK will probably still be underwhelming as a Smartphone, iPhones are locked to iTunes.

It's funny and ironic how Apple used to sort of make jokes about choice and how they were better at choice than MS was. Now Macs are missing a mid ranged tower and Apple is too controlling to give one. You only have one choice in syncing iPods/iPhones, one carrier with the iPhone (in America).

Recently when Steve Jobs takes the stage I can't help but hear the Soviet Anthem play.
 
koobcamuk said:
Why isn't anyone commenting on all the fat people giving presentations at WWDC?

Just because he's thin doesn't mean he is ill - no more so than all that fat people you see.
Click to expand...

Well, he did have cancer at one point, and when people are seriously ill, they tend to go abnormally skinny. Well, obesity and the diabetes that comes with it aside.
 
hotsauce3868 said:
If AT&T allows you to buy the iPhone in the store with a credit card and records the number for the "30-day penalty" thing, then allows you to activate at home through iTunes, could you not just pay your CC bill and cancel the CC?
How would they penalize you?
Click to expand...

Or, better yet, a prepaid Visa/MC gift card that doesn't even have your name on it - no ID is required to use it, and nowhere does it list government issued identification as a requirement to purchase an iPhone.

Frankly, I don't think it's going to come to this. People were just as freaked out about the activation workarounds when the first gen came out; there's a will, there will be a way...
 
koobcamuk said:
Why isn't anyone commenting on all the fat people giving presentations at WWDC?

Just because he's thin doesn't mean he is ill - no more so than all that fat people you see.
Click to expand...

LOL, 1st I don't care about those fat guys, since a lot of Apple employees are fat, just like a lot of US residents :D (haha)
Steve Jobs has been really sick in 2003, and since cancers just come back sometimes when you don't expect 'em..
Just because I "care" about the guy, who's one of the greatest hi-tech CEO today.
 
Off Topic question?

Does anyone know if you can place calls through wi-fi and not get billed for minutes by at&t?

I was thinking of getting an iphone but I don't have cellular service at my house. I do have wi-fi and I was wondering if I could place and receive calls via wi-fi internet calls and not have to use at&t minutes for each call.

I use my cell phone for travel, business, and when going into town but at my home I am out of any carrier's range. Since the iphone uses wi-fi, it would be handy to be able to place calls via the internet
 
koobcamuk said:
they could block the IMEI rendering it useless.
Click to expand...

My question is what's to prevent Apple or AT&T from doing a remote erase/wipe on a iPhone that is hacked/jailbroken/SIM unlocked?

The remote erase was one of the features that is available for exchange on the 2.0 software; that way if your corporate iPhone was stolen they could remote wipe it and all the corp info would be gone.

With the 2.0 software Apple and AT&T could very easily brick every unlocked iPhone.

Also the cheapest way that a hacker would be able to get a 3G iPhone for would be:

3G iPhone --------------------------$199.00 +tax = $215.41
One month AT&T service -------$39.00 + tax = $42.21
One Month 3G service-----------$30.00 + tax = $32.48
Early Termination Fee-----------$175.00 + tax = $189.44

Grand Total-------------------------$479.54

You'd have to sell it for almost $500 bucks just to break even.

I love it. I think it's great that Apple and AT&T are sticking it to the hackers.

If you can't play by the rules, then you shouldn't play.
 
I doubt this is gonna happen..... So like you wanna tell me that the same day the iPhone comes out there is gonna be not only a line for buying the iPhone but also a line for activation....?!?!? I don't think thats ever gonna happen.. and we all know one of the segnificant features of the iPhone is to activate it at home. And um... How the hell are people gonna get penalties if they don't activate their iPhone within 30 days?? LOL like seriously.... Who is gonna give Apple their credit card # or real home adress if they are gonna unlock it.... And what if you are gonna buy the iPhone as a gift for (Fathers day/ Mothers day) and you don't know the SS# of your parents so u can't activate it... This is not gonna happen I can asshure that, There is no way in HELL!! I'm standing in line not only for a iPhone 3G but also to get it activated. Who ever started this rumor is just making up more hype of fake rumors of the iPhone. Or it might happen but like all I can say is WTF!:mad::eek::rolleyes: This can be confirmed by HELL NO ITS NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
 
SiliconAddict said:
For those supporting ATT

The Insurance Brokerage that I support has Crapular\ATT exclusively (About 80-100 phones\smartphones\etc.) and I can tell you outright horror stories of screwed up bills (One to the tune of $600), features randomly added, customer service that will try and force feed you new features\contracts worse then any telemarketing firm. (That one was for my company phone for the 3 months I worked with them.) And reception that was iffy. This was 2 years ago though so I will leave that last one as a possibility that things may have changed. And this was on a bloody corp account that is nation wide with thousands of phones on it.
Frankly it will be a cold day in Hades before I go back to ATT. Honestly Apple is killing sales all around because of this unholy alliance they have themselves locked into.
Click to expand...

anecdotal evidence is not real evidence, ty
 
SiliconAddict said:
For those supporting ATT

The Insurance Brokerage that I support has Crapular\ATT exclusively (About 80-100 phones\smartphones\etc.) and I can tell you outright horror stories of screwed up bills (One to the tune of $600), features randomly added, customer service that will try and force feed you new features\contracts worse then any telemarketing firm. (That one was for my company phone for the 3 months I worked with them.) And reception that was iffy. This was 2 years ago though so I will leave that last one as a possibility that things may have changed. And this was on a bloody corp account that is nation wide with thousands of phones on it.
Frankly it will be a cold day in Hades before I go back to ATT. Honestly Apple is killing sales all around because of this unholy alliance they have themselves locked into.
Click to expand...


I'm gonna add to this! Ok.... AT&T is a aussum service.. BUT they are really crappy when it comes to billing... Their billing errors are outragious. I got a bill for my iPhone cause I wanted to add unlimited text but I didn't add it the same day as activation... So I called w.e they added it and I got a bill that was $1800 USD! -T-Mobile- and all the other carriers do this same problem...
 
with the APP store on the kneeer horizon I am not sure how to react.
 
jbuckner said:
I love it. I think it's great that Apple and AT&T are sticking it to the hackers.

If you can't play by the rules, then you shouldn't play.
Click to expand...

This isn't just about hackers, my friend. As many have pointed out, AT&T just doesn't work for everyone. Plus, some people need to be able to switch SIM cards because they travel a lot and use accounts in different countries.

There is no reason for people to get so worked up about this issue.
 
Why is Steve so thin?

He is both sickly and vegetarian. I ask how did he get so tan? I suspect slathered goo on his exposed skin.

Why is Steve in bed with the devil (AT&T)?

We are in a Microsoft Exchange world and a Homeland Security world. The reason AT&T is so fat and slovenly is the extensive government contracts they have resulting in large payments for marginal work. Good for earnings, not good for learning consumer feedback skills, good for Apple in having access to the national security network (EDGE) for iPhone deployment even to rural areas.

Why does AT&T charge an arm and a leg?

From their perspective they do not! They are used to being paid without question for bills they grossly overbill, for phones that are "delivered" but never activated or used, and for services arbitrarily added to all users of a corporate group regardless of need or use.

Charging consumers $20 or $30 a month for months actually used is "new to them", and they need to be allowed a learning curve measured in portions of a decade not mere years.

Forgive. :)

On the other hand, in a nuclear attack AT&T is your savior. Wanna wish for a nuke attack? Make my day!

Rocketman
 
a truly sad affair

I never thought this day would come, but...it came.

Steve buckled today. He actually buckled and succumbed to the pressures of the poor people! He even said so himself: "...one of the main obstacles people had to buying an iPhone was price." Blah blah blah and you know the rest cuz your ears were bleeding as bad as mine!

This was undoubetedly the worst day in his life. You could see it in his demeanor! He lacked the characteristic enthusiasm that usually accompanies these events. To stand up there on stage before thousands in person (and perhaps millions online worldwide) and sell his Love Child, the iPhone, at such a dirt cheap price -- not unlike a mother in northern Thailand would do with her 5 year old daughter into the sex trade industry LOL -- just took all the life out of him!! I mean you could actually see it on his face!!

There's a reason the 1st gen iPhone costs what it costs. Because it was an innovation. A technical marvel. Unlike anything else on the market. Not to mention that Apple is an elite brand that appeals to an elite consumer. Prior to today who could ever foolishly dispute this???

And with the highly anticipated release of this 2nd gen iPhone Apple had the potential to completely blow every other mobile product off the map. But what did they do instead? They buckled...and released some soon-to-be generic plastic abomination capable of being churned off automated, robotic assembly lines at the rate of 1,000 per minute!! Unfreakinbelievable.

I could go on, but what, truly would be the point? Futility at best.

What's next, a $599.99 17" plastic Apple Macbook Pro for the masses?? Lmmfao!

Watch what happens. They're gonna realize they're not some generic consumer electronics company [cough cough "Sony" wheez wheez "Microsoft" cough cough] that churns out affordable devices for the poor and get back to the business of what they've always done best: an all-aluminum/glass/stainless steel 32GB 3G iPhone with every frickin' feature available under the sun...for $999.99!

And peace will once again be restored in the universe --- ohhh in about, I'd say, 6 months give or take!
 
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