Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

AT&T and Apple Tightening Policies to Reduce iPhone Unlocking

Maybe they will do the activation in store but give you the code to actually activate it through itunes at home? I really hope I dont have to open the box in store for activation that is so ghetto. Also I guess the Apple store is gonna start doing the activation too?
 
ddTaylor said:
It is not that I cannot get a contract (I can) - I choose NOT to sign a long-term contract. AT&T service in Mid-Illinois is spotty at best and NO 3G in a Big 10 University town! Go figure! AT&T said with the prevalence of Wi-Fi in this area 3G is not a priority for my community.

Anyway - does anyone know the NON-subsidized price? I just sold my iPhone on Craigslist last week in order to get the new iPhone for GPS support (mainly) and now I read in order to buy the phone I MUST sign a 2-year contract. That blows...I like the old way it was done, but then again - the older I get the less I like change (I know, I sold one iPhoe to get a new iPhone, a bit of a Paradox).

Anyone? Can it be purchased without a contract? If I buy it and slap my SIM card in it and DO NOT activate the phone with a 2-year contract, what will happen? A $200 charge on my CC? Cancellation of my Go Phone service?

Thank you in advance - if you know.

D
Click to expand...

At present, there doesn't seem to be a way to get it without a contract in the US.

Maybe you could get an unlocked 3g iPhone from one of the countries that don't allow phones to be locked. Time will tell.
 
dizastor said:
Wow. So few positive votes.

Who cares, no need to unlock when the app store launches.
Click to expand...

Unlocking is for using other carriers. Jailbreaking is for installing apps. Now let alone that there are already apps on many of our iPhones that do things not possible via the SDK, why would the app store make people lose all desire to use carriers other than the chosen national standard banner (e.g. AT&T in the US)? Not to mention users who want to be able to switch back and forth between multiple smartphones or otherwise want to use AT&T without being locked to a new AT&T iPhone plan....

I guess it's not surprising, but I do think that both AT&T and Apple sold a number of iPhones online. Closing that channel takes it all the way back to ... ~2000. At least, that's the last time I bought a phone in a physical store.

I'll be curious to see what pans out. Given that AT&T was ~$15/mo more for me than T-Mobile on 2G before the price hike, I'm not super inclined to pay $30 a month to get 3G... so I may well just stick with my current iPhone for a while.

As for the availability of the new iPhone, assuming that 2.0 official release will be easily unlockable, as past revisions including the 2.0 betas have been, I'm sure that used ones will continue to be plentifully available. Contracts don't stop people from selling all their other subsidized smartphones on the used market. They'll just probably be more expensive than the new price to offset the contract costs the original purchaser incurred....
 
I really don't understand why so many people want to use this phone on T-Mobile in the US. The 3G one will be basically useless on their network as far as using the higher speeds? Also no visual voicemail, app store. Man just sign up for ATT and be owned already. lol
 
We have the unauthorized unlockers on iPhone 1.0 to thank for this change in activation process. Not Apple and not AT&T. It doesn't take a genius to figure out this is what would happen. I am surprised this in-store contact/activation did not happen sooner.
 
Clear things up...

ddTaylor said:
Anyway - does anyone know the NON-subsidized price?
Click to expand...

Just for clarification...there are NO SUBSIDIZED PRICES! this is the base price... no rebate..nothing..it's just that..

anyways..i'm with AT&T already and i'm in a family plan..so it's not that bad.😀
 
dohspc said:
I really don't understand why so many people want to use this phone on T-Mobile in the US. The 3G one will be basically useless on their network as far as using the higher speeds? Also no visual voicemail, app store. Man just sign up for ATT and be owned already. lol
Click to expand...

Outside the US there are actually many different HSPA providers in many different countries omg lol wtf. 😛
 
What they are saying is it that it will work like every other phone they sell with would being subsidized. You will be able to buy from AT&T or Apple online but when you receive the phone you will either have to take it to your AT&T store to be activated or you will have to call the service rep. This will lock you into a 2 year contract starting the day you activate the phone. This has nothing to do with being able to upgrade.
 
dohspc said:
I really don't understand why so many people want to use this phone on T-Mobile in the US. The 3G one will be basically useless on their network as far as using the higher speeds? Also no visual voicemail, app store. Man just sign up for ATT and be owned already. lol
Click to expand...

No, we are the Rebellion, we will not join The Empire (with the Deathstar)... 😀
 
Why would Apple insist on limiting their puchasing base to just AT&T? Ah... probably some kickbacks from the company, huh? Whatever the reason, I can't see how they stand to benefit from cutting their customer base substantially. Maybe I'm just not informed on the business model here.
 
I don't mind, I didn't really have plans to unlock my iPhone (I want that £35 o2 tariff) and no need to jailbreak with the App Store coming up. My plans continue.
 
dohspc said:
I really don't understand why so many people want to use this phone on T-Mobile in the US. The 3G one will be basically useless on their network as far as using the higher speeds? Also no visual voicemail, app store. Man just sign up for ATT and be owned already. lol
Click to expand...

I use mine with T-mobile (prepaid) and it is heaven. No, I do not need 3G but more certainly I do need to pay 60 bucks per month either.

Best PDA ever (with phone capability 🙄 ).
 
The only thing I would hate worse than sending a monthly check to AT&T is setting foot in one of their abominations of a store.

No thanks. If iPhone isn't getting the "special, hold your nose and pretend AT&T isn't involved" treatment any more, the likelihood of me getting one just went from 75% and rising to 10% and dropping.

Unbundle from that horrendous company, and treat me like an Apple customer instead of a [crappy cell network] customer, and you'll have my money back. Until then, I'm going to limp along with my years-old Treo and good-so-long-as-I-never-go-into-the-store Verizon service.
 
Well, i would have been glad to buy an official iPhone. Now I can't even unlock Finnish one. Thank you, Apple! For some very interesting reason I can buy iPhone in some third-world country like Niger, but can't in Russia. Very good job, even better than my rotten macbook. (it was actually rotten when I bought it).
Maybe Apple will finally think about customers?
 
mithrilfox said:
Why would Apple insist on limiting their puchasing base to just AT&T? Ah... probably some kickbacks from the company, huh? Whatever the reason, I can't see how they stand to benefit from cutting their customer base substantially. Maybe I'm just not informed on the business model here.
Click to expand...

Well, orignally it was to get a cut of the monthly fees, but if they don't get that from ATT, I too have to wonder why Apple would stay exclusive with ATT now.
 
Notice online!

Notice there is no longer an option to buy online. In fact if there was we could order it now! It just is a "where to buy" button.

You will have to buy at an Apple Store or at an AT&T store and it will be activated in the location.

That will eliminate people buying iPhones and shipping them to other markets. It will also force people to pay At&t for two years even if the jail break it.

The iTunes experiment is dead!
 
It'll be interesting to see what happens here in NZ. Phones aren't locked here, and when Vodafone tried it last month they got a very stern "that is not appropriate behaviour" from the Commerce Commission (and then they quickly backtracked and unlocked all the phones for free). I don't see them trying to lock iPhones after that.
 
Well, if the current price of the phone includes the AT&T subsidy in the purchase price.

I can see how AT&T is going to want their $'s back if the customers don't use AT&T.

However, it might be easier for Apple to pull the phones from the Apple Store at that point and let AT&T sell them to their customers -- especially when the phones are locked to AT&T anyhow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back