Buy and use iPhone without service?

[MacVault]

So if I buy an unsubsidized (no phone service) iPhone 4 for full price, am I correct that none of it's other [iPod] features will work unless I jailbreak it?

And say I did buy the iPhone with service and fulfill the 2 year committment, and at the end of the two years I decide to cancel service, is it correct that 1) the phone is mine to keep, and 2) its other [iPod] features will not function unless I continue with cell service?

Please help me understand. Thanks!

 

[tigert07]

If you buy an iPhone off contract I believe you can do whatever you want with it not involving AT&Ts service. Wifi will still work. Are you planning on activating the service though? The new iPod touch sounds like it'd be perfect. Anyways yeah once the 2 year deal is over you can cancel if you would like and just keep the phone. Sounds like the iPod touch would be the way to go for you though.

 

[SpaceKitty]

AT&T and Apple will not sell you an unsubsidized iPhone 4 without already having AT&T service to use it on. All no contract means is that it will not extend your current contract.

There are threads about this already where people are being refused the sale of the iPhone because they currently have no AT&T service.

 

[MacVault]

I called Apple Store...

I just called the Apple Store - Pioneer Place (Portland, OR) and spoke with Aaron who said that yes, they will sell an iPhone 4 without AT&T service for the full price of ~$600, and that the phone function will be locked but that the other media (iPod) features will be available. He said this would be like having an iPod for twice the price and suggested just buying an iPod. But what he and Steve Jobs fail to realize or admit is - I want the better video / still pic cam and GPS found in the iPhone 4 as oppose to the new iPod Touch. Aaron says that without the AT&T data service the GPS will be useless because the maps to overlay onto won't be there when away from wifi. But there are many GPS uses that don't need a live data connection - such as geotaging photos, finding current coordinates and recording one's journey to overlay later onto a map, etc.

 

[SpaceKitty]

I just called the Apple Store - Pioneer Place (Portland, OR) and spoke with Aaron who said that yes, they will sell an iPhone 4 without AT&T service for the full price of ~$600, and that the phone function will be locked but that the other media (iPod) features will be available. He said this would be like having an iPod for twice the price and suggested just buying an iPod. But what he and Steve Jobs fail to realize or admit is - I want the better video / still pic cam and GPS found in the iPhone 4 as oppose to the new iPod Touch. Aaron says that without the AT&T data service the GPS will be useless because the maps to overlay onto won't be there when away from wifi. But there are many GPS uses that don't need a live data connection - such as geotaging photos, finding current coordinates and recording one's journey to overlay later onto a map, etc.

The OP in another thread was told he could buy one just like you were told until he showed up at the store to buy one. Once there he was told no.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1008304/

 

[Jayman34187]

I just called the Apple Store - Pioneer Place (Portland, OR) and spoke with Aaron who said that yes, they will sell an iPhone 4 without AT&T service for the full price of ~$600, and that the phone function will be locked but that the other media (iPod) features will be available. He said this would be like having an iPod for twice the price and suggested just buying an iPod. But what he and Steve Jobs fail to realize or admit is - I want the better video / still pic cam and GPS found in the iPhone 4 as oppose to the new iPod Touch. Aaron says that without the AT&T data service the GPS will be useless because the maps to overlay onto won't be there when away from wifi. But there are many GPS uses that don't need a live data connection - such as geotaging photos, finding current coordinates and recording one's journey to overlay later onto a map, etc.

$600, and that the phone function will be locked


LOL... Is it a Phone? why would it be locked as a phone? Oh Yeah right this is Apple we are talking about.

 

[acarney]

I just called the Apple Store - Pioneer Place (Portland, OR) and spoke with Aaron who said that yes, they will sell an iPhone 4 without AT&T service for the full price of ~$600, and that the phone function will be locked but that the other media (iPod) features will be available. He said this would be like having an iPod for twice the price and suggested just buying an iPod. But what he and Steve Jobs fail to realize or admit is - I want the better video / still pic cam and GPS found in the iPhone 4 as oppose to the new iPod Touch. Aaron says that without the AT&T data service the GPS will be useless because the maps to overlay onto won't be there when away from wifi. But there are many GPS uses that don't need a live data connection - such as geotaging photos, finding current coordinates and recording one's journey to overlay later onto a map, etc.

You're not too far from Canada, either make a trek up there in a couple more months once the phones can stay in the stores for longer then an hour or two after being unpacked or if you have a friend up there get them to buy you one and send it on down. That way everything will work with the option of at any time actually turning it into a phone too. In the US that basically means AT&T and I think they're would force you into a contract (and I'm not sure PAYG SIMs would work on an unlocked phone, but they might for just basic voice) but if you travel at ALL then that would open up being able to take your iPhone 4 with you and jumping on anyone's supported network.

I'm going to do this once that damn white iPhone is released. Btw, resell price on unlocked (factory that is) iPhones is ALWAYS higher then USA iphones so if you upgrade next year or something you might be able to make almost all your money back rather then maybe $300 to $400 since it's still locked to AT&T even though you never used it with them.

 

[acarney]

$600, and that the phone function will be locked


LOL... Is it a Phone? why would it be locked as a phone? Oh Yeah right this is Apple we are talking about.

It's actually AT&T. It's due to the contract they have. Apple is fine with selling them for full cost with not locking at all but then needed a network to carry the device when it was first coming out. Now they have such a strong user base you can't really picture a network saying "no" but before, 70% of the stuff iPhone can do would have been locked out by AT&T before it was sold. It took some messy contracts and a lot of force on Apples part to get AT&T to actually sell the phone with as many features as it had when it first was released.