Buying an iPhone outright

W

willjax

macrumors member
ok ok ok

Basically, I want to buy an iphone 3GS 16gig, you can buy them from the Apple online store in Australia for $879. Now it says that they are outright, now my understanding of outright is that when you purchase something you now own it and can choose what SIM card you want to put in it etc and it will work.

But this is not the case when it comes to the iphone. They sell them 'outright' but they are locked to Telstra and you must then go to Telstra and pay them $150 to unlock the phone so you can put another carriers SIM card in it.

To me, this is very very very misleading and can easily be considered false advertising as the phone is NOT available 'outright' as they have advertised as it is locked to Telstra.

I think that this is a very sneaky way in picking up a shiteload of money where they wouldn't otherwise be making any off the actual phone and I'm sure that if you it to Consumer Affairs they would agree.

What are your thoughts? I, for one, think its a load of crap.

Cheers
 
furthermore, this is the definition of outright.

Note point 3

Use outright in a Sentence
–adjective
1. complete or total: an outright loss.
2. downright or unqualified: an outright refusal.
3. without further payments due, restrictions, or qualifications: an outright sale of the car.
4. Archaic. directed straight out or on.
 
I see what you are saying but outright really is just buying a product without a contract at least in case of iphone.

If it said outright unlocked phone that'd be different.
 
OneMike said:
I see what you are saying but outright really is just buying a product without a contract at least in case of iphone.

If it said outright unlocked phone that'd be different.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean but the term 'outright' doesn't change just because it's an iphone, you know?

I find it very frustrating that they can do this and no one else seems to care. They may as well sell the phone for $879 + 150 and that be it instead of advertising it as $879
 
I looked at the apple au store and it says:

"iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and connect to
iTunes 8.2 to complete activation.2 Purchase limitations may apply."

If you have to actually pay a fee to use with any carrier that is misleading since I don't see that on the site. Even if it is there that is something that should be very well displayed. Wording to me implies unlocked not tied to any carrier.
 
OneMike said:
I looked at the apple au store and it says:

"iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and connect to
iTunes 8.2 to complete activation.2 Purchase limitations may apply."

If you have to actually pay a fee to use with any carrier that is misleading since I don't see that on the site. Even if it is there that is something that should be very well displayed. Wording to me implies unlocked not tied to any carrier.
Click to expand...

Yeah, on further investigation, it looks as though if you buy one direct from the apple store then they are outright and true to the term, but if you buy one from Next Byte etc, then they are locked to telstra!

I just got a bit ahead of myself ;)
 
willjax said:
Yeah, on further investigation, it looks as though if you buy one direct from the apple store then they are outright and true to the term, but if you buy one from Next Byte etc, then they are locked to telstra!

I just got a bit ahead of myself ;)
Click to expand...

uh if you buy directlly from apple here in the US, its locked to AT&T. I take the term outright as to mean no contract, it does not mean unlocked and I assume that most people take that term to similar meaning. Maybe you shouldn't take everything so literal. Outright doesn't mean unlocked regardless of what the dictionary says.
 
That's because in the US the iPhone is exclusive to AT&T. I believe they have laws against that in astralia. Telstra might just OFFER the iPhone at a unsubsidized price if you use there networks. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Me and my housemate up in Brisbane both have Iphones brought outright from the Aus apple online store. Im on telstra, he's on Optus I think. Both worked fine straight up.
 
I bought mine outright in the Apple store in Robina, Queensland and I can pop any simcard I want in there.
 
Outrigger said:
uh if you buy directlly from apple here in the US, its locked to AT&T. I take the term outright as to mean no contract, it does not mean unlocked and I assume that most people take that term to similar meaning. Maybe you shouldn't take everything so literal. Outright doesn't mean unlocked regardless of what the dictionary says.
Click to expand...

Don't let Apple brainwash you. We can't take "outright" literally here simply because of the stupid exclusive agreement between AT&T and Apple. What's in buying an iPhone "outright" for $600, only to find that you'll need to have an AT&T SIM, only without a two-year jail time? I'd much rather buy one "truly outright" for 600 Euro and go to T-Mobile.
 
Outrigger said:
uh if you buy directlly from apple here in the US, its locked to AT&T. I take the term outright as to mean no contract, it does not mean unlocked and I assume that most people take that term to similar meaning. Maybe you shouldn't take everything so literal. Outright doesn't mean unlocked regardless of what the dictionary says.
Click to expand...

yeah but like i said earlier, if you buy any other phone outright there are no unlocking fees blah blah blah, you can put any sim in it, all im saying is that this should be no different when it comes to an iphone.

as a few people mentioned thought, its only when you buy it from one of the carriers and not the apple store here in aus, telstra says outright but they still charge a fee so its prob not apples fault, more telstras
 
grantsdale said:
Do you have a link to where the company uses the term 'outright'? I'm sure they say 'no contract' or some variation of that.
Click to expand...

I'm only going by what i was told by the sales people. I know the one guy actually took Telstra to court over it and won.
 
Apple Store = outright, unlocked, do what you like. We in Australia are one of the few countries where Apple provide the phone direct to the public without any network requirement.

Next Byte etc. = Network and Apple resellers, possible to buy off-contract but not unlocked.

Just before everyone jumps in, remember we are not talking about the US here. This relates to AUSTRALIA where the laws are different.
 
That's already a fairly good deal, whether you have to pay Telstra for the unlocking fee.

My country offers factory unlocked phones but with mandatory contracts. It's not unlike AT&T's deal, the only difference in the units being able to be used worldwide, regardless of the number of SIM's you pop in.

If you are already tied to a contract, I do not see the point why the phone still has to be locked to the carrier, in my opinion.
 
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