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Help: How to get an iPhone 4?

ThE.MeSsEnGeR

ThE.MeSsEnGeR

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2009
678
85
Santiago, Chile
Hello everyone.
The new iPhone 4 is just killing me :D I want one now!

I live in Lebanon, and iPhones aren't sold here "officially" and their prices are always rocketing skywards. (3GS is now @ 1,200$ for the 32GB model)

I have a relative that lives in Albany, NY; she's coming this summer (mid-july). Is there any way that she can get me an iPhone 4 with her? is it possible to buy it and bring it here, WITHOUT having to pay the premium of 600/700$??

I'm in big need of it, since I'm still on a 1st Gen iPhone (but I can't really pay 700$); I tend to shoot lots of videos, and it would be nice not having to carry my digital camera with me all the time. let alone that all of the other features are just making me drool :p

Thanks in advance! :)
 
i dont understand ...you want the new shiny sexy magic Iphone 4...
but you dont want to pay for it ?
 
allmIne said:
It's simple. He wants the iPhone 4 but doesn't want to pay the massively inflated 'unofficial' price. Which I'd say is understandable.
Click to expand...

LOL guess he doesn't know the official unlocked iPhone can go for upward to $1000.
 
Just like 'allmIne' said, I really want to buy it but not at a very high price (>500).

and about what 'consultant' said, I don't care if it's officially unlocked...

Is there any way that I can tell my relative to get me an iPhone with the subsidized price, she's already on AT&T.
 
How is she flying to Lebanon, she might be able to pick one up in a different country, where they sell Pay As You Go phones.
 
Nevasleep said:
How is she flying to Lebanon, she might be able to pick one up in a different country, where they sell Pay As You Go phones.
Click to expand...

good idea. I think she's coming either through London Heathrow or through Rome, Italy. I'm not sure yet. but either way, how much do you think will it cost?

[EDIT] in the keynote on Monday, Steve said that it'll be available in 5 Countries on launch, and then 18 more in July and then 88 in September. Do you have any idea which countries are they? the 5? and the 18?
 
Hi there!

The cheapest you'd pay for it would be $525 for 16gb and $625 for the 32gb.

She could buy the iphone ($200 or $300) and next day go in and cancel the contract paying $325 for the early termination fee.

Other than that, you'd be subject to whatever people charge on ebay.

Good luck.
 
ThE.MeSsEnGeR said:
good idea. I think she's coming either through London Heathrow or through Rome, Italy. I'm not sure yet. but either way, how much do you think will it cost?

[EDIT] in the keynote on Monday, Steve said that it'll be available in 5 Countries on launch, and then 18 more in July and then 88 in September. Do you have any idea which countries are they? the 5? and the 18?
Click to expand...

India is going to get the new iPhone in September may cost something 1100 dollars upwards.
 
It would be best stopping in the UK by the sounds of it. A 16gb 3Gs is priced at £450 and the 32gb 3Gs is £550!
 
Since you're from Lebanon you might be able to read French. SFR sells iPhones without contracts for €760. I'm not sure whether they ship abroad though.
http://www.sfr.fr/mobile/recapitulatif/apple-iphone-3gs-32go-noir?vue=002brc&formule=000hi0

The other option, but it's more difficult to pull off, is to get it with a contract for €200 then provide proof that you are emigrating from France. Under French law, carriers are obliged to terminate the contract without any additional fees. My visa+work contract did it for me, your or your parents' work contract in Lebanon might work for you. And if you owned the phone for 6 months, no matter whether you're leaving the country or not, you can ask your carrier to unlock it for free.

That's how I got my iPhone when I was living in France prior to moving to the US.

And yes French cell phone companies (thanks to EU telecom and antitrust regulation) are so much better than the AT&T / Verizon / T-Mobile / Sprint we get here. I can't believe the FTC and the FCC are fine with it.
 
If she's stopping in Italy, I think she could easily pick up an officially unlocked phone. I believe all iPhones sold in Italy (for ~599$) are officially unlocked. You might want to confirm this though.
 
THANKS a lot for all your replies!!

Guiguiga said:
Hi there!

The cheapest you'd pay for it would be $525 for 16gb and $625 for the 32gb.

She could buy the iphone ($200 or $300) and next day go in and cancel the contract paying $325 for the early termination fee.

Other than that, you'd be subject to whatever people charge on ebay.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

and wouldn't she be obliged to pay anything else? like the 1st month of service, or line activation or something??

Yinmay said:
Since you're from Lebanon you might be able to read French. SFR sells iPhones without contracts for €760. I'm not sure whether they ship abroad though.
Click to expand...

yes, I understand French ;) and well, 760 euros are bit too high for me. it would be better to tell her to get me the no-commitment from the USA.

ranguvar said:
If she's stopping in Italy, I think she could easily pick up an officially unlocked phone. I believe all iPhones sold in Italy (for ~599$) are officially unlocked. You might want to confirm this though.
Click to expand...

Seriously?? how can I know this for sure? do u have any idea of when will the iPhone launch in Italy?
 
ThE.MeSsEnGeR said:
Seriously?? how can I know this for sure? do u have any idea of when will the iPhone launch in Italy?
Click to expand...

The iPhone 4 will probably land on Italy’s shores in July this year, according to a report dated June 7, 2010 in Italian newspaper La Repubblica. It is probable that the iPhone 4 will be available in an unlocked version for Italy’s pay-as-you go ‘ricaricabile’ mobile contracts, but I don’t think anyone can be certain about this until the iPhone 4 lands in Italy. Technology site Mashable indicates that while people in the U.S., the UK, France, Germany and Japan will be able to get their hands on iPhone 4s on June 24, another 88 countries may have to wait until September. However the wording of the Mashable post indicates that the iPhone 4 will be available in another 88 countries by September, so maybe the new iPhone will arrive in Italy in July. We’ll see. Then there will be the inevitable technological hiccups which tend to beset the first versions of new gadgets like the iPhone 4.
http://www.blogfromitaly.com/apple-iphone-4-in-italy-in-july/
 
Well, I guess all I have to do is wait and see what each country has to offer. but what I know for now, is that if I don't the iPhone 4 this summer, I'll throw myself off a building.

[/sarcasm]
 
You cannot use it as a phone without unlock.

Even the newest 3.1.3 has not been unlocked, and that's out for like 4 months now.

eXan said:
32GB 3GS cost ~1100$ here officially...
Click to expand...

I guess the 16gb is $1000...
 
and wouldn't she be obliged to pay anything else? like the 1st month of service, or line activation or something??
Click to expand...

That's also true, she might have to pay the $36 actvation fee + 1 month worth of service. But if she cancels it the next day saying that:

1. she shouldn't have committed
2. she understands the implications of the early termination fee
3. but she doesn't think it's fair to pay for a month she won't use their services

those could be some really convincing reasons for the 1st month service fee to be waived.

Always be nice and polite. Miracles CAN happen.

Best of luck
 
Guiguiga said:
That's also true, she might have to pay the $36 actvation fee + 1 month worth of service. But if she cancels it the next day saying that:

1. she shouldn't have committed
2. she understands the implications of the early termination fee
3. but she doesn't think it's fair to pay for a month she won't use their services

those could be some really convincing reasons for the 1st month service fee to be waived.

Always be nice and polite. Miracles CAN happen.

Best of luck
Click to expand...

And AT&T would gladly take back the iPhone that she'd just purchased. Practically speaking, if she gives the phone back, she'd likely not have to pay anything. If she kept the phone, she'd be charged for the ETF at least.

Guiguiga had it right (at least for here in the US). The best way would be to buy it unsubsidized, off-contract here in the US and to unlock it overseas.
 
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