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brave5213

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 7, 2008
115
1
New York
do you think apple will continue to sell iphone as an unlocked model in US? i really don't want to tie myself with another 2 years contract.
 
I don't see why not.
It will be interesting to know how their sales breakdown between contract and unlocked.
Once US carrier's networks are fully compatible with voice and data is when we really will be bale to have a sane competition between them, so we as consumers finally see the some good deals.
 
do you think apple will continue to sell iphone as an unlocked model in US? i really don't want to tie myself with another 2 years contract.

My fingers are crossed for this too. I really just want a factory unlocked non-contract iphone 5, I'm tired of all the software hacking nonsense to unlock.
 
do you think apple will continue to sell iphone as an unlocked model in US? i really don't want to tie myself with another 2 years contract.
Sure they will sell a factory unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, it is just a matter of if it will be offered at launch or at a later date.

As the poster above indicated, Apple just started selling a factory unlocked iPhone 4 in the US in June 2011 :eek:

So you might have to wait a while to get an unlocked iPhone 5.

Dave
 
Sure they will sell a factory unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, it is just a matter of if it will be offered at launch or at a later date.

As the poster above indicated, Apple just started selling a factory unlocked iPhone 4 in the US in June 2011 :eek:

So you might have to wait a while to get an unlocked iPhone 5.

Dave

Well the factory unlocked devices were basically the original no-commitment models. I think they might not sell them at launch since they want to lock people into contracts first because that is what the carriers want too. They will sell them at a later date though. The only way they will sell it at launch is if you are not eligible for an upgrade at all and you have to buy no-commitment.
 
I don't think we will have to wait in the US. That was just some background deal that ran out and allowed the sale of unlocked phones in the US. Now things will be available unlocked at full price no problem.

Don't forget that even while there is a specific sku for the unlocked phone apple can sell a locked phone full price and it will be unlocked in the background so you end up with an unlocked phone. Explained for when stock is running low. Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the unlocked sku goes away and they just sell phone model/color x and the price determines unlocked status.
 
I don't think we will have to wait in the US. That was just some background deal that ran out and allowed the sale of unlocked phones in the US. Now things will be available unlocked at full price no problem.

Don't forget that even while there is a specific sku for the unlocked phone apple can sell a locked phone full price and it will be unlocked in the background so you end up with an unlocked phone. Explained for when stock is running low. Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the unlocked sku goes away and they just sell phone model/color x and the price determines unlocked status.

Yup.. the unlocked ones will continue, it was most likely the AT&T exclusivity that prevented them from selling them before.

I didn't realize there was an actual unlocked sku. In canada for ex, there is 1 sku for a specific model and it can be assigned (locked) to any specific carrier (8 possible ones right now). It would be insane for them to do otherwise... Kind of like other manufacturers. They prepare certain stock for certain carriers and its a disaster when they have to shuffle around or flash devices to be updated/locked for other carriers.
 
Yup.. the unlocked ones will continue, it was most likely the AT&T exclusivity that prevented them from selling them before.

I didn't realize there was an actual unlocked sku. In canada for ex, there is 1 sku for a specific model and it can be assigned (locked) to any specific carrier (8 possible ones right now). It would be insane for them to do otherwise... Kind of like other manufacturers. They prepare certain stock for certain carriers and its a disaster when they have to shuffle around or flash devices to be updated/locked for other carriers.

They may have already stopped the multiple sku thing, I was referring to the internal memo leak that mentioned selling a normal phone as unlocked that came out a day or two after the unlocked phones were announced. Could have been for old stock?
 
Are the innards (cellular radio) different between a specific carrier's iPhone and the ones Apple sells unlocked?
 
No!

All the magic is done by the Apple servers. Any iPhone can be unlocked by Apple. However in the US they don't unlocked carrier locked iPhones for a fee or after your contract expires. Not Apple and not AT&T :eek:

The only reason for a different SKU in the US is the unlocked model does not have a Micro-SIM pre installed for the AT&T unit.

Dave
 
So, one would have to buy a sim card for the specific carrier they end up going with? I like the freedom of an unlocked phone, but seems to be cheaper in the long run if I settle on a network with good coverage and reasonable plans.
 
No need to purchase a SIM in most cases, the carrier you choose will provide a SIM when you activate.

The real question is if the new iPhone will be a GSM/CMDA combined or two different versions: AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA) in the US.

I mention the US based on your phillyread79 id.

Dave
 
Hello my version of a T-Mobile iPhone I don't have to jailbreak. Yes I know I am limited to Edge most likely but we pay $180 for FIVE SMARTPHONE LINES! and the most I do when I'm on the road is check my balance, or read small mobile websites. It's not like Angry Birds needs a constant 3G connection
 
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