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iPhone without Contract in Germany? - 999 UPDATE: Confirmed + 600 for an unlock!
- Thread starter DaveTheGrey
- Start date
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No its not
In america consumers have a much more limited choice of phones, that are locked to plans with contracts. Contrast that to most european countries where phones are mostly unlocked and sold cheaply, and better technology is available (3G).
Apple then comes along an tries to use the american way (locked phones with edge) and expects it to work in a much more open advanced system?
dude, we're not the united states of europe. i couldn't comment on any other european country's laws, but stringent british consumer law got my ibook fixed, out of warranty, for free when apple quoted me £600 for a new logic board.
as my mum used to say: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
life is just unfair its good they want unlocking but the prices are waaaaaaaaaay to high for a normal person im gonna stick with ipsf for 60 and wait for there updates but on the other hand once you unlock you have no fear of it getting bricked or trying to jailbreak and then getting it bricked because that was the only way to unlock the phone through anysim or ipsf.
i wont spend that much on an iphone.
believe me, apple and Steve jobs beat Microsoft in monopoly.
i am starting to hate apple, i like their products but hate them.
mabye, this is gonna promote hacking
maybe someone will be able to install the software that come with the unlocked unhacked iphone in a locked iphone and there it goes free.
believe me, apple and Steve jobs beat Microsoft in monopoly.
i am starting to hate apple, i like their products but hate them.
mabye, this is gonna promote hacking
maybe someone will be able to install the software that come with the unlocked unhacked iphone in a locked iphone and there it goes free.
Errrrr, thats not strictly true. EU countries have to abide by EU law. However, you're right, there is no EU law regarding the sale of unlocked phones.
Not only the lawyers but the engineers too. They were able to come up with the firmware to implement an unlocked phone that we assume can still be upgraded with new firmware. They could not possibly have done this overnight, not do it AND test it overnight. I think Apple had prepared for this event in advance
The Real Question is.......
Does this affect when the iPhone will come to Canada???
how bout..................................nnnnnnnow.
Does this affect when the iPhone will come to Canada???
how bout..................................nnnnnnnow.
Normally only voicemail costs, not customer service. I've used a SIM card in Hong Kong, UK, Australia and New Zealand. All cost me money when I phoned voice mail.
Another way to look at this is that Americans are grown ups and care about cellular service first. Europeans view cell phones as gadgets and fashionable items who may buy the "latest" 3G technology --- but never use any of those 3G functions.
Americans chose cheap phones and cheap phone rates. Very grown up thing to do.
wrong. distance affects photo's HUUUUGE. go retake the picture at the same distance and look again..
Apparently T-Mobile UNLOCK the iPhone over the air within 24 hours of it being purchased according to someone in Germany who claims to have bought one...
How this works I have no idea! I also wonder if the phone will be good for firmware updates and if Apple will replace/service it if anything goes wrong?
And I wonder how this effects what happens on iTunes when you plug it? Lots of interesting questions to find answers to!
How this works I have no idea! I also wonder if the phone will be good for firmware updates and if Apple will replace/service it if anything goes wrong?
And I wonder how this effects what happens on iTunes when you plug it? Lots of interesting questions to find answers to!
wrong
We have a system of unfair monopolies in the mobile phone industry here in the US. Its similar to the pre-1980 days when you got your phone from Ma-Bell and no one else. Thats the business model we chose in the US for mobile telephony and now the rest of the world has leap frogged us. In places like India, they have the best of the European & US system. Low taxes and tariffs on the service, but unlocked phones galore from any store. Just like you would buy a land-line phone for your home at Wal-Mart.
Anyway, this is good news for everyone who wants an iPhone without a designated carrier since the iPhone Dev Team can get an unlocked iPhone and then be able to examine what impact an firmware update would have.
Jobs & Woz made innovations being a phone hacker and now the iPhone Dev Team will be innovators. More power to them!
Just a disclaimer - I'm a T-mobile US customer and have had them unlock multiple phones by providing me the unlock codes via email for free.
We have a system of unfair monopolies in the mobile phone industry here in the US. Its similar to the pre-1980 days when you got your phone from Ma-Bell and no one else. Thats the business model we chose in the US for mobile telephony and now the rest of the world has leap frogged us. In places like India, they have the best of the European & US system. Low taxes and tariffs on the service, but unlocked phones galore from any store. Just like you would buy a land-line phone for your home at Wal-Mart.
Anyway, this is good news for everyone who wants an iPhone without a designated carrier since the iPhone Dev Team can get an unlocked iPhone and then be able to examine what impact an firmware update would have.
Jobs & Woz made innovations being a phone hacker and now the iPhone Dev Team will be innovators. More power to them!
Just a disclaimer - I'm a T-mobile US customer and have had them unlock multiple phones by providing me the unlock codes via email for free.
I have nothing against hacking, but if you start complaining/whining that Apple bricked your hacked iPhones, you will not get any sympathy from me. Legal users should come first when it comes to patching security holes in our phones and if it causes your iToner or jailbreak what-not or even your iPhone cease to function, so be it. You know what it can or cant do prior to buying it.
positive? i dunno.... maybe
i gave this a positive rating just because it's about time they released an unlocked phone, but the price is silly. it's not worth that much by any means. i concur with everyone who's compared it an ipod touch, which makes sense. there's nothing inside of it to warrant a price over $1000.
it's cool but it ain't that cool.
since i can't buy one due to at&t having crap service in my area, i'll just wait and hope that they release an unlocked one in the USA for not such a retard price that i can use with verizon.
i'm not counting on it tho...........
i gave this a positive rating just because it's about time they released an unlocked phone, but the price is silly. it's not worth that much by any means. i concur with everyone who's compared it an ipod touch, which makes sense. there's nothing inside of it to warrant a price over $1000.
it's cool but it ain't that cool.
since i can't buy one due to at&t having crap service in my area, i'll just wait and hope that they release an unlocked one in the USA for not such a retard price that i can use with verizon.
i'm not counting on it tho...........
How is it a system of unfair monopolies in the US? In countries like France, there are only 3 national carriers --- that's not a competitive market. In countries like Germany, you have a government regulator that is babying DT/T-Mobile --- that's not competitive either.
There will never be a carterfone for the wireless phone industry --- why? American fanboys who advocate the European mobile phone market as the model market will lose all their arguments with the iphone's launch in Europe. Europe is basically going to take the iphone pretty much like the US --- except the few hundred Europeans who are buying the windows xp version without the media player and the insanely priced 999 euro unlocked iphone.
How is Inida the best of the European and US system? It is the worst in every category imagineable. In a country where people actually steal telephone wires for copper --- they should be concentrating on basic telecom stuff. Instead they are dreaming about 3G and wimax and handsets galore (and most of their cell phones are pretty much stolen or box broken from the first world).
Or you could say that americans are technically inept and thus have no use for modern technology like 3g, whereas europeans are up with technology and like having the greatest and the best.
Either way both arguments are stupid. Is there any reason why you have such contempt for europe?
This doesnt seem like a grown up comment.
Not so long ago, I remember quite clearly that Europe (and U.K.) was technically behind the U.S. (internet service, etc.) But now they are advancing past the U.S as there is to much red tape in the U.S. to hold back advancing technology. (or greedy corporations who want to stage releases to make the most money. No, not true advance.)
Peace
dAlen
(yes I am an american who live in Europe.)
wrong again.
Eh? Can I get some of that Kool Aide that you've been drinking?
Germany and France are countries with about 75-85 million, so 3-4 companies probably meets all demands. So what if DT/T-Mobile is partly subsidized? AT&T and World Com have benefited from massive US Govt. contracts (DoD & other agencies) which is in essence the same. How many companies do have in the US with over 200 million mobile users? AT&T, Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile.
The iPhone has a great interface and wonderful usability only to be crippled in functionality that is hurting it. We in the US will take it because there is a limited selection of mobile phones unlike the rest of the world. Apple better realize this or their user base will remain limited to a few million handsets primarily within the US. I would think the share holders would want better.
About India, thats absolutely false. Its one of the largest consumers of smart phones along with China. Land lines have suffered because the govt. has a monopoly (sort of like Ma-Bell back in the good old bad days) in it and only a couple of companies want to get involved since the profit margins are limited. India has half a dozen large mobile companies along with 200+ million mobile users and adding another 3-4 million GSM users a month (and about half-a-million CDMA users per month). The bulk of mid-range and low end phones are made in country and the high-end are at this time imported, but probably not for long. Its a wonderful example of anti-monopoly and low taxes & tariffs in an industry. Your comment about copper theft and basic telecom is condescending and plain racist as you well know copper theft is happening at an alarming rate within the US as well, and basic telecom is happening in India through the mobile phone industry. Companies like Google know this and with the Android standards (and possibly their own phone) they want to cash in.
Eh? Can I get some of that Kool Aide that you've been drinking?
Germany and France are countries with about 75-85 million, so 3-4 companies probably meets all demands. So what if DT/T-Mobile is partly subsidized? AT&T and World Com have benefited from massive US Govt. contracts (DoD & other agencies) which is in essence the same. How many companies do have in the US with over 200 million mobile users? AT&T, Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile.
The iPhone has a great interface and wonderful usability only to be crippled in functionality that is hurting it. We in the US will take it because there is a limited selection of mobile phones unlike the rest of the world. Apple better realize this or their user base will remain limited to a few million handsets primarily within the US. I would think the share holders would want better.
About India, thats absolutely false. Its one of the largest consumers of smart phones along with China. Land lines have suffered because the govt. has a monopoly (sort of like Ma-Bell back in the good old bad days) in it and only a couple of companies want to get involved since the profit margins are limited. India has half a dozen large mobile companies along with 200+ million mobile users and adding another 3-4 million GSM users a month (and about half-a-million CDMA users per month). The bulk of mid-range and low end phones are made in country and the high-end are at this time imported, but probably not for long. Its a wonderful example of anti-monopoly and low taxes & tariffs in an industry. Your comment about copper theft and basic telecom is condescending and plain racist as you well know copper theft is happening at an alarming rate within the US as well, and basic telecom is happening in India through the mobile phone industry. Companies like Google know this and with the Android standards (and possibly their own phone) they want to cash in.
it's a very strong force field as well. It's kind of like that cage thats around people who use windows but refuse to look at a mac, but sort of different.
But that doesn't matter so much because i really wont buy an iPhone because:
1. i won't hack one because i'm afraid of wrecking one
2. I'd have to use rogers because i'm in canada (i hate rogers btw)
3. i bought an iPod touch so i'll have to wait for that to break (which i'm sure
will happen sooner or later and will be covered under extended warranty
)4. i'm not going to go all the way to germany to drop 1500usd on a legal
version (as much as i'd like to, and i'm sure it'd be a great trip)
Thats a nice set of list you've got
. For me though, a lot of these could be fixed with updates. Not all but a lot. The thing that sold me with iPhone is its potential upgradability. My iPhone added an extra button for me 1 month after Ive been using it via updates. I wonder how many phones out there are able to do just that. And guess what, there's 3 more blank spaces for extra buttons for which Im sure apple will be able to find a good use for it. If it ever gets filled up, a new software update could probably make a page 2 sets of icons. They continually make little improvements to the UI to make it even better with users suggestions which hopefully, in the long run, ends up with almost perfect UI. Saves me money instead of buying that new and improved Nokia every 6 months. New updates is just a USB away.PS. it doesnt use sync because God forbid if I have to download 8 gigs of data via bluetooth
Some guy on a Dutch forum has bought one. He writes that the process is as follows:
- Buy iPhone, tell you want it unlocked.
- T-Mobile calls Apple. Apple changes settings for your IMEI in the iTunes Store.
- iPhone can be activated via iTunes.