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So that the functionality will be there down the road... it’s pretty self explanatory.

I still find carrier locking to be an affront to consumer rights regardless.
 
Because XR was largely intended for the Chinese market.

It's dual-physical SIM and unlocked on day one there. Dual-physical SIM doesn't need an iOS update.
 
Because XR was largely intended for the Chinese market.

It's dual-physical SIM and unlocked on day one there.
I live in the US and use T-Mobile but I’m traveling in Hong Kong so it’s not a problem for me.

But if I was in the states, I would be pissed off.

Also, I highly doubt that the XR was intended for the china market. I think there’s demand everywhere for it.
 
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I live in the US and use T-Mobile but I’m traveling in Hong Kong so it’s not a problem for me.

But if I was in the states, I would be pissed off.

If you're traveling to HK, consider buying a Max. Scalpers overbought the Max on launch day and shopkeepers are loaded with stock. I bought my 256GB there for HKD800 under retail.
 
While we still have carrier contracts here in Canada, carrier locking is no longer allowed. So I guess it makes sense for other non-US markets.
 
Unlocked XR will be released few weeks (or months) down the road, when the supply catches up with the demand. Having said that, if you purchase a carrier locked version at a full price, most carriers will unlock the phone after a month or two.
 
Also, I highly doubt that the XR was intended for the china market. I think there’s demand everywhere for it.

There's global demand, but China sets the development requirements for iPhone XR.

Nowhere else in the world do you see 6.1" LCD phablets as mainstream devices. In China, 6.1-6.4" dual-SIM 720p devices are mainstream for multiple devices from Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
 
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Because XR was largely intended for the Chinese market.

It's dual-physical SIM and unlocked on day one there. Dual-physical SIM doesn't need an iOS update.

There's zero evidence of that. It was made for the same reasons as the 5c/se
 
There's zero evidence of that. It was made for the same reasons as the 5c/se

Tim Cook's own words already said it.

“Consumers, especially Chinese consumers, have a variety of needs for smartphones. For example, Chinese users prefer large-screen smartphones, of course, this is only a part of people. We want to attract as many people as possible, and we need to spend a lot of thoughts, such as making the phone screen bigger, just like the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max with Super Retina screen released today.”

“It is from the Chinese market that we recognize the importance of dual card dual standby. So we introduced it and thought about how to provide such a demand to everyone. The reason why Chinese users like dual card dual standby is also applicable to many other countries, but these consumers may not realize this.

Another example we have seen is the QR code, which is far more important in China than anywhere else, so we offer a simpler use of QR code.”

https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/15/tim-cook-dual-sim-pricing-more-interview/
 
I live in the US and use T-Mobile but I’m traveling in Hong Kong so it’s not a problem for me.

But if I was in the states, I would be pissed off.

Also, I highly doubt that the XR was intended for the china market. I think there’s demand everywhere for it.
I think that poster intended to write "Dual SIM" was largely intended for the china market. That seems to be the biggest market on the planet with that demand as it's extremely popular to use dual sims there.
 
Tim Cook's own words already said it.

“Consumers, especially Chinese consumers, have a variety of needs for smartphones. For example, Chinese users prefer large-screen smartphones, of course, this is only a part of people. We want to attract as many people as possible, and we need to spend a lot of thoughts, such as making the phone screen bigger, just like the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max with Super Retina screen released today.”

“It is from the Chinese market that we recognize the importance of dual card dual standby. So we introduced it and thought about how to provide such a demand to everyone. The reason why Chinese users like dual card dual standby is also applicable to many other countries, but these consumers may not realize this.

Another example we have seen is the QR code, which is far more important in China than anywhere else, so we offer a simpler use of QR code.”

https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/15/tim-cook-dual-sim-pricing-more-interview/

Well in that case lol.
 
If you pay full price for the phone from Apple it is unlocked. You don't have to wait for them to release an unlocked option. The only difference is now when you buy it, they give you a sim card for the carrier of your choice.

If you don't believe me, go try to buy the XR from apple.com right now and choose a carrier and choose the pay full price option and then look at what it tells you about the phone you're ordering.
 
I think that poster intended to write "Dual SIM" was largely intended for the china market. That seems to be the biggest market on the planet with that demand as it's extremely popular to use dual sims there.

No, the XR was intended for the Chinese market. Obviously, it will sell globally, but the aim is clear.

In China, the iPhone XS is single-SIM. Only the XR and Max are dual-SIM. In other words, Apple expects nearly 100% of Chinese buyers to go XR or Max.

Consumers in the U.S. are finding it weird to see the 6.1" XR as a mainstream device because they are accustomed to 5-5.5" devices. In China, 6.28" 720p low-cost devices have been mainstream for the past 12 months. e.g. http://www.vivo.com.cn/vivo/y83/. Apple is merely copying that strategy with the XR.
 
It's no coincidence that analysts are talking about how the XR is going to be the biggest selling iPhone in China.
 
If you pay full price for the phone from Apple it is unlocked. You don't have to wait for them to release an unlocked option. The only difference is now when you buy it, they give you a sim card for the carrier of your choice.

If you don't believe me, go try to buy the XR from apple.com right now and choose a carrier and choose the pay full price option and then look at what it tells you about the phone you're ordering.

Yep, this. And you don’t even need to be a subscriber of one of those carriers to order like you did in years past. And all the carriers are using the same exact model.

All the reasons I used to have for waiting for the sim-free version are no longer true. So I’ll happily be preordering tonight
 
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Tim was talking about the dual sim option, not the XR in particular.

“It is from the Chinese market that we recognize the importance of dual card dual standby. So we introduced it and thought about how to provide such a demand to everyone. The reason why Chinese users like dual card dual standby is also applicable to many other countries, but these consumers may not realize this.
 
Tim was talking about the dual sim option, not the XR in particular.

“It is from the Chinese market that we recognize the importance of dual card dual standby. So we introduced it and thought about how to provide such a demand to everyone. The reason why Chinese users like dual card dual standby is also applicable to many other countries, but these consumers may not realize this.

If it weren't for Chinese demand, do you really think Apple would put a 6.1" display in their $749 device instead of 5.8"?
 
Is it truly confirmed anywhere that buying the verizon model and paying full price is SIM unlocked in the USA?

And, do we know what the radio footprint looks like across all these devices?
 
A simple read, no need to curse.
 

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Yep, this. And you don’t even need to be a subscriber of one of those carriers to order like you did in years past. And all the carriers are using the same exact model.

All the reasons I used to have for waiting for the sim-free version are no longer true. So I’ll happily be preordering tonight
Does that mean if I buy an AT&T model, a year from now if I want to switch to Verizon, the ATT model will support CDMA?
 
Is it truly confirmed anywhere that buying the verizon model and paying full price is SIM unlocked in the USA?

And, do we know what the radio footprint looks like across all these devices?
It literally tells you that it is.
 
I live in the US and use T-Mobile but I’m traveling in Hong Kong so it’s not a problem for me.

But if I was in the states, I would be pissed off.

Also, I highly doubt that the XR was intended for the china market. I think there’s demand everywhere for it.

Further evidence to suggest the XR was intended for the Chinese market. It has 1-2 week delay for all colors and capacities.

Unlike the rest of the world, Chinese consumers prefer 6" phablets with 720p displays. As expected, the XR was designed with that in mind.

upload_2018-10-21_20-36-20.png
 
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