Is this because the iPad SIM is a data-only SIM (is there such a thing?). Could I get a SIM that would work for both? If not, that seems to defeat the whole purpose for SIMs in the first place for "swapability".
The iPad SIM will work fine in your unlocked iPhone until the carrier 'notices' it and claims that the fine print in your iPad SIM contract (even if it is only a one-month 'contract') excludes the use in different device.
There is a very simple argument: If the free market does lead to 'device-free' SIM cards being offered despite obvious demand, regulators could step in and require that all SIM cards are device agnostic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peter236
Is there a special way of activating your unlocked iPhone 4 overseas?
Yes, you put in your SIM card and type the SIM code.
I recently bought an unlocked MiFi from the UK and put in a German SIM card (obtained together with USB modem). I only had to configure the MiFi to use the German provider's network. I also put a German prepaid SIM card into a 'Swiss' iPhone 3G (which the carrier had unlocked after the two-year contract period), and I just had to enter the PIN code.
Personally I don't see what the big deal is. So you buy an unlocked iPhone and you can now choose between at&t and T-Mobile for VOICE service. There is no choice when it comes to data. As has been pointed out you would be restricted to the abominably slow Edge network with T-Mobile. And "unlocked" doesn't mean "jailbroken" either. So some idiots will spend $700 just for bragging rights it would appear. I doubt there are large numbers of international travelers who need to take advantage of an unlocked iPhone. In the U.S. this looks pretty stupid to me. After at&t and T-Mobile merge you will have paid full price for an iPhone that works only with, wait for it, at&t. I think this is a purely political move, just like some have theorized. Apple won't actually sell very many of these things.
I wonder if Apple will unlock already sold iPhones in the US.
Apple generally doesn't unlock phones, as per their agreement with the carriers. In countries where Apple does sell unlocked phones, it is not uncommon for the carriers to offer unlocking for a fee. They have to go through Apple's servers, but it is not Apple that initiates it. Hopefully, AT&T will now include iPhones in their unlock policy, whereas now they are explicitly exempt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peter236
Is there a special way of activating your unlocked iPhone 4 overseas?
Stick in your SIM.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenRoethig
Yeah. If you stay in the states, this is a pretty terrible deal. You pay the same prices, you get basically the same choices in providers since most of the handful of regional carriers use T-mobile's AWS spectrum, and you don't get the $400 discount on the phone.
My hope is that the next iPhone will have AWS and CMDA support included. Selling that unlock would give you a true world phone and allow you to choose between AT&T or Verizon in the US (and the AWS vs the HSPA/UTMS carriers here in Canada, and eventually LTE).
Quote:
Originally Posted by neiltc13
Interesting price. Nexus S is only $499 unlocked.
I have wondered for a while why Apple has not required all iPhones to be sold unlocked. Apple and their original iPhone and the deal the worked out with AT&T was the most disruptive event in the cell market in years. But, it seems to me that google being able to get every carrier to agree to sell the Nexus unlocked, yet still available on subsidy could have been even more disruptive. Imagine if Apple had been the one to force the carriers to accept that? That would have been disruptive.
Personally I don't see what the big deal is. So you buy an unlocked iPhone and you can now choose between at&t and T-Mobile for VOICE service. There is no choice when it comes to data. As has been pointed out you would be restricted to the abominably slow Edge network with T-Mobile. And "unlocked" doesn't mean "jailbroken" either. So some idiots will spend $700 just for bragging rights it would appear. I doubt there are large numbers of international travelers who need to take advantage of an unlocked iPhone. In the U.S. this looks pretty stupid to me. After at&t and T-Mobile merge you will have paid full price for an iPhone that works only with, wait for it, at&t. I think this is a purely political move, just like some have theorized. Apple won't actually sell very many of these things.
It would only take a few trips overseas to make up for the price difference by using local SIM cards instead of paying ATT's horrid international 3G roaming rates. And if you have locals who want to call you when you are visiting their country, they can dial a local number to reach you. With a locked phone they would have to pay for an international phone call to reach your ATT phone number on top of what you pay to receive the call on international roaming. That's a pretty expensive call to reach someone who might be across the street. And we haven't even gotten into the cost of text messages or data for when you aren't near a wi-fi hotspot when traveling overseas.
I have wondered for a while why Apple has not required all iPhones to be sold unlocked. Apple and their original iPhone and the deal the worked out with AT&T was the most disruptive event in the cell market in years. But, it seems to me that google being able to get every carrier to agree to sell the Nexus unlocked, yet still available on subsidy could have been even more disruptive. Imagine if Apple had been the one to force the carriers to accept that? That would have been disruptive.
Google and Apple have different aims though neither really cares about being disruptive except as a means to an end. Google wants to maximize the smartphone segment and ensure that as many phones as possible are locked into using google for search and web services. Apple wants to profitably sell handsets.
Apple were able to get higher profits by going with carrier exclusives, supposedly they even got a revenue share from AT&T. Google were able to build market share faster by going with all carriers and allowing unlocked purchases at full price. If Google had tried to strong-arm carriers into subsidizing unlocked phones in the US then they would have lost some carriers and hence some share. If Apple had they would have lost huge profits.
Question. If you buy unlock iPhone, put in T-Mobile SIM card you have now, because that is who you are with currently on a month to month, contract ended long ago. Decide you want to try ATT. Can you go over to ATT sign up for "dumb phone" plan of just minutes and use free wifi to access data, and take out that SIM card from the dumb phone and put into your unlocked iPhone? Can carrier see smart phone on dumb phone plan and do anything about that like stop service?
Question. If you buy unlock iPhone, put in T-Mobile SIM card you have now, because that is who you are with currently on a month to month, contract ended long ago. Decide you want to try ATT. Can you go over to ATT sign up for "dumb phone" plan of just minutes and use free wifi to access data, and take out that SIM card from the dumb phone and put into your unlocked iPhone? Can carrier see smart phone on dumb phone plan and do anything about that like stop service?
Not exactly but remember your iPhone uses a different formfactor sim than a dumbphone so you may find it hard to get a compatible sim on a cheap voice plan. This is mostly useful to people who wish to travel abroad and can pick up an iphone compatible pay as you go sim for each country they travel to.
If they sell the 3GS unlocked we can actually have discussions on ow expensive iPhones are relative to other phones in the US. At the moment we are getting the "they are only $50" argument, as if that were the real price.
Just because they are sold unlocked doesn't mean that the majority of the buyers won't still be buying subsidised phones.
You've been able to buy them unlocked in Canada since day one for instance, but most still buy the $200 subsidised one from the carrier.
It would only take a few trips overseas to make up for the price difference by using local SIM cards instead of paying ATT's horrid international 3G roaming rates. And if you have locals who want to call you when you are visiting their country, they can dial a local number to reach you. With a locked phone they would have to pay for an international phone call to reach your ATT phone number on top of what you pay to receive the call on international roaming. That's a pretty expensive call to reach someone who might be across the street. And we haven't even gotten into the cost of text messages or data for when you aren't near a wi-fi hotspot when traveling overseas.
I'm definitely getting one. The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to all the other expenses of traveling overseas. I have suitcases that cost more than that. Like you say it is more of the convenience.
I believe this is far more profound than its being given credit. While the FCC waffles and sits on its hands ignoring the fact that the current state of wireless networks in the USA is a clear violation of the CarterPhone decision, Apple makes a pre-emptive move.
Before the AT&T GSM 800 Pound Gorilla becomes simply THE GSM Gorilla able to tell all hardware vendors, “If you want to sell a GSM phone in the USA, here’s what it’s gonna look like…,” Apple has given the consumer a choice.
I see this as a continuation of a very long view on the part of Apple to shape the market without waiting for the FCC.
When a World Phone arrives from Apple will THE GSM Gorilla simply decide “Not on My Network you won’t!” I don’t know. With a phone in your hand that will work on multiple networks which will be the first network to start offering incentives for you to choose them?
The European networks revolted at the idea of a firmware SIM card. It seems this is another step toward separation of the manufacturers from the dictates of the networks.
I believe this is a natural progression from the ability to purchase an iPhone directly from Apple. Unlike the mall kiosks and strip center vendors, Apple is a manufacturer not an authorized reseller or an independent store.
But this sets a stage never set before in the USA. Good Luck.
Also, any idea why the Nokia announcement and the Unlock announcement came within hours of each other? Seems a strange coincidence.
Personally I don't see what the big deal is. So you buy an unlocked iPhone and you can now choose between at&t and T-Mobile for VOICE service. There is no choice when it comes to data. As has been pointed out you would be restricted to the abominably slow Edge network with T-Mobile. And "unlocked" doesn't mean "jailbroken" either. So some idiots will spend $700 just for bragging rights it would appear. I doubt there are large numbers of international travelers who need to take advantage of an unlocked iPhone. In the U.S. this looks pretty stupid to me. After at&t and T-Mobile merge you will have paid full price for an iPhone that works only with, wait for it, at&t. I think this is a purely political move, just like some have theorized. Apple won't actually sell very many of these things.
60 + 25 = 85 bucks that gets me 900 minutes and 2 GB of data with ATT iPhone plan. I have 40 + 30 = 70 bucks, that gets me 1000 t-mo minutes and unlimited ATT data for iPad that I currently have. Both would be under no contract. AND I'm mainly interested in VOICE. So take price difference 15 and times that by two year contract and that is 360.00 in my pocket. Add subsidized iPhone of 200.00 and get 560.00... So I'd be paying 90 bucks more or over two year if contracted, a whopping 3.75 a month more if went this route. So, for someone that doesn't need data all that much and would like to ditch their 6 year old dumb phone and utilize Apple's phone without getting locked in to a two year contract, one can conceivably talk themselves into thinking this is not all that bad, huh?...
So once again, Sprint customers get screwed? FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
??? Um, this is a GSM phone, so Verizon customers as well as Sprint customers have no use for this. Even T-Mobile here in the States is kind of pointless, unless your okay dealing with slow data everywhere.
It's a shame that the USA doesn't have more GSM-based service providers. If they did, you'd see some awfully nice deals, both in terms of extended contracts and rolling month to month and even PAYG deals.
Here in the UK, O2 and 3 have terrific sim-only deals for iPhone.
??? Um, this is a GSM phone, so Verizon customers as well as Sprint customers have no use for this. Even T-Mobile here in the States is kind of pointless, unless your okay dealing with slow data everywhere.
The point is you can now technically use an iPhone on three of the four major carriers in the US...all except Sprint.
I'm definitely getting one. The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to all the other expenses of traveling overseas. I have suitcases that cost more than that. Like you say it is more of the convenience.
I don't know what roaming rates are like with American carriers but I know that a trip abroad with an unlocked phone saved me enough to buy a new phone. And that was a one week affair. Rogers in Canada has insane prices when roaming.
Comments
Is this because the iPad SIM is a data-only SIM (is there such a thing?). Could I get a SIM that would work for both? If not, that seems to defeat the whole purpose for SIMs in the first place for "swapability".
The iPad SIM will work fine in your unlocked iPhone until the carrier 'notices' it and claims that the fine print in your iPad SIM contract (even if it is only a one-month 'contract') excludes the use in different device.
There is a very simple argument: If the free market does lead to 'device-free' SIM cards being offered despite obvious demand, regulators could step in and require that all SIM cards are device agnostic.
Is there a special way of activating your unlocked iPhone 4 overseas?
Yes, you put in your SIM card and type the SIM code.
I recently bought an unlocked MiFi from the UK and put in a German SIM card (obtained together with USB modem). I only had to configure the MiFi to use the German provider's network. I also put a German prepaid SIM card into a 'Swiss' iPhone 3G (which the carrier had unlocked after the two-year contract period), and I just had to enter the PIN code.
Interesting price. Nexus S is only $499 unlocked.
yes. Apple have room to bring their prices down.
( That would probably be the 3GS price unlocked - judging by the UK prices).
I wonder if Apple will unlock already sold iPhones in the US.
Apple generally doesn't unlock phones, as per their agreement with the carriers. In countries where Apple does sell unlocked phones, it is not uncommon for the carriers to offer unlocking for a fee. They have to go through Apple's servers, but it is not Apple that initiates it. Hopefully, AT&T will now include iPhones in their unlock policy, whereas now they are explicitly exempt.
Is there a special way of activating your unlocked iPhone 4 overseas?
Stick in your SIM.
Yeah. If you stay in the states, this is a pretty terrible deal. You pay the same prices, you get basically the same choices in providers since most of the handful of regional carriers use T-mobile's AWS spectrum, and you don't get the $400 discount on the phone.
My hope is that the next iPhone will have AWS and CMDA support included. Selling that unlock would give you a true world phone and allow you to choose between AT&T or Verizon in the US (and the AWS vs the HSPA/UTMS carriers here in Canada, and eventually LTE).
Interesting price. Nexus S is only $499 unlocked.
I have wondered for a while why Apple has not required all iPhones to be sold unlocked. Apple and their original iPhone and the deal the worked out with AT&T was the most disruptive event in the cell market in years. But, it seems to me that google being able to get every carrier to agree to sell the Nexus unlocked, yet still available on subsidy could have been even more disruptive. Imagine if Apple had been the one to force the carriers to accept that? That would have been disruptive.
Personally I don't see what the big deal is. So you buy an unlocked iPhone and you can now choose between at&t and T-Mobile for VOICE service. There is no choice when it comes to data. As has been pointed out you would be restricted to the abominably slow Edge network with T-Mobile. And "unlocked" doesn't mean "jailbroken" either. So some idiots will spend $700 just for bragging rights it would appear. I doubt there are large numbers of international travelers who need to take advantage of an unlocked iPhone. In the U.S. this looks pretty stupid to me. After at&t and T-Mobile merge you will have paid full price for an iPhone that works only with, wait for it, at&t. I think this is a purely political move, just like some have theorized. Apple won't actually sell very many of these things.
It would only take a few trips overseas to make up for the price difference by using local SIM cards instead of paying ATT's horrid international 3G roaming rates. And if you have locals who want to call you when you are visiting their country, they can dial a local number to reach you. With a locked phone they would have to pay for an international phone call to reach your ATT phone number on top of what you pay to receive the call on international roaming. That's a pretty expensive call to reach someone who might be across the street. And we haven't even gotten into the cost of text messages or data for when you aren't near a wi-fi hotspot when traveling overseas.
I have wondered for a while why Apple has not required all iPhones to be sold unlocked. Apple and their original iPhone and the deal the worked out with AT&T was the most disruptive event in the cell market in years. But, it seems to me that google being able to get every carrier to agree to sell the Nexus unlocked, yet still available on subsidy could have been even more disruptive. Imagine if Apple had been the one to force the carriers to accept that? That would have been disruptive.
Google and Apple have different aims though neither really cares about being disruptive except as a means to an end. Google wants to maximize the smartphone segment and ensure that as many phones as possible are locked into using google for search and web services. Apple wants to profitably sell handsets.
Apple were able to get higher profits by going with carrier exclusives, supposedly they even got a revenue share from AT&T. Google were able to build market share faster by going with all carriers and allowing unlocked purchases at full price. If Google had tried to strong-arm carriers into subsidizing unlocked phones in the US then they would have lost some carriers and hence some share. If Apple had they would have lost huge profits.
Question. If you buy unlock iPhone, put in T-Mobile SIM card you have now, because that is who you are with currently on a month to month, contract ended long ago. Decide you want to try ATT. Can you go over to ATT sign up for "dumb phone" plan of just minutes and use free wifi to access data, and take out that SIM card from the dumb phone and put into your unlocked iPhone? Can carrier see smart phone on dumb phone plan and do anything about that like stop service?
Not exactly but remember your iPhone uses a different formfactor sim than a dumbphone so you may find it hard to get a compatible sim on a cheap voice plan. This is mostly useful to people who wish to travel abroad and can pick up an iphone compatible pay as you go sim for each country they travel to.
Well well... hell froze over. Must go and put my jacket on!
This is a fantastic moment. Now one can actively take their phone anywhere in the world (GSM areas of course) and put in the SIM of your choice.
I'm happy with my 1-year old AT&T iPhone 4. When my 2-year contract is up, I see an unlocked 2012-2013 iPhone in my future!
The rest of the world humbly congratulates the USA-ians for joining us.
If they sell the 3GS unlocked we can actually have discussions on ow expensive iPhones are relative to other phones in the US. At the moment we are getting the "they are only $50" argument, as if that were the real price.
Just because they are sold unlocked doesn't mean that the majority of the buyers won't still be buying subsidised phones.
You've been able to buy them unlocked in Canada since day one for instance, but most still buy the $200 subsidised one from the carrier.
It would only take a few trips overseas to make up for the price difference by using local SIM cards instead of paying ATT's horrid international 3G roaming rates. And if you have locals who want to call you when you are visiting their country, they can dial a local number to reach you. With a locked phone they would have to pay for an international phone call to reach your ATT phone number on top of what you pay to receive the call on international roaming. That's a pretty expensive call to reach someone who might be across the street. And we haven't even gotten into the cost of text messages or data for when you aren't near a wi-fi hotspot when traveling overseas.
I'm definitely getting one. The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to all the other expenses of traveling overseas. I have suitcases that cost more than that. Like you say it is more of the convenience.
Before the AT&T GSM 800 Pound Gorilla becomes simply THE GSM Gorilla able to tell all hardware vendors, “If you want to sell a GSM phone in the USA, here’s what it’s gonna look like…,” Apple has given the consumer a choice.
I see this as a continuation of a very long view on the part of Apple to shape the market without waiting for the FCC.
When a World Phone arrives from Apple will THE GSM Gorilla simply decide “Not on My Network you won’t!” I don’t know. With a phone in your hand that will work on multiple networks which will be the first network to start offering incentives for you to choose them?
The European networks revolted at the idea of a firmware SIM card. It seems this is another step toward separation of the manufacturers from the dictates of the networks.
I believe this is a natural progression from the ability to purchase an iPhone directly from Apple. Unlike the mall kiosks and strip center vendors, Apple is a manufacturer not an authorized reseller or an independent store.
But this sets a stage never set before in the USA. Good Luck.
Also, any idea why the Nokia announcement and the Unlock announcement came within hours of each other? Seems a strange coincidence.
*
Personally I don't see what the big deal is. So you buy an unlocked iPhone and you can now choose between at&t and T-Mobile for VOICE service. There is no choice when it comes to data. As has been pointed out you would be restricted to the abominably slow Edge network with T-Mobile. And "unlocked" doesn't mean "jailbroken" either. So some idiots will spend $700 just for bragging rights it would appear. I doubt there are large numbers of international travelers who need to take advantage of an unlocked iPhone. In the U.S. this looks pretty stupid to me. After at&t and T-Mobile merge you will have paid full price for an iPhone that works only with, wait for it, at&t. I think this is a purely political move, just like some have theorized. Apple won't actually sell very many of these things.
60 + 25 = 85 bucks that gets me 900 minutes and 2 GB of data with ATT iPhone plan. I have 40 + 30 = 70 bucks, that gets me 1000 t-mo minutes and unlimited ATT data for iPad that I currently have. Both would be under no contract. AND I'm mainly interested in VOICE. So take price difference 15 and times that by two year contract and that is 360.00 in my pocket. Add subsidized iPhone of 200.00 and get 560.00... So I'd be paying 90 bucks more or over two year if contracted, a whopping 3.75 a month more if went this route. So, for someone that doesn't need data all that much and would like to ditch their 6 year old dumb phone and utilize Apple's phone without getting locked in to a two year contract, one can conceivably talk themselves into thinking this is not all that bad, huh?...
So once again, Sprint customers get screwed? FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
??? Um, this is a GSM phone, so Verizon customers as well as Sprint customers have no use for this. Even T-Mobile here in the States is kind of pointless, unless your okay dealing with slow data everywhere.
Here in the UK, O2 and 3 have terrific sim-only deals for iPhone.
??? Um, this is a GSM phone, so Verizon customers as well as Sprint customers have no use for this. Even T-Mobile here in the States is kind of pointless, unless your okay dealing with slow data everywhere.
The point is you can now technically use an iPhone on three of the four major carriers in the US...all except Sprint.
I'm definitely getting one. The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to all the other expenses of traveling overseas. I have suitcases that cost more than that. Like you say it is more of the convenience.
I don't know what roaming rates are like with American carriers but I know that a trip abroad with an unlocked phone saved me enough to buy a new phone. And that was a one week affair. Rogers in Canada has insane prices when roaming.