Expensive for a phone that is 2-3 months from being obsolete.
The price was set the moment the iPhone 4 went on sale, as it was available in a lot of markets unlocked right from the start. And Apple basically never reduces the price of a product during its cycle (another reason they have such high profits).
In the unlocked scenario, Apple gets it's $480 upfront, but you still pay ATT $40/month and they keep it all instead of giving $20 to Apple. It's actually quite a bonanza for ATT, the only risk being that you don't stick with them for the full 24 months. But in the US, where else are you going to go?
Very true, there's not a lot of options. If competitors can figure out how to make fewer towers transmit further with 4G, I'd say that's the only real hope for serious competition over such a large geographical area. Either that or build some gigantic P2P phone network by bouncing signals off nearby phones.
Unlocked phones at least allow for sim-only options but you might still not save any money vs a contract phone and you lose out on insurance options. For example if you leave a no-contract phone somewhere by accident it might not be covered but a contract phone would.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin
The other annoying thing is that carriers are really "double-locking" us into their service. First, they only sell locked phones. Second, they make you sign a two-year contract. Why do they need both?
They have very poor business models as far as consumers are concerned. I've always felt there need to be far tougher laws enforced on the phone companies. Communication should be considered one of our protected rights and when companies implement these policies, it makes for a very unfair scenario especially when there is so little room for competition to level the playing field.
You mean overseas? This is for us customers who travel outside the country a lot? Can't anyone unlock their phone anyways now?
Not so much overseas. You just go to Canada or Mexico and you are GSM.... so is to any Latin American country.
Yes you could unlock with some labor and luck only Apple re-locked them during updates... so you could wait for another unlock trick to play with. Now they will not be able to or class action lawsuit will be cooking against Apple.
Yes I travel quite a bit and I know that AT&T is smal outside of this country. It does not have even proper roaming agreements like T-Mobile USA has. BTW T-Mobile outside is bigger than AT&T and Verizon together. They own smaller GSM providers all over the world not to mention their own large network.
That's only marketing that made AT&T stronger (AT&T should thank Apple for survival), because quality of service.... well I think people desire more then AT&T offers. I certainly do.
iPhone 4 (16GB) Price in Portugal -> 599?, that's $856?
iPhone 4 (16GB - Unlocked) Price in US -> $649
I'll do the math for you, that's 454?. I think my Uncle is going to make a quick stop on the Apple Retail Store before he comes for his vacation here...
iPhone 4 (16GB) Price in Portugal -> 599?, that's $856?
iPhone 4 (16GB - Unlocked) Price in US -> $649
I'll do the math for you, that's 454?. I think my Uncle is going to make a quick stop on the Apple Retail Store before he comes for his vacation here...
Hope he enjoys his VAT on the way back. That'll make up for the difference easily.
It figures. I bought one last October without a contract expecting to unlock it through software when I discovered no software unlock exists for the current firmware on the iPhone 4. So I had to wait 7 months until a hardwrae unlock solution was created. I bought it and it worked, although it's a little convoluted. And now a few weeks later, this.
Looks like the Gevey SIM has dropped in price and no longer dials 911/112 to perform the unlock. If this works on the next iPhone too, it would make no sense to buy an unlocked iPhone for full price from Apple (or a carrier). Buy it at subsidized price, buy a Gevey for $35 and you have an unlocked iPhone.
I guess if you were planning to buy unlocked to sell it overseas it might still be worth it, but then again, you could just include the Gevey with the iPhone.
Yes. Anyone can unlock their iPhones using means of possibly questionable provenance, but you also lose your warranty and support. And you don't know if the unlock does things you don't want done to your phone, because it's largely an underground activity.
Well... Unlocking is not an underground activity.. In 2010 itself the US copyright office told that jailbreaking and unlocking iphone are legal... So there is no crime in do unlocking.. They are certified providers and i legally unlocked my iphone..
Well... Unlocking is not an underground activity.. In 2010 itself the US copyright office told that jailbreaking and unlocking iphone are legal... So there is no crime in do unlocking.. I unlocked my iphone 4 at successfully.. They are certified providers and i legally unlocked my iphone..
You necro'd a five month old thread for that?
Also, link removed for likely violation of spam rules.
Comments
Expensive for a phone that is 2-3 months from being obsolete.
The price was set the moment the iPhone 4 went on sale, as it was available in a lot of markets unlocked right from the start. And Apple basically never reduces the price of a product during its cycle (another reason they have such high profits).
In the unlocked scenario, Apple gets it's $480 upfront, but you still pay ATT $40/month and they keep it all instead of giving $20 to Apple. It's actually quite a bonanza for ATT, the only risk being that you don't stick with them for the full 24 months. But in the US, where else are you going to go?
Very true, there's not a lot of options. If competitors can figure out how to make fewer towers transmit further with 4G, I'd say that's the only real hope for serious competition over such a large geographical area. Either that or build some gigantic P2P phone network by bouncing signals off nearby phones.
Unlocked phones at least allow for sim-only options but you might still not save any money vs a contract phone and you lose out on insurance options. For example if you leave a no-contract phone somewhere by accident it might not be covered but a contract phone would.
The other annoying thing is that carriers are really "double-locking" us into their service. First, they only sell locked phones. Second, they make you sign a two-year contract. Why do they need both?
They have very poor business models as far as consumers are concerned. I've always felt there need to be far tougher laws enforced on the phone companies. Communication should be considered one of our protected rights and when companies implement these policies, it makes for a very unfair scenario especially when there is so little room for competition to level the playing field.
You mean overseas? This is for us customers who travel outside the country a lot? Can't anyone unlock their phone anyways now?
Not so much overseas. You just go to Canada or Mexico and you are GSM.... so is to any Latin American country.
Yes you could unlock with some labor and luck only Apple re-locked them during updates... so you could wait for another unlock trick to play with. Now they will not be able to or class action lawsuit will be cooking against Apple.
Yes I travel quite a bit and I know that AT&T is smal outside of this country. It does not have even proper roaming agreements like T-Mobile USA has. BTW T-Mobile outside is bigger than AT&T and Verizon together. They own smaller GSM providers all over the world not to mention their own large network.
That's only marketing that made AT&T stronger (AT&T should thank Apple for survival), because quality of service.... well I think people desire more then AT&T offers. I certainly do.
(Angry European in the USA)
iPhone 4 (16GB - Unlocked) Price in US -> $649
I'll do the math for you, that's 454?. I think my Uncle is going to make a quick stop on the Apple Retail Store before he comes for his vacation here...
iPhone 4 (16GB) Price in Portugal -> 599?, that's $856?
iPhone 4 (16GB - Unlocked) Price in US -> $649
I'll do the math for you, that's 454?. I think my Uncle is going to make a quick stop on the Apple Retail Store before he comes for his vacation here...
Hope he enjoys his VAT on the way back. That'll make up for the difference easily.
http://applenberry.com/store/gevey-sim/gevey-ultra.html
I guess if you were planning to buy unlocked to sell it overseas it might still be worth it, but then again, you could just include the Gevey with the iPhone.
Yes. Anyone can unlock their iPhones using means of possibly questionable provenance, but you also lose your warranty and support. And you don't know if the unlock does things you don't want done to your phone, because it's largely an underground activity.
Well... Unlocking is not an underground activity.. In 2010 itself the US copyright office told that jailbreaking and unlocking iphone are legal... So there is no crime in do unlocking.. They are certified providers and i legally unlocked my iphone..
Well... Unlocking is not an underground activity.. In 2010 itself the US copyright office told that jailbreaking and unlocking iphone are legal... So there is no crime in do unlocking.. I unlocked my iphone 4 at successfully.. They are certified providers and i legally unlocked my iphone..
You necro'd a five month old thread for that?
Also, link removed for likely violation of spam rules.