The exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars is very volatile. In the past year, it has flipped back and forth between both sides of parity several times, and it is reasonable to assume that it will continue to do so.
Retailers, on the other hand, strive to have prices that remain stable for the medium-term. They are (justifiably) not willing to assume too much risk in the event that the exchange rate goes too far south. So, they (understandably) build in a safety margin, to improve the chance that the price they set now will probably remain profitable until their next scheduled round of price adjustments a few months from now.
This is nothing new - Canadians are used to paying more than their neighbours down south for many things. It's just become more obvious lately with the Cdn $ being pretty much equal to the US $.
You better check, from all I have read micro-sims CANNOT be cut down into nano sims due to the nano sims are 15% thinner.
Nothing that a bit of sandpaper can't solve. And I'll be able to reuse that sandpaper for when I get an iPad mini.
All kidding aside, my concern is if I try cutting a micro-SIM (actually I'll be starting with a regular SIM that has already been cut to micro-SIM size), will I end up cutting into the chip inside? I guess there's only one way to find out. Good thing that getting a replacement SIM is dirt cheap over here.
$549 is the updated price for the 4s, and the 4 is now $450. (Last week the 4 was $549 and the 4s was $649)
Thank you for this. So I made the "right" decision by pre-ordering the 5 instead of waiting a year for it to come down in price. For my needs, I'd be perfectly satisfied with the 4S but the price difference between that and the 5 wasn't really that large. And I'm also guessing that some of the new features of the 5 will end up being more significant than they first appear (for example the rear-facing mic and noise cancellation).
You can purchase the unlocked phone and swap out the SIM whenever you like. You have a few options regarding how you want to deal with phone plans:
For my example, I live in Canada but travel a lot for work. I have an iPhone contract with a Canadian provider and when the iPhone 4 came out, instead of upgrading with them and getting a locked, subsidized phone, I purchased an unlocked one from Apple. I use my Canadian SIM and have all the iPhone specific features (data plan, visual voice mail etc...) and pay the monthly bill. I also have an ATT pay and go SIM for the US. I top it up when needed and when I arrive in the US, I just pop in that SIM. My phone number changes, which may be an issue for some, but I save hundreds of $$ not paying the truly exorbitant roaming charges. I can't get data with the Pay and go, so I have a pay and go Virgin Mobile Mifi for that. I also have an O2 SIM for the UK, which I use all over Europe because the roaming is more reasonable (thank you, regulators!) and includes some small data allowance as well (and I have a My3 Mifi for that).
You can choose something similar, or just go with pay and go SIMS everywhere. The only drawback is that you may not be able to get visual voicemail or data, depending on what the carriers offer. I think that as more unlocked phones become available, you will have more options.
I save tons of money and take great satisfaction by not paying the extortion fees for roaming!
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
I'm haven't read the article completely, but I think it is referring to phones that were originally subsidized by a carrier and then subsequently "unlocked". I'm not sure what's going on there, but if you buy an unlocked phone from Apple it will truly be unlocked.
radar, if you're going to be overseas you're probably better off getting an iPhone 4s as its one model that works all over the world (or that is the idea with it).
The 5 has 3 different models and the one for the US LTE GSM carriers (AT
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
An unlocked phone means one thing - the phone is not restricted to a single carrier. The phone still needs to have the technology to work with a specific network. This is why iPhones with GSM (which was always the AT&T iPhone and the iPhone 4S, which includes both CDMA and GSM) would work in most other markets, as GSM is the most prevalent cellular technology.
Once you have an unlocked GSM phone, you can swap out the SIM card to use one from any provider. Outside of the USA, prepaid SIM cards have been available forever. For example, in Europe you can walk into any cell phone store and buy a prepaid SIM that can be used in any unlocked GSM phone. So the answer to your questions:
a) Yes. Just insert the SIM card from the local operator and assuming you have any usage credit, it will work fine. You will have a local phone number.
b) Yes. Just buy a prepaid SIM and plan. No contract required. For AT&T, you cannot use their Go Plan options. They block iPhones on it. You must use their other prepaid plan.
c) No. It has no affect whatsoever on the phone. Just your wallet.
The iPhone 5 is making it a bit more tricky because there are multiple versions - a GSM version and two CDMA versions - and each version supports different LTE bands. You will need to ensure you get the GSM version of the iPhone 5 and not the CDMA versions, which work on Verizon and Sprint. Your only option for LTE in the USA is AT&T if you use the GSM iPhone 5, and most likely you won't have access to LTE outside of the USA. There might be a few markets, but most won't seem to work. What will work is HSPA+ and DC-HSPA, which currently have comparable performance to most LTE implementations. LTE definitely has higher upward limits (100Mbps versus HSPA+ 42Mbps) but the current networks aren't supporting that top end yet.
radar, if you're going to be overseas you're probably better off getting an iPhone 4s as its one model that works all over the world (or that is the idea with it).
The 5 has 3 different models and the one for the US LTE GSM carriers (AT
But that's just LTE. I'm pretty sure all the pre-LTE GSM-series standards are global compatible.
"Shame that Canada tops out with a 62GB iPhone while America get's the 64GB. Yeah USA. :-?"
Maybe in Canada they're required to state the true capacity rather than being allowed to round it up as they do in the USA. It's 62GB of real memory in the USA, not 64GB.
Why does an iPhone cost MORE in Canada when the Canadian dollar is stronger than the US buck? That doesn't make sense. Especially that MUCH more! $50?! What gives?
You should be so lucky. Here in Australia (where our currency has gimped the USD for over a year now) the 64GB is $1000 (we pay a special "Apple Tax").
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
I have always had an unlocked iPhone. The biggest advantage is I save a ton of money using T-Mobile. My unlimited plan is about $59 a month. That is a lot cheaper than paying AT&T $130 plus a month. Further, the plans on T-Mobile are more customizable. I don't need a data plan at all.
Further, over seas all you need to do is buy a SIM and pop it in. You are good to go. When the phone is locked, you often have to partner with a foreign carrier approved by your US carrier, and it is expensive.
radar, if you're going to be overseas you're probably better off getting an iPhone 4s as its one model that works all over the world (or that is the idea with it).
The 5 has 3 different models and the one for the US LTE GSM carriers (AT
I disagree. The iPhone 5 will just revert to 3G if LTE is not supported in a particular area.
I wanted to see what the cost was for buying a smart phone other than Apple's iPhone 5. I have checked for the Samsung Galaxy S3 unlock prices and didn't see any options that allows you to buy the phone outright from Verizon or ATT. I did how ever see the Galaxy S3 unlocked on Amazon and eBay. Their prices are less than iPhone about $100.00 less. The only problem is the android os. Not all android devices can be updated to the newer os. So in my opinion it would be a waste to buy an unlocked android phone in comparison to the iPhone 4 or better.
That and Samsung phones are garbage made with cheap plastics.
That's odd for an alleged policy, isn't the difference just a changed firmware or even just a configuration bit somewhere?
Not an odd policy at all. Apple's supply is tightly constrained when the new model is launched. In the US, most people buy the phones subsidized through a carrier. In fact, Apple itself only sells a very small portion of the phones sold. Carriers and places like Best Buy make up most of the sales. All those places sell locked phones. Only Apple sells unlocked phones in the US. So, Apple is struggling to meet initial demand for locked phones.
Meanwhile, some Countries only allow the sale of unlocked phones. So, Apple reserves the small allocation of initial unlocked phones for those markets until demand levels out.
If someone can tell me, if I buy an unlocked phone what do I need to do to get cellular? Do I just go to a carrier store and pay for a SIM card, are they month to month deals or can I just buy a SIM - use it then buy another whenever I'm ready?
Thank you.
All of the above. You can go month to month prepaid or a post paid plan.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfmorrison
The exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars is very volatile. In the past year, it has flipped back and forth between both sides of parity several times, and it is reasonable to assume that it will continue to do so.
Retailers, on the other hand, strive to have prices that remain stable for the medium-term. They are (justifiably) not willing to assume too much risk in the event that the exchange rate goes too far south. So, they (understandably) build in a safety margin, to improve the chance that the price they set now will probably remain profitable until their next scheduled round of price adjustments a few months from now.
This is nothing new - Canadians are used to paying more than their neighbours down south for many things. It's just become more obvious lately with the Cdn $ being pretty much equal to the US $.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lizardhowson
You better check, from all I have read micro-sims CANNOT be cut down into nano sims due to the nano sims are 15% thinner.
Nothing that a bit of sandpaper can't solve. And I'll be able to reuse that sandpaper for when I get an iPad mini.
All kidding aside, my concern is if I try cutting a micro-SIM (actually I'll be starting with a regular SIM that has already been cut to micro-SIM size), will I end up cutting into the chip inside? I guess there's only one way to find out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers
$549 is the updated price for the 4s, and the 4 is now $450. (Last week the 4 was $549 and the 4s was $649)
Thank you for this. So I made the "right" decision by pre-ordering the 5 instead of waiting a year for it to come down in price. For my needs, I'd be perfectly satisfied with the 4S but the price difference between that and the 5 wasn't really that large. And I'm also guessing that some of the new features of the 5 will end up being more significant than they first appear (for example the rear-facing mic and noise cancellation).
You can purchase the unlocked phone and swap out the SIM whenever you like. You have a few options regarding how you want to deal with phone plans:
For my example, I live in Canada but travel a lot for work. I have an iPhone contract with a Canadian provider and when the iPhone 4 came out, instead of upgrading with them and getting a locked, subsidized phone, I purchased an unlocked one from Apple. I use my Canadian SIM and have all the iPhone specific features (data plan, visual voice mail etc...) and pay the monthly bill. I also have an ATT pay and go SIM for the US. I top it up when needed and when I arrive in the US, I just pop in that SIM. My phone number changes, which may be an issue for some, but I save hundreds of $$ not paying the truly exorbitant roaming charges. I can't get data with the Pay and go, so I have a pay and go Virgin Mobile Mifi for that. I also have an O2 SIM for the UK, which I use all over Europe because the roaming is more reasonable (thank you, regulators!) and includes some small data allowance as well (and I have a My3 Mifi for that).
You can choose something similar, or just go with pay and go SIMS everywhere. The only drawback is that you may not be able to get visual voicemail or data, depending on what the carriers offer. I think that as more unlocked phones become available, you will have more options.
I save tons of money and take great satisfaction by not paying the extortion fees for roaming!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Radar
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
This article seems to scream DON'T BUY AN "UNLOCKED" PHONE FROM ANY CARRIER OR BEST BUY, ONLY FROM APPLE DIRECTLY http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2011/12/22/how-u-s-carriers-fool-you-into-thinking-your-iphone-4s-is-unlocked/ Apparently "unlocked" iPhones sold by American carriers are not unlocked at all, only the ones sold by Apple are. Thoughts?
I'm haven't read the article completely, but I think it is referring to phones that were originally subsidized by a carrier and then subsequently "unlocked". I'm not sure what's going on there, but if you buy an unlocked phone from Apple it will truly be unlocked.
The 5 has 3 different models and the one for the US LTE GSM carriers (AT
Quote:
Originally Posted by Radar
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
This article seems to scream DON'T BUY AN "UNLOCKED" PHONE FROM ANY CARRIER OR BEST BUY, ONLY FROM APPLE DIRECTLY http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2011/12/22/how-u-s-carriers-fool-you-into-thinking-your-iphone-4s-is-unlocked/ Apparently "unlocked" iPhones sold by American carriers are not unlocked at all, only the ones sold by Apple are. Thoughts?
An unlocked phone means one thing - the phone is not restricted to a single carrier. The phone still needs to have the technology to work with a specific network. This is why iPhones with GSM (which was always the AT&T iPhone and the iPhone 4S, which includes both CDMA and GSM) would work in most other markets, as GSM is the most prevalent cellular technology.
Once you have an unlocked GSM phone, you can swap out the SIM card to use one from any provider. Outside of the USA, prepaid SIM cards have been available forever. For example, in Europe you can walk into any cell phone store and buy a prepaid SIM that can be used in any unlocked GSM phone. So the answer to your questions:
a) Yes. Just insert the SIM card from the local operator and assuming you have any usage credit, it will work fine. You will have a local phone number.
b) Yes. Just buy a prepaid SIM and plan. No contract required. For AT&T, you cannot use their Go Plan options. They block iPhones on it. You must use their other prepaid plan.
c) No. It has no affect whatsoever on the phone. Just your wallet.
The iPhone 5 is making it a bit more tricky because there are multiple versions - a GSM version and two CDMA versions - and each version supports different LTE bands. You will need to ensure you get the GSM version of the iPhone 5 and not the CDMA versions, which work on Verizon and Sprint. Your only option for LTE in the USA is AT&T if you use the GSM iPhone 5, and most likely you won't have access to LTE outside of the USA. There might be a few markets, but most won't seem to work. What will work is HSPA+ and DC-HSPA, which currently have comparable performance to most LTE implementations. LTE definitely has higher upward limits (100Mbps versus HSPA+ 42Mbps) but the current networks aren't supporting that top end yet.
But that's just LTE. I'm pretty sure all the pre-LTE GSM-series standards are global compatible.
Maybe in Canada they're required to state the true capacity rather than being allowed to round it up as they do in the USA. It's 62GB of real memory in the USA, not 64GB.
right, will check that one with Apple, thanks.
In that case the Canadian phone would be cheaper as the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US greenback right now
Quote:
Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers
You activate it with a carrier. Make sure you research it before you buy the iPhone. The model you get depends on which bands your carrier supports.
here is a good article: http://lifehacker.com/5942614/pick-the-best-iphone-5-carrier
Thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by v5v
Why does an iPhone cost MORE in Canada when the Canadian dollar is stronger than the US buck? That doesn't make sense. Especially that MUCH more! $50?! What gives?
You should be so lucky. Here in Australia (where our currency has gimped the USD for over a year now) the 64GB is $1000 (we pay a special "Apple Tax").
Quote:
Originally Posted by Radar
Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.
If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple:
a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?
b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)
c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?
This article seems to scream DON'T BUY AN "UNLOCKED" PHONE FROM ANY CARRIER OR BEST BUY, ONLY FROM APPLE DIRECTLY http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2011/12/22/how-u-s-carriers-fool-you-into-thinking-your-iphone-4s-is-unlocked/ Apparently "unlocked" iPhones sold by American carriers are not unlocked at all, only the ones sold by Apple are. Thoughts?
I have always had an unlocked iPhone. The biggest advantage is I save a ton of money using T-Mobile. My unlimited plan is about $59 a month. That is a lot cheaper than paying AT&T $130 plus a month. Further, the plans on T-Mobile are more customizable. I don't need a data plan at all.
Further, over seas all you need to do is buy a SIM and pop it in. You are good to go. When the phone is locked, you often have to partner with a foreign carrier approved by your US carrier, and it is expensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sasparilla
radar, if you're going to be overseas you're probably better off getting an iPhone 4s as its one model that works all over the world (or that is the idea with it).
The 5 has 3 different models and the one for the US LTE GSM carriers (AT
I disagree. The iPhone 5 will just revert to 3G if LTE is not supported in a particular area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerk36
I wanted to see what the cost was for buying a smart phone other than Apple's iPhone 5. I have checked for the Samsung Galaxy S3 unlock prices and didn't see any options that allows you to buy the phone outright from Verizon or ATT. I did how ever see the Galaxy S3 unlocked on Amazon and eBay. Their prices are less than iPhone about $100.00 less. The only problem is the android os. Not all android devices can be updated to the newer os. So in my opinion it would be a waste to buy an unlocked android phone in comparison to the iPhone 4 or better.
That and Samsung phones are garbage made with cheap plastics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
That's odd for an alleged policy, isn't the difference just a changed firmware or even just a configuration bit somewhere?
Not an odd policy at all. Apple's supply is tightly constrained when the new model is launched. In the US, most people buy the phones subsidized through a carrier. In fact, Apple itself only sells a very small portion of the phones sold. Carriers and places like Best Buy make up most of the sales. All those places sell locked phones. Only Apple sells unlocked phones in the US. So, Apple is struggling to meet initial demand for locked phones.
Meanwhile, some Countries only allow the sale of unlocked phones. So, Apple reserves the small allocation of initial unlocked phones for those markets until demand levels out.
All of the above. You can go month to month prepaid or a post paid plan.