Posted on 05/24/2010 8:49:33 PM PDT by Swordmaker
I did not know that.
Will the 4G iPhone be offered sans contract, any time in the future?
That iPhone is not here, but the previous model, the one being sold now, has always been avaible without carrier subsidy (thus no "contract") and you could always pay the full price for that iPhone and get it unlocked. That's never been a problem.
But, the fact of the matter is that most people don't want to pay full price for their smartphones, and instead prefer the "carrier subsidy" prices, which thus locks them into the carriers that they choose. That's the way the business goes, normally.
See Post #36 ...
Sprint service, from what I have gathered, is really good - if you are in one of their service areas. It appears that their overall coverage is rather lacking compared to Verizon and AT&T. But if IN an area actually covered - the service is good (so I have heard).
I always wait till the price of any gadget drops to about 100 dollars before I buy them.
Well, the thing about that is that I bought my iPhone just a few days after it hit the market. We're talking about a device that had never been seen before and there were even "tech pundits" saying it would be a flop, too ... LOL ...
But, the consumer always knows better, and they bought it up in droves. I got mine and I've been using it for about three years -- all this time now -- while some others are just beginning to "think about it right now" -- about getting one.
For me, I consider the usage of it during those three years to be well worth it ... :-)
The price ($199 or 97 or whatever) is WITH A CONTRACT for service that has at minimum a $30 per month data package. Pay the non-contract price, and the iPod Touch is WAY less expensive (less than 1/2 at current prices).
Can I get an iphone and just use my home WiFi? I mean, if I choose not to use phone service?
Yeah, you can do that, if you want to. You would have to buy one of those "non-subsidized" iPhones... the ones that the cel company does not "pay a subsidy" for -- so that the customers get the phone for cheaper than the real cost of the phone. But, if you wanted to get a non-subsidized phone and not use it for cel service -- yeah... you can very well do that.
See Post #26 for that information ... [that's just one place, and I'm sure you can find other places, too...]
Just a different model... that’s all... it’s the same iPhone ... :-)
“Considering how many of them I see everywhere I go... I see that not too many other people have that opinion ... LOL ...’
Yes, but remove liberals Sixteen year old girls and AT&T employees and you are left with what, Twelve people?
Close. Bellsouth, which owned Cingular, bought AT&T outright, and decided to use the AT&T name in place of both Bellsouth and Cingular.
Not exactly the same thing as a factory unlock from Apple or from AT&T. Of course you can do all kinds of things from 3rd parties, but I highly doubt Apple would honor your warranty.
Give or take five orders of magnitude.
Last year, when the 3GS was introduced, the 3G was cut to $99 (with contract). That's what's at the AT&T page. Walmart's price cut is on the 3GS, which is $199 everywhere else. Several different retailers are reporting that they can't get any more stock of the 3G.
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference begins June 7, and it's pretty much a lock that the next-generation iPhone will be introduced there. What is likely to happen again is that the last-generation model, the 3GS, gets cut to $99, and the new phone comes in at the $199 and $299 price points.
In other words, it's likely that Walmart is getting in on the price drop a month or two before everyone else, including the Apple retail stores, has it.
July 12, 2009
Factory Unlocked iPhone are officially unlocked by Apple, Permanently (No Software Hack & No Turbo SIM) – you can upgrade it to any firmware in the future and it will not lock back (unlike those which are unlocked unofficially). Officially & Legally Unlocked by Apple (the IMEI number has been registered as being "unlocked" in the Apple database), this means you can enjoy all firmware updates in the future. According to a support page on Apple’s own website (Locating iPhone wireless carriers) several carriers over the world sell unlocked iPhones. Here we collected a comprehensive list of Countries and their Carriers who are authorized to sell factory unlocked iPhone.
Europe :
Asia – Pacific :
Latin – America & Caribbean :
Notes:
Last year, when the 3GS was introduced, the 3G was cut to $99 (with contract). That's what's at the AT&T page. Walmart's price cut is on the 3GS, which is $199 everywhere else. Several different retailers are reporting that they can't get any more stock of the 3G.
Yeah, about Walmart's phone, that's why I said it was a different model in my post ... :-).
But the answer was to point out that those who say, "I can't afford to pay $199 for an iPhone" ... well... they've been able to pay $99 for an iPhone ... :-)
I concur. Sprint has made some gruesome decisions, IMO. Passing on Apple being the worst. Losing Fox News channel & the NFL being 2nd & 3rd.
We stick with them because we get what we want at a better price than with AT&T. When/if AT&T offers the same package for the same $$$ we will gladly make the switch and be iPhone people :)
Yes, there are places in the world that can sell unlocked iPhones, I am aware of that. None of those places are in the US. You still cannot buy an unlocked phone from Apple in the US, or for that matter use the Apple website for that country and get them to ship here. I would guess Apple is not happy with these people circumventing their contracts in countries where there is still exclusivity.
And depending on the networks you are going to it still might not have 3G.
I would guess Apple is not happy with these people circumventing their contracts in countries where there is still exclusivity.
That list was related to those that were by permission of Apple... so "happy" or not... it's done with their permission ... :-)
And actually, Apple is more concerned about selling "hardware" and not the "cel service" ... and I'm sure that if there were not contract obligations that Apple had to meet with certain carriers in order to do business with them... Apple would be giving everyone unlocked phones (of course, as the full price... too .... :-) ...).
If you want to "point to someone" -- I would start by pointing at cel service providers ...
And depending on the networks you are going to it still might not have 3G.
That's not Apple's problem or any manufacturer's problem who makes the hardware. That's a problem of the cel service provider. I would talk to them about that ... :-)
I don’t complain and I am not planning to move to another carrier when I upgrade (Again) like I do every year. I was just confronting those who think Apple picked ATT because Apple is dumb and who didn’t know they TRIED to get Verizon and it was Verizon who was beyond dumb and totally missed it and is now begging for it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.