Sanyo might manufacture the same device, but label it under several different OMD labels,ie AT&T, Panasonic, Sharp, Verizon etc.
So the AT&T version might come with a 1 year AT&T provided “manufacturers warranty”, while the Verizon version might come with only a 90 day “manufacturers warranty”.
Panasonic might offer a two year “manufacturers warranty”.
The warranties are based on what the OMD company negotiated with the manufacturer, generally based on total volume or customer base.
The manufacturer is in Thailand or China.
Good luck contacting the manufacturer for warranty repair/replacement.
I'm going to presume “unlocking” the device will also void the dealers warranty.
That sounds like fun, for the consumer!
Fun for the lawyers, and hopefully very expensive for the carriers, dealers, etc., attempting to assert the voiding provisions!
Will manufacturers now make the product differently, knowing it cannot be locked? In the future will this get rid of models being made exclusively for one carrier? I think things are about to change for the whole cell phone industry.