Iphone Unlocking Illegal?

[nikster]

Why all the exclamations?

Makes you look like " Angry Farang ! "

You must be new here

It's more like Reimar and his unique style, which we all know and love

Co-incidentally, this is what bbc news has to say about unlocking:

The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are installed.

And that's that. BBC news is right on the money on this one.

Edited November 10, 2007 by nikster

[DamianMavis]

Ya well, like I said.....

Damian

[dekka007]

Shall I repost the instructions?

D.

[Rinrada]

Time for a Jolli over to Calais..........s"il vous plait....

Apple, Orange to sell unlocked iPhone in France

By Jim Dalrymple...

with thanks from Mac World

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/10/17/un...phone/index.php

Apple and its wireless partner in France, Orange, will sell an unlocked version of the iPhone, a spokeswoman for Orange confirmed to the International Herald Tribune.

The unlocked iPhone will carry a premium price, although the companies did not say how much more it would be.

Apple is being forced to sell an unlocked iPhone in France because of a French law that forbids bundling the sale of a mobile phone and a mobile operator. As announced yesterday, iPhones locked to the Orange network will cost €399 or about US$565.

iPhone users in the United States clearly want an unlocked iPhone — as soon as the device was released on June 29, work began to break into the device freeing it from the AT&T network.

Shortly after hackers were successful in unlocking the iPhone, Apple issued a stern warning to customers saying that unlocked phones could become inoperable when future updates were applied to the phone. Three days later, with iPhone Update 1.1.1, that is exactly what happened

[think_too_mut]

What a flop iPhone is in the UK:

Tumbleweeds outnumber punters, as iPhone's First Night flops

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/11/iphone_uk_flop/

Edited November 12, 2007 by think_too_mut

[JetsetBkk]

What a flop iPhone is in the UK:

Tumbleweeds outnumber punters, as iPhone's First Night flops

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/11/iphone_uk_flop/

Hee, hee, hee! Don'tcha just love it:

Note to the iphone wanabe standing outside O2 in Manchester

Its Raining

The store will be open in about an hour.

NOBODY ELSE is here

There is a Carphone warehouse store 30 yards away from you.

NOBODY ELSE is there either

There is a pub 50 yards from both of them.

If you really need one tonight, go in the pub and emerge at 17.58 you'll still be at the front of the queue, but you won't leave soggy footprints on the floor.

[nikster]

Hehehe, I love the pix of NOT throngs of people outside various retail outlets in the UK: http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=750

And even though I love my iPhone and think it will be a big hit everywhere on merit alone, I am pretty happy for the consumer-unfriendly marketing concept to fail so miserably

In the end you'll be able to say that the iPhone was a big hit despite Apple making it as unattractive as possible to buy.

I hope they'll learn from this and sell their next hot device unlocked, and world-wide.

Also quote-worthy from slashdot via the register article:

As to why, I'm sure everyone knows, but here's a recap as to why it's not the saviour of the UK's mobile industry:

1. We're used to either paying for the phone, or the contract, but not both.

2. We're used to accessing mobile internet on 3G, which was rolled out wider and earlier here than across the USA.

3. There have been several competing devices launched recently, which appeal to a range of demographics; for example, techies will like the N95 while fashion victims will like the Prada wotsit.

4. It's quite chunky as phones go - which might sound pernickerty but the market here is very much geared towards fashionable, neat phones (for example, no manufacturer would dare launch a phone with an aerial here within the last few years as they look so dated, while I hear they're still available in the US).

I'd say #1 is the far and away reason... also it costs $550 in real money. So another hope one could harbor from the non-event is that stuff gets price equality with the U.S. instead of costing the same figure except in Euros/U.K pounds rather than U.S. dollars.

Edited November 13, 2007 by nikster