c_mulholland@nym.hush.com

http://news.yahoo.com/apple-offers-u...193815639.html

If you've always wished for a legally unlocked iPhone, your wish has come
true. Apple is offering all of its iPhone models unlocked, ranging in price
from $375 for an iPhone 3GS available now to $849 for a 64 GB version of its
iPhone 4S, available in November.

The catch is the phones only work with GSM network carriers, and will not
work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint Nextel.
That means, once again, AT&T has an advantage, albeit perhaps slight.

The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a
contract commitment," Apple said on its website. "You can activate and use
it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the
United States."

Ships Without Micro-SIM Card

The demand for an unlocked iPhone may not be in the millions, but it does
serve a niche audience of travelers and others who have been clamoring for
an legally unlocked iPhone for years.

"If you don't want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a
local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best
choice," Apple said on its website. "It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so
you'll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier
worldwide."

With the unlocked iPhone, users only have to insert the micro-SIM card into
the slot of the device and turn it on by pressing and holding the on/off
button for a few seconds, then follow the onscreen instructions to set it
up.

Apple this week announced the new iPhone 4S, available for pre-order on the
three largest U.S. wireless carriers -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint
Nextel. It will hit the shelves Oct. 14, and ranges as low as $199 for the
16 GB version with a two-year wireless contract commitment.

Unlocked versions of the iPhone 4S are priced at $649 for the 16 GB version,
$749 for 32 GB and $849 for 64 GB. The new phones will not be available
until an unspecified date in November. The iPhone 4 will be available
unlocked for $549 and goes on sale Oct. 14.

Reducing Roaming Charges

"When you've got 85 percent of the planet running GSM and you travel a lot,
you don't buy a CDMA phone. So this is a good thing and it's about the right
price," said Michael Disabato, vice president of network and telecom at
Gartner. "It gives the customer the ability to swap SIM cards when they go
travel between countries and get rid of these serious roaming charges AT&T
has."

An unlocked iPhone probably won't get replaced as often as a subsidized
model. Disabato, for one, would look at the unlocked device as a two- or
three-year investment. But that investment more than pays for itself when
roaming charges are considered.

"Right now it's 50 cents a minute when I roam to Europe. I can run up a
$1,100 voice phone bill in a heartbeat over there. Now, I can get a
temporary number and let everyone know what it is when I travel," Disabato
said. "Or I can route my desk phone to follow that number. That's the
advantage of voice-over-IP. You can program your phone remotely."

What About the iPhone 5?

Disabato has been beating the unlocked iPhone drum for years. Now, that it
is has finally been introduced, he's speculating that the iPhone 5 may have
been delayed to wait for maturation of two evolving technologies, high-speed
4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks and near-field communication (NFC),
which will allow for such things as "bump to pay" at cash registers in place
of credit cards.

"Apple may have pulled the iPhone 5 back because they want to hold off to
see what LTE is going to do. Also they want to see what NFC is going to do,"
Disabato said. "Putting out something they call a 4S is a simple way to get
an upgrade out this year right in time for the Christmas rush but not have
to worry about committing to these two technologies that are going to become
important over the next couple of years."

Your Name

In article <ifv0979mh91k1ettdrv0hohjasn5lm6aed@4ax.com>,
c_mulholland@nym.hush.com wrote:
>
> What About the iPhone 5?
>
> Disabato has been beating the unlocked iPhone drum for years. Now, that it
> is has finally been introduced, he's speculating that the iPhone 5 may have
> been delayed to wait for maturation of two evolving technologies, high-speed
> 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks and near-field communication (NFC),
> which will allow for such things as "bump to pay" at cash registers in place
> of credit cards.
>
> "Apple may have pulled the iPhone 5 back because they want to hold off to
> see what LTE is going to do. Also they want to see what NFC is going to do,"
> Disabato said. "Putting out something they call a 4S is a simple way to get
> an upgrade out this year right in time for the Christmas rush but not have
> to worry about committing to these two technologies that are going to become
> important over the next couple of years."

Apple has already said that they weren't interested in LTE until the
networks made it more widely available.

"Unlocked" iPhones have been available for years in the real world and I'm
almost certain that I read Apple has been selling them in America before
too. :-)

Michelle Steiner

In article <yourname-0910111010230001@203-118-184-75.dsl.dyn.ihug.co.nz>,
yourname@yourisp.com (Your Name) wrote:

> Apple has already said that they weren't interested in LTE until the
> networks made it more widely available.

And until they can get it all on one chip. Current LTE smartphones use two
chips, one for LTE and one for 3G and voice.

--
Tea Party Patriots is to Patriotism as
People's Democratic Republic is to Democracy.

Your Name

In article <michelle-794C3B.16260108102011@news.eternal-september.org>,
Michelle Steiner <michelle@michelle.org> wrote:

> In article <yourname-0910111010230001@203-118-184-75.dsl.dyn.ihug.co.nz>,
> yourname@yourisp.com (Your Name) wrote:
>
> > Apple has already said that they weren't interested in LTE until the
> > networks made it more widely available.
>
> And until they can get it all on one chip. Current LTE smartphones use two
> chips, one for LTE and one for 3G and voice.

Yep, that too. Earlier this week it was reported that a possible chip for
iPhone use would be released in the second quarter of 2012, which should
give more than enough time to put into the real iPhone 5 to release in
about a years time.

JF Mezei

Note:

In Canada, when I bought an unlocked 4, I asked about getting a micro
SIM for Fido (my carrier). "no problem". It was free to boot, but they
had to do this as a separate transaction to ensure that my iphone was
never associated with a specific network.

Whenever you get software updates, it appears that Itunes checks an
Apple database with your phone's serial number or IMEI and Apple
provides info on whether the phone is to be locked to a specific carrier.