During Apple's fourth-quarter fiscal 2007 earnings conference call, Apple COO Tim Cook revealed that some 250,000 (18%) of all iPhones sold since the devices were released in June have been unlocked. A total of 1.4 million iPhones have been sold, and the remaining 82% are using AT&T, the sole U.S. carrier for the iPhone. According to various online sources, Cook told analysts that these one-quarter million phones were sold to buyers who intended to unlock them at the outset.
Cook also warned that Apple won't let those unlocked phones remain workable for long. Apple has been playing a game of tug of war with hackers who consistently work around Apple’s firmware updates that disable unlocked U.S. phones. On the other hand, Apple plans to comply with French consumer laws, despite agreements with Orange, its exclusive carrier in France, by introducing an unlocked iPhone.
News source: PC World
Cook also warned that Apple won't let those unlocked phones remain workable for long. Apple has been playing a game of tug of war with hackers who consistently work around Apple’s firmware updates that disable unlocked U.S. phones. On the other hand, Apple plans to comply with French consumer laws, despite agreements with Orange, its exclusive carrier in France, by introducing an unlocked iPhone.
News source: PC World
However, the release of the new anySIM 1.1 has made this possibility more remote as it does not interfere with the firmware as much as the previous anySIM and other unlock methods did, which led to many iPhones becoming bricks.
Apple may be seen as intentionally releasing upgrades that cause iPhones to become bricks but this is the risk that buyers of non-contracted iPhones are willing to take. Remember an iPhone needs a hefty contract if its to be used according to the warranty and there are many of us who do not wish to buy this mobile with its preferred choice of operator.
And furthermore, there are methods available to un-brick iPhones, revirginize iPhones to factory state and as such unlocking methods will never be far behind future firmware upgrades released by Apple.
My current 1.0.2 unlocked iPhone shall remain safe.
If you limit the consumers' use of the product when there's a higher demand for it, it's inevitable that some are going to work around Apple's plans. If firmware is what's going to "brick" the phones, then people just won't use it. Once the product is sold, it's the consumers' product and they have every right to do what they wish with it.
By looking at the results that almost 20% of consumers are rebelling against Apple's limitations, I think this shows that you can't force people to follow rules that aren't necessary.
Same with the iPhone in a sense. Limit it to AT&T, something many people would choose not to do business with.
Just quit sticking us to something we don't want, and make it available where we want it. Market it. Profit!
Same with the iPhone in a sense. Limit it to AT&T, something many people would choose not to do business with.
Just quit sticking us to something we don't want, and make it available where we want it. Market it. Profit!
Heh so it turns out they get more money the other way, by the looks of a more recent bulletin.
Thus, why worry about unlocking methodologies, as they say, if one wont play ball, why should the rest!!
UPDATE: Found it on a French supplier website for 749 Euros
http://www.toutpourlamicro.com/article.asp...14&ida=5586
Personally I am not from this company, Tout Pour La Micro and I am NOT advertising for them. Just making a point, any intelligent person can come too.
edit: Referrer part of link removed. Please obey the rules.
Last edited by Slimy on 27 Oct 2007 - 22:38
I did not know there was a referrer in part of the link and I just copied and pasted it from the URL / address bar
eeerm, what? i hope there was at least some irony in that statement :p
How did they know?.
They're willing to take money from a quarter of a million people only to take a s**t on them later. How nice.
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