Unlocked iPhones from T-Mobile!

I hate Apple (sometimes).

This will only encourage people to illegally unlock their iPhone's. It's more then ridiculous to ask €999 or $1,477.97 for an iPhone, while you can buy an locked one for €399 or $399 and pay let's say €30 for unlocking it. Maybe you have to unlock it 4 times to have the new firmware version on it, but it still saves you about €500.

I'm still wondering why Apple became so greedy......

So stupid. Apple is having such success, but now being more and more like Microsoft. *sigh* I am glad I went with a blackberry and not an iphone.

wow...

This will only encourage people to illegally unlock their iPhone's. It's more then ridiculous to ask €999 or $1,477.97 for an iPhone, while you can buy an locked one for €399 or $399 and pay let's say €30 for unlocking it. Maybe you have to unlock it 4 times to have the new firmware version on it, but it still saves you about €500.

I'm still wondering why Apple became so greedy......

Well, for one thing, Apple Care won't replace a phone that has user unlocked firmware on it. And I'd want all the coverage I could get since iPhone's hardware tends to be hit-and-miss.

So stupid. Apple is having such success, but now being more and more like Microsoft. *sigh* I am glad I went with a blackberry and not an iphone.

Blackberries are fantastic!

Ouch.

I think I might just buy and unlocked E61i for £280.

That's a lovely phone with a great qwerty keyboard, it would be ideal for what I use a phone for. It would go nice with an iPod Touch

I don't see what's wrong with charging that much. The reality is that you'll get a better deal if you go with the carrier that apple have chosen.

Why do you think they chose ONE exclusive carrier in each country it's released in?

https://www.t-mobile.de/unternehmen/presse/...19688-_,00.html

They set that price high because they are forced by german court to offer an unlocked phone.

If you don't speak German:

" PDF

Bonn, 21 November 2007

Apple iPhone remain exclusively from T-Mobile

Complete fares remain attraktivstes package for the iPhone

Additional offer of a device without a contract for 999 euros

Bonn, 21 November 2007-T-Mobile to offer exclusively on the Apple iPhone. On the basis of a court decision, the Bonn mobile operators are currently required to the iPhone from now even without simultaneous completion of a T-Mobile mobile contract. The legal requirements are due to the injunction competitor Vodafone D2 back in the race for the distribution of Apple iPhone T-Mobile in Germany against Democrats. T-Mobile, this obligation to follow judicial clarification. Without the simultaneous completion of a T-Mobile mobile phone is offered at a price of 999 euros in all available Telekom shops, which sell the Apple iPhone.

Also on the judicial requirements, if the customer wishes, all devices on or after 19.11.2007 sold were free unlocked. The date is due to the receipt of the injunction by Vodafone D2. With the lifting of the SIM-Lock is phoning with the iPhone also in other networks possible, but many functions are still only for T-Mobile-Kunden with a Complete fare available.

Biggest advantage for the T-Mobile customers will remain until the end of the year virtually the entire T-Mobile EDGE network coverage expanded and the Complete contract already included access to over 8,000 HotSpots for fast data traffic over WLAN. The sale of Apple iPhone for 399 euros in connection with a Complete M, L or XL contract is unchanged.

Also, the innovative Visual Voice Mail works only in the German network of T-Mobile. Thus, the customer's voice message call, select the messages that he wants to listen, and then immediately go to these messages, without the prior listen to. Just as in an e-mail, the customer can also use Visual Voicemail jump in the order of the messages that come most interested in him.

This offer is not only technically, the more attractive option. Also, the cost comparison does not need to be afraid: The Complete fares, which are exclusively designed for the iPhone, the customer saves up to 40 per cent or 54 per month compared to the individual tariff components, which for a similar use with another mobile unit T Mobile avoided. Each Complete contains a flat tariff rate for the free data traffic over EDGE or WLAN with the iPhone and the free use of Visual Voicemail domestically. Even the smallest wage package Complete M contains 100 inclusive minutes and 40 free SMS per month."

That is an insane price for a phone, to be honest I find paying anything higher than $300 for a phone is insane, and that is withOUT a contract. With contracts, it should be minimal, < $100. Then they should bump up the contract cancellation fee. I mean for $1500 you can get a phone without a contract, or for $500 you can get a phone with a contract and a $200 cancellation fee. Do the math.

Thats nice, just wish they had a cdma version.....

Isn’t it more grammatically correct to say software instead of softwares?

Damn!

My dad wants an iPhone but we have T-mobile, and i don't think he even wants one that bad.

https://www.t-mobile.de/unternehmen/presse/...19688-_,00.html

 

They set that price high because they are forced by german court to offer an unlocked phone.

I now love the Germans . I often wish the UK would for once think of it's citizens interests before companies interests.

Am I the only one here who thinks that visual voicemail is one of the biggest USP's of the iPhone? Having used the iPhone in anger for a few days as my main work phone, I absolutely bloody love visual voicemail!! I personally couldn't be persuaded to change network if it ain't got visual voicemail, so I'm surprised there's such apparent demand for unlocked iPhones...

-Ed

Isn’t it more grammatically correct to say software instead of softwares?

Probably, but where does it say? (And I think that translation are made from some automatic translation as some sentences are not making full sense.)

Am I the only one here who thinks that visual voicemail is one of the biggest USP's of the iPhone?.... I absolutely bloody love visual voicemail!! I personally couldn't be persuaded to change network if it ain't got visual voicemail, so I'm surprised there's such apparent demand for unlocked iPhones...

Would you be willing to spent 500 euro for visual voice-mail???

And about not wanting to loose your warranty because of unlocking software, if you would search for 'virginizer' it would probably show some hits about turning your iPhone to a virgin state. A state in which Apple can't see if it's been unlocked or not.

Make no mistake. This is not Apple but T-mobile who are selling it for this insane price. The real margins are in mobile telephony, not in hardware. The German operators may be legally obliged to offer an unlocked phone but they seem to be perfectly free to sell it at a highway robbery price.

Ridiculous...

Would you be willing to spent 500 euro for visual voice-mail???

No, and visual voice mail doesn't cost €500.

Probably, but where does it say? (And I think that translation are made from some automatic translation as some sentences are not making full sense.)

Oh, I was talking to the spammer right above my post.

I hate Apple (sometimes).

So stupid. Apple is having such success, but now being more and more like Microsoft. *sigh* I am glad I went with a blackberry and not an iphone.

What does this have anything to do with Apple? This is about T-Mobile and German courts.

Make no mistake. This is not Apple but T-mobile who are selling it for this insane price. The real margins are in mobile telephony, not in hardware. The German operators may be legally obliged to offer an unlocked phone but they seem to be perfectly free to sell it at a highway robbery price.

 

Ridiculous...

Finally, someone gets it. It's T-Mobile.

I personally applaud them for doing this. In order to see this kind of phone have a chance at all and change carriers to use it right (Don't allow them to cripple the phone's features, make the required changes for Visual Voicemail) then you need incentive on the carrier's part. If they can't have exclusive deals, where's the incentive to make these changes?

I say good for them.

Apple and T-Mobile and any carrier that Apple sees fit should have the right to charge what a lot of people thinks is “a lot,” for nearly €1500, you get a quality Apple Hand-Held computer, and let me tell you, any computer from Apple is well worth the money. Just think where that money goes to, better products, so you can go and buy the latest and greatest iPhone in another 18 months. Now I know that it is T-Mobile that is mostly responsible for the price behind the unlocked phone, but think of how they are going to use that money, probably to the consumers benefit. Now I hope that here in America that never happens because AT&T seems to be the only company that cared enough for us iPhone customers to work that closely with Apple to carry the product, and also it seems to be the only company that has the battery friendly speed of EDGE. I also hope that Apple does what it can to brick these unlocked iPhones because if someone who works at Mircosoft write a program and I install it on my unlocked iPhone it will most likely crash and explode in three seconds.

By the way, have you guys tried this new Kool-Aid

*slurp*

Delish!

I hate Apple (sometimes).

haha well put, and it puts price point in perspective

i feel bad for you foreigners

Apple and T-Mobile and any carrier that Apple sees fit should have the right to charge what a lot of people thinks is “a lot,” for nearly €1500, you get a quality Apple Hand-Held computer, and let me tell you, any computer from Apple is well worth the money. Just think where that money goes to, better products, so you can go and buy the latest and greatest iPhone in another 18 months. Now I know that it is T-Mobile that is mostly responsible for the price behind the unlocked phone, but think of how they are going to use that money, probably to the consumers benefit.

Well, yes and no (rather no actually...) If you mean the consumers who are also fat cat shareholders, then yes.

Mobile operators - at least in Europe - have unit margins that defy imagination. I've heard from people who work for an operator that the costs of mobile GSM infrastructure, ie. maintenance, personnel, new services etc... are long amortised. The minute that you pay a few cents for cost them in fact a tiny fraction of a fraction of a cent. But those margins are still nothing compared to those in the roaming charges, probably the biggest corporate rip-off in history. And so blatant that even the EU commission tried to jump in and cap them.

The operators shot themselves in the foot with the astronomical 3G licences.

And about not wanting to loose your warranty because of unlocking software, if you would search for 'virginizer' it would probably show some hits about turning your iPhone to a virgin state. A state in which Apple can't see if it's been unlocked or not.

Doesn't matter. If you live in the States, you MUST be an AT&T subscriber, with an active account. Apple Care can see on their screens when you call in if an AT&T account exists.

And even if that wasn't true, what happens if the phone software breaks, and you CAN'T restore the phone to a "virgin" state?

A $399 paperweight.