Although the law requires that many countries sell unlocked iPhones, many people in the US almost never have the opportunity to purchase an unlocked cellular phone from a service provider, which is exactly how the service providers want it.
Cellular phones that are locked are tied to the annual contracts that work in favor of the service providers for numerous reasons. One of these reasons is that the real cost of a cellular phone is lost in the service provider's two year contracts. For instance, a service provider sells a customer a cellular phone for $99 when its true cost is $599. The cost of the monthly contracts which if added up over the course of 24 months means they will recoup the actual retail price of the cellular phone and more.
In addition, the service providers are exclusively tied to the cellular phone and they make large profits in the numbers of users if they just happen to use one of the cellular phones that they provide the service for. There is nothing that proves this more than AT&T's deal exclusively with Apple to provide the iPhone to US customers. This one deal alone has gained them millions of customers.
This is precisely the reason why AT&T doesn't want unlocked cellular phones showing up in the US. Which makes some of the websites on the Internet that are selling brand new iPhone 3Gs that are unlocked complete with the full Apple warranty even more astonishing. While all of the iPhones have sold out, they were going for $799 each and it is still the first time that US customers have had the opportunity to easily purchase an Apple iPhone that is unlocked. There's nothing illegal about any of this. These Internet retailer's deals are obtained by importing iPhones from other countries, and these phones were probably purchased in from Taiwan or Belgium, where it is a matter of routine business to sell an unlocked iPhone.
This is still a great deal for consumers who want to be able to carry their cellular phones to the service provider that provides them with the best service. If you want to purchase an unlocked iPhone, keep watching the online retailers because they will undoubtedly get more iPhones in. If only Apple would sell their iPhones unlocked as a routine matter of business it could really make for a better US cellular phone industry. However, with the profits of the service providers being what they are don't expect this to happen any time soon.
The Communication Blog
Cellular phones that are locked are tied to the annual contracts that work in favor of the service providers for numerous reasons. One of these reasons is that the real cost of a cellular phone is lost in the service provider's two year contracts. For instance, a service provider sells a customer a cellular phone for $99 when its true cost is $599. The cost of the monthly contracts which if added up over the course of 24 months means they will recoup the actual retail price of the cellular phone and more.
In addition, the service providers are exclusively tied to the cellular phone and they make large profits in the numbers of users if they just happen to use one of the cellular phones that they provide the service for. There is nothing that proves this more than AT&T's deal exclusively with Apple to provide the iPhone to US customers. This one deal alone has gained them millions of customers.
This is precisely the reason why AT&T doesn't want unlocked cellular phones showing up in the US. Which makes some of the websites on the Internet that are selling brand new iPhone 3Gs that are unlocked complete with the full Apple warranty even more astonishing. While all of the iPhones have sold out, they were going for $799 each and it is still the first time that US customers have had the opportunity to easily purchase an Apple iPhone that is unlocked. There's nothing illegal about any of this. These Internet retailer's deals are obtained by importing iPhones from other countries, and these phones were probably purchased in from Taiwan or Belgium, where it is a matter of routine business to sell an unlocked iPhone.
This is still a great deal for consumers who want to be able to carry their cellular phones to the service provider that provides them with the best service. If you want to purchase an unlocked iPhone, keep watching the online retailers because they will undoubtedly get more iPhones in. If only Apple would sell their iPhones unlocked as a routine matter of business it could really make for a better US cellular phone industry. However, with the profits of the service providers being what they are don't expect this to happen any time soon.
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