[CoolCowiesClan]

Do you think Apple should sell unlocked iPhones?

(My Answer)

Yes.
Whether or not iPhones are sold to people who unlock their iPhones or not, Apple still makes money off the iPhones that are sold. There are actually more iPhone owners who have unlocked their iPhones than people who have not. If Apple chooses to brick people's iPhones, they will have less iPhone customers. If you have heard about ZiPhone (an iPhone unlocking tool), it is the easiest iPhone Jailbreaking/Unlocking tool that has been made, over three-million downloads, and no faulty reports. Then people can use their iPhone on T-Mobile. It also Jailbreaks iPod touch's.

The blog for the program is www.ziphone.org.

[xintelinsanex]

I have AT&T service so I could care less. But if Apple did sell the iPhone unlocked, it would put some pressure on AT&T to reduce the $20 a month plan to remain competitive.

[Reaktor5]

Since it runs on the GSM network, even if they were unlocked you couldn't use them with any carrier you want.

[xintelinsanex]

Well if Apple were to sell it unlocked I'm sure they would make different versions for the different types of networks, or they would just put multiple chips in it to make it compatible.

[CoolCowiesClan]

I have AT&T service so I could care less. But if Apple did sell the iPhone unlocked, it would put some pressure on AT&T to reduce the $20 a month plan to remain competitive.

There actually isn't any 20.00 a month plan, you add it to your current plan if you're a current AT&T member.

[xintelinsanex]

There actually isn't any 20.00 a month plan, you add it to your current plan if you're a current AT&T member.

I meant for current AT&T customers.

[IrishJK09]

The $20 data plan is hardly a negative. ALL smartphone/PDA phones pretty much rely on a data plan, so it isn't like it is something exclusive to the iPhone. On top of that, the iPhone data plan is the cheapest one offered by At&t for any smartphone type device. BlackBerry Personal plans are $30, and so are PDA plans for WinMo devices. Don't forget that you also get visual voicemail and 200 text messages with that $20 plan as well. Both the BlackBerry plan and the PDA plan are nothing but unlimited data.

[DanMM]

They would sell so many more of them, more people who don't have to get out of their service plans etc. and any who don't like AT&T.

I think that it may have been necessary at first to have a carrier that could support it in its first iteration, but the next gen should be compatible with any provider.

[xintelinsanex]

They would sell so many more of them, more people who don't have to get out of their service plans etc. and any who don't like AT&T.

I think that it may have been necessary at first to have a carrier that could support it in its first iteration, but the next gen should be compatible with any provider.

I wonder why Apple took the route of making it exclusive. I mean AT&T certainly benefited from it, but did Apple really make that much from AT&T that made it a better option to make it available on one carrier? I mean I can understand Apple wanting to only support one network access type (GSM), but is it really that much more work to put a chip in for the other network types? Hmm... I wonder.

[caseychan]

I wonder why Apple took the route of making it exclusive. I mean AT&T certainly benefited from it, but did Apple really make that much from AT&T that made it a better option to make it available on one carrier? I mean I can understand Apple wanting to only support one network access type (GSM), but is it really that much more work to put a chip in for the other network types? Hmm... I wonder.

By locking themselves to one carrier and signing an exclusivity contract, Apple is benefiting no doubt. They're getting a bunch of money per iPhone plan and enjoying a type of relationship with a carrier that no other phone maker currently has. Their selling point to AT&T is that no one in the US carries the iPhone thus when they buy the iPhone to use for AT&T you should compensate us for it. There have even been reports that Apple receives 20 dollars per iPhone plan.

20 x 24 months = 480 dollars. Combine that with the price of the iPhone-$400 and Apple's revenue per every iPhone is 880 dollars. Not to mention whatever money they're getting yearly from AT&T per the overarching exclusivity deal. Would I prefer it unlocked? For sure. But Apple is making good money on the iPhone with these carrier deals in place.

Since AT&T is clearly benefiting from the deal as well, don't you think Apple has leverage in future negotiations? Could you imagine if they pitted T-Mobile and AT&T and even Verizon against one another? They tried it before the iPhone came out to no avail but now that it has lived up to the hype, Apple might have the carriers on their knees.