Tuesday 28 August 2007
iPhone... iDon't understand what they're up to? [Brit]
I noted with interest this story on El Reg that AT&T have apparently called in the legal dogs on a company about to release software that will allow iPhone users to connect to any mobile network operator. In case you're wondering why this should be such a big deal, the iPhone shipped with a catch - you had to use AT&T as your carrier, or you couldn't use the phone... which is absolutely ludicrous in the highly commoditised mobile phone market.
Of course, it didn't take long before this act of abject stupidity was run through the gamut of hackers and interested parties with various solutions providing an unlocked iPhone appearing online within weeks of its retail release.
I'm gobsmacked at Apple/AT&T's tie-up decision here; the universe of people prepared to a) fork out for a hugely expensive phone and b) potentially shift everything into AT&T from a current provider can only be a small one... with new phones being released all the time, consumer choice is one thing this particular industry isn't short of.
So genuinely, I'm interested in the reasons behind their initial decision making process - now that you can unlock your iPhone with a couple of corks, two pins and a few hours of your time (as an example of the lower end of the unlocking solution spectrum) it really is game over for the likes of AT&T if they see their future in such restrictive tie-ups.
Can someone perhaps explain a cunning plan that I've completely missed here?
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ReplyDeleteThey're cunts? Still, it's dog eat dog. They're cunts fucking over people who buy iPhones and henceare also cunts. So I shant be reporting this to Amnesty International just yet.
ReplyDeleteAren't all mobi's operator locked?
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DeleteHI no all mobile wont come locked with operator ..IF you purchase phone from network providers then sure it might be locked with them due to this you can't use your phone with other network provider ..To fix this you have to unlock your phone from network provider ..You can easily unlock your phone with the help of providers like Mobile-Unlocker.com here they render code to unlock all mobile models .They also unlock iphone models using remote unlocking service for affordable cost ..After unlocking it you can freely use it with any GSM sim in any countries...
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ReplyDeleteDon't think all UK phones are, just the majority? Certainly anything that costs more than a fiver.
I think the iPhone thing is all about money. AT&T coughed up dev cash well in advance for the exclusive or something?
ReplyDeleteI\'ve been with O2 for years - and recently got sent a Nokia N95. Not locked to O2 at all, whacked in a T-Mobile SIM as a test and it connected right away. Before that I had a Win Mobile HTC job (which got junked when it simply stopped charging) - again, not locked. Perhaps its an O2/long-term customer thing but there you go.