That’s my call anyway. The world is awash with news that Vodafone are going to be releasing the iPhone across all their markets (including New Zealand), and the rumour that AT&T will be going with a subsidy. To me this all points to a wide, lock-free release from Apple.
Think about it: Apple wants to make the iPhone the defacto mobile standard. They know it sells itself as a standalone device, regardless of carrier. So why not just sell it the same way they sell computers: buy once, no lock in, no contract?
I’d pay good money to see a copy of the existing agreements Apple has in place, because I’m betting they relate only to the current model of the iPhone.
That’s an interesting thought, but how would the activation work though? Would the customer then have to take their newly-purchased iPhone into a mobile phone store to get a sim card fitted?
…or just take the sim out of their existing phone (which the iPhone is
naturally usurping) and stick it in the iPhone?
Or grap a pre-pay sim.
Or yes just go and start a new account with a sim by itself.
No activation required. Any sim will do.
Doesn’t the existing iPhone need to be cracked open to get at the sim card? Or are we assuming that the model will make the sim card more accessible.
Not at all. You just pop the sim card out of the slot in the top of the
iPhone. The only thing you need is a paper clip. It’s designed to be
swapped.
So, are you going to sell your iPhone 1.0 and get a 3G iPhone?
Probably. If it has GPS too then probably would become f*ck yes!
FYI I’m now fully enrolled in the developer program, I got the invitation to enroll over the weekend, I sort of had this news before the rest of you. Great that Apple is letting NZ play too!!!