SMS wrote:
> Tinman wrote:
>
>> Oh yea, and the hacking community just scored big over the last few
>> weeks. Since firmware 1.1.2 was released back in October there had
>> been no easy way to unlock the iPhone. Now there is, with ZiPhone,
>> Geohot's tool (almost anyone can do it). With estimates of unlocked
>> iPhones at 25% of all iPhones sold--and keep in mind it wasn't
>> unlocked for the first two months of its existence--this will no
>> doubt cause the unlockers to start buying in droves in case another
>> update closes the holes used to get in. Well, if they can: Apple
>> could sell more if they weren't so heavy-handed about it (limiting
>> purchases, tracking credit cards to enforce, etc.).
>
> Well they've lightened up on that a little, now allowing more units
> per credit card.
>
> I guess Apple feels that selling less total units, but more AT&T
> activated units, is financially more desirable.

Apparently so, or perhaps their carrier agreements demand some sort of
action on their part.

But I don't think the logic means more people will go with AT&T, in
meaningful numbers. Sure there are unlockers in the USA who chose to go with
T-Mobile. But that doesn't seem to be a lot, and they might not have bought
an iPhone at all if they had to go with AT&T (locked into a contract, better
native T-Mobile coverage in their home area, etc.). By far most of the
people I know with unlocked iPhones are in other countries. There are now
thriving iPhone communities in most every country where it can be used, but
without a sanctioned carrier (Taiwan, Vietnam, Russia, China, Singapore--you
name it).

The UK might be different, because the official carrier really offered
crappy plans initially. That has now been changed, but even before the price
drop I was seeing a lot of unlocked iPhone users converting over to
"legitimate" users after the iPhone was released over there.


--
Mike