Huh. Store's down. I was just going to confirm those prices, since this morning it said $699 for the unlocked iPhone... That's really cool; it cycles through languages on the icon!

OH, frig, it's 11:30. It's down for the preorders. Ugh, I'm so depressed... 

Patience my friend.

I'm wondering if they will update the price of the unlocked 4S (it was $549 yesterday).

You're asking us if you're depressed?

And does this standare procedure apply given that there are 3 different iPhone 5's across the world with different radios?

Shame that Canada tops out with a 62GB iPhone while America get's the 64GB. Yeah USA. :-?

If someone can tell me, if I buy an unlocked phone what do I need to do to get cellular? Do I just go to a carrier store and pay for a SIM card, are they month to month deals or can I just buy a SIM - use it then buy another whenever I'm ready?

Thank you.

I wanted to see what the cost was for buying a smart phone other than Apple's iPhone 5.  I have checked for the Samsung Galaxy S3 unlock prices and didn't see any options that allows you to buy the phone outright from Verizon or ATT.  I did how ever see the Galaxy S3 unlocked on Amazon and eBay.  Their prices are less than iPhone about $100.00 less.  The only problem is the android os.  Not all android devices can be updated to the newer os.  So in my opinion it would be a waste to buy an unlocked android phone in comparison to the iPhone 4 or better.

I'm ready to pay the $1100 it is going to cost for the 64GB here in India when it is announced. While the Nano-SIM is not yet launched here, I'm sure the carriers are just waiting for the official SIM-cutter to release! When the iPhone 4 was launched, the carriers had the standard SIM, but the cutter to make it fit in the iPhone. It was only later that Micro-SIMs were available. So if the actual usuable area of the Micro-SIM matches the Nano-SIM (and I think the reason Apple's Nano-SIM standard was approved was backward compatibility), then all the carriers need again is the cutter!

The funny thing here is that, even though the phone is not subsidised, it is still "tied" to a carrier. You have to buy it for a specific carrier and the carrier provides special 'iPhone plans' which is nothing but a discount on your monthly tariff that off-sets the cost of the phone over a period of 12 months by a percentage. The plans themselves are nothing spectacular.

It is kind of the reverse of how it is in the West.

Perhaps someone here could elaborate on the advantages of buying an unlocked iPhone 5, specifically for people who reside in the US, but live overseas for extended periods of time.

If you buy the unlocked iPhone directly from Apple: 

a) Can you use it overseas without first signing on to any American carrier (AT&T etc.)?

b) Upon returning from overseas, can you then use an American carrier for a month or two without signing on for a full year or two-year plan? (i.e. prepaid cards, plans etc.)

c) Is the iOS security of the iPhone compromised in any way?

This article seems to scream DON'T BUY AN "UNLOCKED" PHONE FROM ANY CARRIER OR BEST BUY, ONLY FROM APPLE DIRECTLY http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2011/12/22/how-u-s-carriers-fool-you-into-thinking-your-iphone-4s-is-unlocked/ Apparently "unlocked" iPhones sold by American carriers are not unlocked at all, only the ones sold by Apple are. Thoughts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkikrome 

Shame that Canada tops out with a 62GB iPhone while America get's the 64GB. Yeah USA. :-?

lol, either a typo or the world's first example of gigabyte capacity being tied to an exchange rate. 

Why does an iPhone cost MORE in Canada when the Canadian dollar is stronger than the US buck? That doesn't make sense. Especially that MUCH more! $50?! What gives?