AT&T Contract Free iPhone – Possible Relief for Canadians
Yesterday, US iPhone carrier announced it would cut a deal for consumers on Apple’s upcoming wonder-phone with no contract. AT&T said it would deal the 8GB model for $599 and the 16GB model for $699. That could be great news for Canadians.
Not much else is known about the deal. AT&T spokesmen said Tuesday it’s has no further details to share about the contract-free deal. Those looking for a contract-free iPhone may have to wait a few months after the initial mania and retail shortages have died down. The US carrier likely has an iPhone 3G release timetable that’ll maximize its contractual data plans.
Of course the subsidized prices have already been announced for the United States from AT&T. Americans will pick up the new 8GB Apple-Phone for $199 and 16GB for $299 after they sign on the dotted line for a two-year contract. That’s a much better deal than the Canadian rate offered by Rogers with a three-year contract and outrageous monthly data rates.
Canadians who find a lengthy contract unlivable might want to hold out for the no-strings version to hit the market in the US. Predictably, the new iPhone product cycle may look like this.
1. 2-year Contract iPhone 3G goes on sale
2. iPhone 3G is soon hacked and unlocked
3. AT&T begins selling higher-priced iPhone 3G sans contract.
4. Canadians can now bring home a hacked iPhone 3G and buy a SIM card from Rogers with a standard month-to-month plan.
The advantage to spending more money up-front and avoiding the carrier’s subsidy is simple. You can hold out for a better deal than Rogers is offering with its three-year iPhone 3G ball-and-chain deal. Who knows, maybe by next summer a brand new carrier will offer more interesting and flexible rates for your unlocked GSM cell phone.
The Canadian wireless airwaves are up for grabs in the big federal auction. We’re being assured that 40% of the new bands are reserved for new entrants into the wireless carrier biz. That could be good news if you’re sick of Rogers and by the comments we’ve been receiving it sounds like we are.
Seriously, does Rogers then re-brick your phone?
The purpose of buying one from AT&T is first, it's not Rogers, second you'd have to unlock it, that means hacking and risk a bricking.
A lot of people have done it in Canada, a process will likely be made rather easily.
Although this may be true with AT&T, it is not necessarily true that you have to hack the iphone to unlock it. Apple provides a legal unlock for carriers who are bound by law to unlock their iPhones for customers. Some European carriers are doing that, and bringing those iPhones to Canada is no problem; no hacking needed.
The question is, can AT&T legally unlock the iPhone for you? Or will Apple Store eventually sell unlocked iPhones at full price?