Comments on: iPhone launch a fizzle in England http://www.kgadams.net/2007/11/10/iphone-launch-a-fizzle-in-england Technology, computer games, MMOGs, science...and other nerdy stuff Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:57:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Kelly Adams http://www.kgadams.net/2007/11/10/iphone-launch-a-fizzle-in-england#comment-14541 Kelly Adams Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:14:38 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2007/11/10/iphone-launch-a-fizzle-in-england/#comment-14541 Greetings, Shun- welcome to my blog! The way I understand it, the iPhones are "locked" so that they only work with a single carrier. American iPhones only work with AT&T, and so I would expect the British ones only work with O2 (the company "blessed" by Apple to provide iPhone service there). So, at least without hacking, a British iPhone wouldn't work elsewhere. I'm sure the phones could be unlocked using various unapproved hacks, but then you'd have a phone that could at any moment be disabled by Apple with the next OS update. This carrier lock-in is one of several reasons that I'm not really that impressed with the iPhone. The one thing it has going for it is an elegant UI, and I personally find its downsides significantly outweigh that singular benefit. Greetings, Shun- welcome to my blog!

The way I understand it, the iPhones are “locked” so that they only work with a single carrier. American iPhones only work with AT&T, and so I would expect the British ones only work with O2 (the company “blessed” by Apple to provide iPhone service there).

So, at least without hacking, a British iPhone wouldn’t work elsewhere. I’m sure the phones could be unlocked using various unapproved hacks, but then you’d have a phone that could at any moment be disabled by Apple with the next OS update.

This carrier lock-in is one of several reasons that I’m not really that impressed with the iPhone. The one thing it has going for it is an elegant UI, and I personally find its downsides significantly outweigh that singular benefit.

]]> By: Shun http://www.kgadams.net/2007/11/10/iphone-launch-a-fizzle-in-england#comment-14531 Shun Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:35:22 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2007/11/10/iphone-launch-a-fizzle-in-england/#comment-14531 I just thought of something really odd. Think: if the iPhone launch is a flop in England, and Europe, generally, won't there be a lot of stock left over, after launch? Will the retailers sell the handsets at a discount? If so, won't it be easier to have, say a European "gray market" importer pulling iPhones from Europe <i>to America</i>? Talk about turn-about. Importing a technology which originally started in the U.S.A. back to the States, because people in the Euro-land didn't want it. That would be a phenomenal development, if it ever happens. Fun times...fun times. I just thought of something really odd. Think: if the iPhone launch is a flop in England, and Europe, generally, won’t there be a lot of stock left over, after launch? Will the retailers sell the handsets at a discount? If so, won’t it be easier to have, say a European “gray market” importer pulling iPhones from Europe to America? Talk about turn-about.

Importing a technology which originally started in the U.S.A. back to the States, because people in the Euro-land didn’t want it. That would be a phenomenal development, if it ever happens.

Fun times…fun times.

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