Posts Tagged "contract"

iPhone 3G: Mission Lockdown

Posted on Jun 12, 2008 in iPhone, Opinions

So the iPhone is now only $199 – huzzah!

But wait – the phone is cheaper, but the data plan is more expensive… and there’s no convenient home activation ”buy and sim unlock” option either.

“Would Sir like technical or legal shackles”?

Getting the 1st Gen. iPhone to work with a cheaper carrier (or just with a less comprehensive service plan) was primarily a technical challenge. This time around Apple is using a different tactic: Since locking down the phone’s software has proven to be nearly impossible, they’ll now require you to sign a contract before you can buy the phone instead.

That makes the carriers who have paid to be able to offer the iPhone happy and Apple can also claim to have reduced the price of the iPhone. But the cheapest AT&T voice & data plans combined now amount to $70 a month – a $10 hike over the plans for the previous generation.