Apple released its iPhone unlocked and without a plan this week in Hong Kong, the first release of its kind. Many, including I, wondered why Apple chose Hong Kong as its release point of this unprecedented package. Apple already sells its iPhones unlocked in countries with rules against locking phones to carriers. These includes Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, and Turkey (thanks DF).
However, in all of those locations, you have to buy the iPhone through the mobile provider...usually saddled with a plan and/or a providor markup. But Apple is selling the iPhone right from its site in Hong Kong. I can even order one here from Greenwich Village and have it sent to a friend in Hong Kong. You can't do this anywhere else on earth. Why?
Many people buy the iPhone with the plan and then opt out for varying fees and sell it on the gray market. One report a year ago said 400,000 of them had made it to China. This hasn't stopped with the iPhone 3G. Chinese customers have been buying gray market iPhones like crazy.
We all know talks with China's largest carrier, China Mobile, have been going very poorly for Apple. According to some reports China Mobile wanted Apple to remove the Wifi access and only allow EDGE speeds on the iPhone. Obviously, this isn't the experience Apple wants its customers to have.
So, the the question that must be asked... Is Apple dumping iPhones into the world's largest market via Hong Kong because none of the Chinese carriers will accept the iPhone on Apple's terms? Is Apple using the gray market that hurts so many retailers with knockoffs and pirated material to get at the Chinese mobile companies?
Don't mess with the Jobs.
Thanks DF
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My feeling is that Apple has
My feeling is that Apple has been making deals with carriers to lower the tariff for data plans. This is important because the iPhone is crippled if there is no Internet connection (or fees being too high).
We have also seen an unprecedented tariff with unlimited data at HK$498 when Three introduced iPhone in Hong Kong. Other carriers follow suit. At that price, Hong Kongers can afford to pay for an unlimited plan and Apple can just sell iPhones to them directly.
Hmm. Does your friend in Hong
Hmm. Does your friend in Hong Kong mind if I buy a phone and send it to him...to send to me of course?
:p
umm... Hong Kong isnt a
umm... Hong Kong isnt a country.
as good as... it's an
as good as... it's an autonomous region, a former british colony that now 'belongs' to mainland china but it has it's own currency, language, laws and iphones.
its own language???
Hong Kong
Official languages Chinese, English
About 95% of Hong Kong's population is of Chinese descent, the majority of which is Cantonese or from ethnic groups such as Hakka and Teochew.
Guangdong is a province on the southern coast of China.
It overtook Henan and Sichuan to become the most populous province in China in January 2005, registering 79 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants who lived in the province for at least six months.
Guangdong is a multicultural province. The central region, which is also the political and economic center, is populated predominantly by Cantonese-speakers.
Actually this doesn't matter.
Actually this doesn't matter. By 'own language' he probably meant 'English is not spoken anywhere else other than HK'
But nice wiki work!
iphone in Turkey
just FYI iphone been released unlocked in Turkey as well. You can buy iphone from the carrier Turkcell either locked with a contract or unlocked without a contract. Unlocked iphone will cost you 625 EUROS.
Belgium only has unlocked
Belgium only has unlocked iPhones as well, but sold through a single mobile service provider and not through Apple...
To China?
IPhones sold in Hong Kong made their way into China? That's good to hear since Hong Kong is in China after all. So I guess that means those iPhones were not lost in transit or anything...
Get your facts straight
There is a strict border to be crossed between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Here are some more facts from Wikipedia...
Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,[4] is a territory located on China's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Guangdong province in the north and faces the South China Sea in the east, west and south. It has a population of 6.9 million people, and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Along with Macau, Hong Kong is one of two special administrative regions and is generally not considered as part of mainland China.[7] Under the "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy, is largely self-governing,[8] and maintains a highly capitalist economy.
Its highly capitalist economy has been ranked as the most free economy in the world in the Index of Economic Freedom for 14 consecutive years.
haha, so these iphones were
haha, so these iphones were built in china, taken to hong kong, then back to china, But in reality never actually left china, thats a lot of travelling, not to do.
LOL! I love that picture!
LOL! I love that picture! Instead of saying 'iPhone(3g)', it says iPhone(8g)!! haha!
The first generation of
The first generation of iphone never made it to Hong Kong (officially). So technically they don't need a new specification just for the 3G.
So the (8G) makes sense.
pic
because the picture is about the 2G iphone 8gb version.
France has unlocked phone
France has unlocked phone two. I think it was the first country to have them.
too expensive in europe and in turkey
In Greece and in Italy you can get an 16GB iphone for 580,- EUR, whereas in Turkey for 758,- EUR.
Funny thing is, there isn't any 3G provider available in Turkey...
Not just China, but every
Not just China, but every country without the iPhone 3G deal if you ask me.
Qatar/Jordan/Egypt, countries with the iPhone 3G deal did not get the iPhone until now! And Apple did not add Arabic support until now.
Also more countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE, did not get the iPhone 3G deal at all. And stores are already selling iPhone 3G (Turbo SIM unlocked) for over $1000 here!! without warranty.
I said it before, Apple should just sell it unlocked in countries without deals.
Khaled.
I should add that Saudi
I should add that Saudi Arabia deployed 3 3G carriers (STC, Zain and Mobily). UAE got 2 3G networks (Etisalat, du). etc.
Inflation
Because of the lowered value of the dollar the iPhone 3G is the 8G in China. Boy the economy stinks right now.
BTW, isn't that the girl from the pictures that were found on an iPhone 3G from the factory?
Spain
Unfortunately, in Spain we don't have unlocked iPhones and we should buy them from 1 carrier: Telefonica.
Brazil also sells unlocked
Brazil also sells unlocked iPhones and are sold through two different carriers. The price's not even worth mentioning... taxes over electronic itens there are just unbelievable.
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