iPhone unlock goes on sale

Resellers do not guarantee the unlock will survive the next iPhone update

By Gregg Keizer, Framingham | Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Several resellers started taking orders yesterday for the first commercially available software that unlocks Apple's iPhone.

The one U.S. dealer handling iPhoneSIMFree's unlock -- which lets iPhone owners swap out SIM cards so that the device can make calls on cellular networks other than AT&T's -- listed the hack for US$99. According to a sales representative who answered the phone at New York-based Wireless Imports, the reseller is waiting on iPhoneSIMFree to deliver the licenses. Preorders taken Monday are supposed be filled within 48 hours.

Although Wireless Imports' price is nearly three times more than the highest wholesale per-licence cost quoted in an email reportedly sent by iPhoneSIMFree to resellers last week, others have quoted lower prices. An Australian web site, iPhone Worldwide Unlock, listed the hack for $50 and claimed that it had already received 1000 orders. A German reseller has also priced the unlock hack at $50.

Like Wireless Imports, the Australian and German dealers are currently taking preorders only.

All three resellers made it a point to stress on their Web sites that they do not guarantee the unlock will survive the next iPhone update from Apple, echoing caveats from the still-unknown developers behind iPhoneSIMFree. Some iPhone owners interested in the unlock may decide that the risk isn't worth it, if only because they will be charged for any future unlock.

Apple did not respond to questions, including whether it will relock the iPhone in a future firmware update or whether it's considering taking legal action against the resellers.

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