Apple is selling an unlocked iPhone 4 in the United States, for a higher price. The device operates on GSM-based networks such as AT&T.
Apple is now selling an unlocked iPhone 4 in the United
States. Those who want an iPhone 4 without a two-year service contract, or who
travel internationally and want an Apple smartphone that works with local
carriers, can now pay $649 or $749, respectively, for the 16GB and 32GB
versions.
The
unlocked iPhone 4 operates on GSM-based networks, which include AT&T
and T-Mobile in the United States. However,
the device apparently
isn't
compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network, which could limit its usefulness to
those merely seeking a way to escape AT&T.
Users will need a micro-SIM card from a supported carrier in
order to activate their device. Those road warriors with a tendency to visit
multiple countries throughout the course of a given year could find an unlocked
iPhone 4-accompanied by multiple micro-SIM cards-an advantage worth paying the
higher, un-carrier-subsidized price.
The unlocked iPhone has been available for some time in
certain international markets,
often
selling for a hefty markup.
Even as Apple continues to push out variants of the iPhone
4-the company recently released the white version of the popular smartphone,
after months of unexplained delays-development of its successor is almost
certainly underway. According to anonymous sources speaking to Reuters in
April, Apple plans on shipping the iPhone 5 in September, meaning production of
the next-generation smartphone will ramp up sometime in either July or August.
In addition to higher-resolution cameras, current rumors
suggest that the iPhone 5 could include Apple's proprietary A5 processor,
hardware upgraded to enable 3G FaceTime video conferencing and NFC (near-field
communication) technology, which could allow the smartphone to act as an electronic
wallet. Those features could allow Apple to compete more effectively against
the increasingly high-powered Android smartphones due to hit the market over
the next few months.
The iPhone 5 will also boast a host of new features courtesy
of the just-unveiled iOS 5, including a refined notifications screen, boosted
interoperability with Twitter, a robust "iMessenger" conversation platform
seemingly designed to compete head-on with Research In Motion's BlackBerry
Messenger and Newsstand, which consolidates the user's e-periodical
subscriptions into one space.
For compulsive shutterbugs, iOS 5 will also offer a camera
shortcut accessible via the lock screen-reminiscent in many ways of Windows Phone,
which lets the user take images without needing to unlock their device and
manually activate the camera app.
Apple plans on shipping iOS sometime this fall, which would
conveniently fit the same timeframe as the iPhone 5's rumored release
date.
Email
Print
