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Apple selling unlocked iPhone 3G in Hong Kong

macworld.com — Apple is selling the iPhone 3G on its Apple Store Web site in Hong Kong, promising the phones "can be activated with any wireless carrier."

Who dugg this? Made popular Sep 27, 2008

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  • execute, on 09/26/2008, -1/+82Hong Kong law (rightfully) prohibits carriers from SIM-locking phones for the purpose of tying up customers to their networks. RIGHTFULLY!

    The price, though, is like paying for 2 years of service on top of the unit's price. Freedom is never cheap.
  • VanD, on 09/27/2008, -0/+20Yeah, you can buy your phones from Hong Kong except.

    5400 HK$ = 695 USD (718 CAD) For the 8 GB
    6200 HK$ = 800 USD (825 CAD) For the 16 GB

    So I don't really think it's worth it...
  • Persian5Life, on 09/27/2008, -1/+16yo are an idiot, has everything to do with apple.
  • wonderchemist, on 09/27/2008, -0/+14Write to your congress person if you want laws made up that prevent carrier lockin.
  • imbob, on 09/26/2008, -0/+13i guess I'm gonna have to buy my phones from hong kong now?
  • iXneonXi, on 09/27/2008, -0/+10You can always get a hardware SIM unlocker for roughly $25
  • JesusHimself, on 09/27/2008, -2/+12Freedom costs a Buck o' five
  • AriaStar, on 09/27/2008, -1/+10China and Japan always get the better versions of toys. :(
  • iggy2012, on 09/27/2008, -2/+10This isn't real news. Unlocked phones come out of Asia 100% of the time. Only in america do phones have to be bought with contracts attached to them.
  • Evi1d33d, on 09/27/2008, -0/+8No because it's a thin piece of strip attached to your SIM card.
  • AnalogAssassin, on 09/27/2008, -1/+8***** Apple. ***** Steve Jobs and his retarded mock turtlenecks. That ***** went out of style around '89, folks.
  • inactive, on 09/27/2008, -3/+10because if you were Chinese... then you would eat said puppy
  • Persian5Life, on 09/27/2008, -4/+11i second that notion, i hate apple as well.
  • inactive, on 09/27/2008, -3/+8sucks to be american, period.
  • iamjero, on 09/27/2008, -1/+6Yeah, but for almost 800 bucks, ill pass.
  • Samohtneas, on 09/27/2008, -7/+12As per usual, ***** Apple.
  • Jeffler, on 09/27/2008, -1/+6Great, but why convert it to CAD? Even if a Canadian were to buy it, we're stuck with the choice of Rogers or Rogers-but-named-Fido anyway.
  • Persian5Life, on 09/27/2008, -1/+6what makes you think he owns anything made by apple? wow mac supporters are dumb.
  • benologist, on 09/27/2008, -2/+7If you factor in a cheaper contract or prepay it's more upfront but quite possibly cheaper overall.
  • MWeather, on 09/27/2008, -1/+5Phones being locked to one carrier is a US thing. It makes sense that that the iPhone wouldn't be locked when sold abroad. Nobody would buy it. It would be like selling a TV in the US that can only use Dish Network. The idea would be so alien to us that nobody would buy it.
  • iridebmx, on 09/27/2008, -4/+8I'm going to wait until Apple throws in a free puppy.
  • inactive, on 09/27/2008, -0/+4even if there were no law it would be freaking retarded to own a simlocked phone in Hong Kong. The place is freaking small and a HK connection getting used in mainland and in macau is freaking expensive. Since most have to travel between these three regions and switch between sims, a locked phone isn't a practical option.
  • thcobbs, on 09/27/2008, -1/+5Really?

    HK$3500 ~= $450 USD

    Not exactly a huge difference from what the first iphoners were willing to pay for a two year contract price.
  • dpowre, on 09/27/2008, -1/+4different safari icon?

    http://store.apple.com/hk/browse/home/shop_iphone/ ...
  • AnalogAssassin, on 09/27/2008, -20/+23***** Apple.
  • HolyChimp, on 09/28/2008, -0/+3When you pay $300 for your phone you aren't buying the phone. You're paying an up front deposit in order to get the phone that you'll pay off over the course of your contract. Look up the price of the free phones you get with contracts and be surprised that they aren't free unlocked.
  • Tordenflesk, on 09/27/2008, -1/+4Strip is a material?
  • nostraboris, on 09/27/2008, -3/+6it sucks to be an American consumer
  • spapadim, on 09/27/2008, -0/+3Same in Greece -- phones are sold unlocked by Vodafone (law prohibits network locking, AFAIK, in many Europan countries) but base price is about 500 euro without a plan. Only if you sign up for a two year contract you get the phone at a discounted price of about 200 euro. Also, not sure if proprietary features (such as visual voicemail) would work on other carriers.
  • inactive, on 09/27/2008, -1/+3Do you know how cheap data plans are in HK and since there is free wifi access and abundant 3G connectivity with all major provider buying it outright makes it way more cheaper then it would in US or even UK.
  • AnalogAssassin, on 09/27/2008, -0/+2I don't own any of their overrated products.
  • u5bLue, on 09/27/2008, -0/+2$24 US/month for a service plan? Hell yes.
  • Enixyle, on 09/28/2008, -0/+2drakia: You payed for the phone as they sell it, under the conditions that they sell it. Yes, it's your phone, your LOCKED phone -- because that's what you purchased. If that's not what you wanted, you shouldn't have bought it.

    My question is: If Ford did that, why the hell are you doing purchasing that truck? You can't buy it and therefore demand that they change it to suit your liking. You made the poor decision of purchasing it in the first place.
  • blipblipbeep, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1You being enticed by the word "enlist" is interesting.

    Love mode... Beep!
  • divisional, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1Nope wrong. All phones released over there have to be unlocked by law.
  • cyrix, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1A ***** buck o' five
  • shawnanigans, on 09/27/2008, -0/+1So do most countries in Europe IRC.
  • iDgg, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1u douche, it says 3g in the title
  • mrg823, on 09/27/2008, -0/+1Look again. The article states the unlocked iPhone 3G costs HK$5400 (≈ US$695) for the 8GB, and HK$6200 (≈ US$798) for the 16GB.
  • dagamer34, on 08/27/2009, -0/+1Thing is, even if you finish your contract with AT&T, they refuse to unlock the phone for you.
  • u5bLue, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1Still better than paying $100 or more a month for one iPhone with internet, texting, etc.
  • seenxu, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1great news!
  • sfacets, on 09/27/2008, -1/+2eBay - here I come!
  • kleash, on 09/27/2008, -0/+1All the 3G phones I bought from Hong Kong are unlocked anyways. It's not just iphone.
  • BrendanSheehan, on 09/27/2008, -0/+1And 695 USD for the 8GB model.
  • BrendanSheehan, on 09/27/2008, -0/+1Exactly the prices in US$ are on the article. It's not like a 2 year contract however.
  • Enixyle, on 09/27/2008, -3/+4Does anyone care to articulate where I'm mistaken? I'm getting dugg down but no responses.
  • PabloMac, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1Your interest in my enticement is lovely.
  • VanD, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1You obviously don't understand the point of this.

    If it costs a certain amount to make the product, and the mark up is a certain percent.
    Then you take that same product with the same production cost and mark it up at a higher percent.

    Use your heads, I don't care about the cost of plans, I am taking about purchasing the phone in Hong Kong versus here.
  • martin308, on 09/28/2008, -0/+1Still cheaper in NZ.....
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