You goto a phone shop or apple store and if you want one you get put onto the network there and then like any other phone.

Therefore whats the point of the jail break (Accept in like 2 years time when you contract runs out?)

What if you're already in contract?

What if you don't want to pay for a £35 a month contract?

What if you don't want to be with O2?

What if you don't want a part of your call charges paid to Apple?

...

...

The point is to make the phone work in a place (Brazil) where there is no iPhone being sold yet (officially), and where the telco from the original country does not even exist. Now, in places where it is on sale, then... see Phil's answer above, I guess.

"it’s been rumoured online that the phone will cost between $250 and $375 (£250-375/€250-375)"

There, fixed it for you!

As soon as the phone is available with on pay as you go, anywhere in the world, people will buy them to unlock, throwing away the included SIM. Then the grey imports to other countries begin.

If you're that concerned, simply don't buy an iPhone then. Problem solved.

Went on sale in NZ last week. Not carrier locked.

In the uk at least if you walk into O2 you cannot leave the store until you have signed a monthly contract which you WILL pay every month.

There fore what is the point of the jail break? Surely people will not pay 30 quid to o2 a month then money to another phone provider as well?

As much as I love my iPhone I can't for the life of me understand why someone would be so sad and desperate as to go to the bother of buying one at great cost, unlocking it, thereby removing any warranty and any chance of updates working and then sign it up on a different network where you wouldn't get free data which is kind of a large part of the point of the iPhone.

I didn't understand it the first time, don't understand it now.

Paris, as shes as brainless as anyone who'd go to that bother to end up with a half working iPhone.

Just to point out this is not a Hack. Jailbreaking or Hacking the iPhone would allows 3rd party applications and so on to be added for free, without spending on iTunes. This is "unlocking" to any network. Personally in the UK, I don't see the point in unlocking the iPhone. Half of the attraction is being able to use unlimited data and wifi hotspots. If you stick a voda or orange or whoevers sim in, you pay through the nose for the data charges.

Anyway - still awaiting the jailbreak... not sure i'll do it though, i dont want an expensive 18 month brick.

...an iPhone anyway? I'm over-the-moon happy with my Nokia 1112. Plus I don't have to fear for my life when talking on it wandering around the dodgier suburbs Nottingham at night (well, not any more than I should have to).

I'm not entirely sure - but I think Garath might mean that, as you have to sign up for a contract to actually get an iPhone 3G in the first place, what's the point of then being able to unlock it?

You're still paying the monthly tariff you had to agree to (complete with handing over card/bank/proof of identity details) anyway.

It's a fair point - and I suspect one that might see "old style" iPhones commanding quite a price on ebay for a while yet.

Nip over to Belgium, buy several. It's a steal for a 16GB phone, even if you go onto the lowest O2 contract.

£159 + (18 * £30) = £729

£0 + (18 * £75) = £1,350

Mobistar: €615 incl VAT = £488

Saving: £241 over the life of the O2 contract. And you keep your own number. And you don't have to deal with O2.

And whatever you do, DO NOT be browbeaten into paying for a Mobistar contract. They are legally obliged to provide the phone unlocked, without a contract.

:-)

Here in Brazil there´s a law that all carriers have to sell unlocked phones if you don´t want to pay for a 1 or 2 years contract. You pay the price, but the phone is unlocked. About the official sales, Claro (www.claro.com.br) is announcing the iPhone 3G soon. Why do apple deny it will sell iPhone 3G in Brazil?

1. Carriers no longer share revenue with Apple. Instead they buy the iPhone from Apple at a generous price.

2. Jailbreak = hack CPU OS security so you can install applications not supplied via Apple; unlock = hack baseband processor firmware so you aren't tied to official carrier. Story is about a claimed unlock.

I think they have just made a clever video for Youtube and are trawling for sales leads in the hope of there being an unlock. They've set the price high so they can buy unlocked iPhones if they have to. Or just run off with punters money if that works better.