So you live in the UK and want to get an iPhone. What's the best method?

[Mirai 11]

alrite
now i live in the uk, and i want this iphone, and, for anyone who im sure will unerstand this, may well be fine wivout the phone feature if sum1 obtained one in the uk, i'd be completely happy with this, as i'd glagly use the internet, e-mail, and internet features of it instead, so i wouldnt mind myself to buy one, have it sent from the USA to my home, and use it just for the features i'd use, i've got a phone contract with my nokia n73 on an 18 month contract, soi'd be happy to use the iphone for the music, internet etc features

 

[surferfromuk]

Can I ask why the critical need for an iphone that renders you incapable of waiting another 6 months until Apple make them available in the uk!!..

(I know it's really hard - I'm gagging for one too!!)

 

[cheekyspanky]

Can I ask why the critical need for an iphone that renders you incapable of waiting another 6 months until Apple make them available in the uk!!..

My reasons are work purposes, the company wants one for analysis, I'd only get a brief play with it before it gets checked out for a few weeks - then no doubt chucked in a drawer along with a vast array of other phones.

 

[feelthefire]

Can you hook me up? I rather not go through ebay to get one if I can help it.

Be aware that the phone has to stay on contract for a month before you can cancel and pay the ETF. Within the first 30 days, you have to return any equipment you bought on that contract.

 

[matthewHUB]

LOL. well i live in the UK when i'm not at college in the US.

So... i'm in the UK now. i have a contract that's up with AT&T, so just going to order online from apple.com and haveit sent over here by a friend. I should have it a few days after launch. I'll let you all know what happens when i put my vodafone sim in...

Also, my AT&T service is set up wirth international roaming, so i wonder what's going to happen once i put my cingular sim in while in the uk.

Looks like lots of you folks will be interested. Watch this space!


M

 

[sananda]

Yeah, my wife and I are planning our days there and we've marked a couple of places with WiFi that would be good for checking up on our email and get directions and stuff. And of course one of those places is the Apple store.

Can you imagine both of us standing there using our iPhones in the Apple store? Think we'll get some questions?

you'll be mobbed!

 

[Furgster]

correct me if im wrong, but i thought that the slot at the top of the iPhone was for a sim card? not sure though

 

[feelthefire]

LOL. well i live in the UK when i'm not at college in the US.

So... i'm in the UK now. i have a contract that's up with AT&T, so just going to order online from apple.com and haveit sent over here by a friend. I should have it a few days after launch. I'll let you all know what happens when i put my vodafone sim in...

Also, my AT&T service is set up wirth international roaming, so i wonder what's going to happen once i put my cingular sim in while in the uk.

Looks like lots of you folks will be interested. Watch this space!


M

Nothing will happen when you put your vodafone sim in, because the iPhone is carrier locked to AT&T and so it won't be able to utilize the vodafone sim. This has been hashed out a zillion times.

 

[matthewHUB]

Nothing will happen when you put your vodafone sim in, because the iPhone is carrier locked to AT&T and so it won't be able to utilize the vodafone sim. This has been hashed out a zillion times.

Duh... i know that. But people are wanting to know whether the ipod/internet part of the phone will work, or will it be locked and say "insert sim"or something. Nobody knows for sure.

 

[kamiboy]

Be aware that the phone has to stay on contract for a month before you can cancel and pay the ETF. Within the first 30 days, you have to return any equipment you bought on that contract.

Well, thats fine. No reason why I can't have the iPhone while that one month is passing. I'll just take out the sim and put it in airplane mode and I have a pretty kewl iPod while I wait to be able to unlock it.

By my count that would add up to less than 900$ for the iPhone + ETF + 1 month contract + shipping. For people wondering why I won't just wait I have a whole laundry list of very good reasons. Chief among them being that I am pretty sure that the iPhone will cost me more if I buy it in Europe than if I get from the US with all the fees and extra costs included. Also I hope to have been able to unlock the iPhone long before it launches in Europe. Not to mention all the other reasons.

I want one come launch in a few days and I will get it whatever it takes, just like I got a PS3 at the US launch, 5 months before it launched in Europe.

 

[thejedipunk]

It's possible that the original poster's employer wants to evaluate an iPhone to see if they are still gonna consider carrying the phone on their network, which ever it may be. Kinda makes sense to me. Obviously the SIMLock is the problem.

It's making me want to buy one and then just sell it on eBay for twice the worth. I'll let the buyer worry about unlocking it. That is if I can get one sans new or extended contract.

And yes, Furgster, there is a SIM tray at the top of the phone, right next to the headphone jack. Just like on Treos.

 

[Genghis Khan]

if apple have locked the iPhone to AT&T sim cards only, i will have lost all respect for steve jobs

so much so that i may neuter his children

-A disgruntled australian apple customer

 

[dextertangocci]

Why are locked phones illegal nearly everywhere but in the USA?

 

[eddietr]

if apple have locked the iPhone to AT&T sim cards only, i will have lost all respect for steve jobs

so much so that i may neuter his children

-A disgruntled australian apple customer

Sorry to say you're about the lose all respect for Steve Jobs. I don't think there is any doubt that the US iPhone will be locked to use only AT&T sims. Part of the deal (in the US) is a revenue sharing agreement between AT&T and Apple.

As a shareholder, I'd be pretty upset if Apple was stupid enough to let people circumvent the the revenue sharing agreement. Wouldn't you?

But the version for the rest of the world will probably be different. So don't worry.

 

[kamiboy]

Why are locked phones illegal nearly everywhere but in the USA?

I don't think they are. Here where I live when you buy a subsidised phone it is locked for the entire contract priod (6 months) and then you can ask for the unlock code. If you want you can pay to unlock the phone earlier.