“Our readers think they have found the million unaccounted-for iPhones… bought but then never activated on the networks of the wireless carriers that are Apple’s partners,” Damon Darlin reports for The New York Times. “They are all around the world, in many countries where Apple has not yet worked out deals with local carriers, indicating that these phones have been ‘unlocked.'”
Darlin provides a sample of some of the comments the New York Times has received from “unlocked” iPhone users in:
• Australia
• India
• Brazil
• Bolivia
• Colombia
• Elsewhere in South America (and Spain)
• Uganda
• Russia
• China
• Kuwait
• Canada
• Thailand
• New Zealand
• The Philippines
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Ampar” for the heads up.]
And I personally can account for 7 iPhones being brought back to Finland and unlocked for friends.
What no Antarctica?
How many did MS/HTC/Nokia/Samsung/Sony/Motorola buy so that they can copy it?
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Well I know of 7 of them. 4 in Mexico, one in Houston and two in England.
I mean to say “try” to copy. So far its just silly colors!
I saw a dealer for them in St. Maarten while I was vacationing
More than 15 friends of mine with an iPhones here in Italy!
Washington D.C. Oh no, that’s wrong. They only get free things.
Many of unlocked ones in Vancouver, BC Canada
When the numbers were due to waning demand and iPhones rotting away on store shelves, the story spread like wildfire. Now that the truth is out I barely see it anywhere.
I’ve unlocked five with 1.1.1. firmware in Belgrade, Serbia. There are ads in magazines asking for 550 euros for unlocked iPhone. Price for unlocking only is 60 to 80 euros.
Ok so where are the pictures??
iPhones modified to work on a different cell network??? How about some of those cheap knock offs that look a little like an iPhone and everyone is saying that they have one so they can be cool???
Just a thought.
en
… the million unaccounted-for iPhones… bought but then never activated on the networks of the wireless carriers that are Apple’s partners…
Goes to show Apple should have just unlocked the iPhone in the first place.
3 friends of mine & me here in Switzerland
@Old Mac Man
You forgot to bitch about glossy screens. Common, let’s get with the program man!
Just an hour north and we’re officially in the UK (Northern Ireland). Got four just before Christmas, two for friends and two for my wife and I and unlocked them. There are loads of them here in the Republic.
not sure is this is a valid question or not…. but what about all of the phones that have been replaced in repair or exchange? How are they counted in the total?
An 1.1.2 OTB will work in the Netherlands with KPN, and given some Dutch websites, I am not alone.
Microsoft bought 3 so they can put them in their “dump you iPod” box at M$ HQ.
Of the times that I’ve visited the 5th Ave NYC Apple store, including my visit last night, there were ALWAYS a disproportionately large amount of foreign speaking visitors at the store. How do you spot them? You won’t have to – you will hear their voices from 3 feet away despite the always crowded store, and you probably won’t understand a word they say.
The check out lines were always filled with people, and there was a line outside of the store this past Sunday evening – that’s how crowded the store is.
What recession? So much for recession fear.
As for me? I bought a 4GB iPhone right after they lowered the prices, unlocked it, love it, used it, updated it, and gave it to my sister in HK. I am currently look, and having a hard time deciding on whether to get a phatboy nano (I had two nano G1, one nano G2), an iPod Touch (for 16G flash), or just another iPhone – because I missed having it SO MUCH!
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Jim
And there are hundreds of unlocked version in Brunei. Not to mention Malaysia.
Another Apple mystery besides where the phones went is what Apple is going to do with 18 billion smackers.
And at least one was blended!
@Jim…
The US is a bargain thanks to the extremely weak dollar. NYC will have a ton of visitors for that reason alone. It has nothing to do with the pending US recession–which is very real.
Remember Japan in the 90’s? That’s the way the US is going. If the government ever properly accounted for the war spending you’d be even more depressed about the state of the US economy…
I can account for at least 4 more here in the Netherlands. Me, a close friend, and at least 2 colleagues at work (IT consultancy). More when I go out in downtown Amsterdam, but that’s people I don’t know personally. You didn’t think we’d wait for Apple and our Telco’s to give us some official overcharged crumbs now, did you =-)