“Apple on Tuesday started selling iPhones without SIM cards or pre-determined monthly service plans from a U.S. carrier,” Gary Krakow reports for TheStreet. “It’s a boon for iPhone users who prefer not being tied down to any one particular carrier or do a lot of travelling abroad.”
“The SIM-free purchase option now allows users to ‘activate and use the unlocked iPhone on the supported wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint in the United States,'” Krakow reports. “Apple warns “if you choose T-Mobile, your iPhone comes with a T-Mobile SIM card already installed” and you need to contact T-Mobile or visit an Apple retail store to activate the handset. Otherwise, unlocked iPhones (the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 5S or 5c) do not come with a nano-SIM card and you need to obtain one from any supported carrier. After inserting the SIM, the set-up procedure consists of turning on the phone and following the on-screen instructions.”
“Prices for a new, unlocked, SIM-free iPhone 6 range from $649 for a 16 GB model to $749 for a 64 GB model; the 128 GB goes for an eye-opening $849,” Krakow reports. “Add $100 to each of those prices for an unlocked iPhone 6 Plus.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Eye-opening” only to those who have no idea how much unsubsidized high-end smartphones actually cost. Value, not price tag, is the most important consideration. The world’s best smartphone with 128GB storage for just $949 is an absolute steal.
Note: It’s cheaper in Canada, when you do the exchange rate by about $15. If you’re going to buy it outright, you could have previously bought it at an Apple store in Canada for $750 CAD. ($637 USD).
So this is just the old T-Mobile phone that they have been selling for months now. It’s just easer to understand when buying. Nothing new but a smart marketing move.
What I want to know – If I get a SIM from, say, AT&T, & stick it in there, is AT&T going to lock me to their network? That’d be just like them..
Nope. Buying that phone from Apple means it is unlocked. Period. If you get pissed after a few months at AT&T switch to T-Mobile. It’s the same GSM phone. T-Mobile has some great offers going right now. I just switched from a grandfathered corporate AT&T contract with unlimited data to T-Mobile for my new 6 and have the same unlimited data for less.
Does this include Virgin Mobile?
Yeah! They stole my Money from me, paying over $1000 after taxes for iPhone 6+. But it’s what I wanted, so I just won’t be able to eat for 2 weeks.