Despite that Apple supplies the party supplies, as usual, Apple crashes our party once again. It turns out "unlocked" iPhones sold in France aren’t truly unlocked.

When Apple decided to take the iPhone overseas to Europe, it really underestimated foreign law. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Apple was eventually forced to sell an unlocked version of its popular handset in both France and Germany. Apple is selling the unlocked iPhone at ridiculous prices in both countries: $1,460 for the Germans and about $1000 for the French, but it turns out the French "unlocked" handset is only semi-unlocked.

According to iPhone Atlas, the French unlocked iPhone doesn’t work with foreign SIM cards, meaning that the phone will only work with French carriers. Some call it a country lock, a restrictive measure applied by Apple to prevent tourists from taking home an unlocked model.

For those looking for an unlocked iPhone, there’s always the possibility of unlocking your iPhone through third party programs. Although it isn’t illegal to do so, it’s definitely a warranty-voiding measure. Apple can just as easily unlock your handset through iTunes, but the company’s become too greedy to make it that easy. Also, don’t forget Apple is expected to release the next version of the iPhone sometime next year (May or June?), which may hit stores in unlocked form if Apple ever realizes that locking handsets sucks for users.

Related:

Entry was posted on Saturday, December 15th, 2007 at 9:32 pm under Apple, Cell phones, Legal, Technology.

Read more entries by Danny Mendez.
Stumble It!