Finally! Apple Retail Stores in the US will now start carrying official unlocked GSM iPhone 4. Previously, in the US, Apple has sold the iPhone 4 locked on contract with either AT&T or Verizon Wireless. The availability of official unlocked GSM iPhone 4 now makes purchasing an iPhone 4 easier for those who don’t want a two year contract.
However, these officially unlocked GSM iPhone 4 don’t come cheap. A 16GB one will cost you $649 and a 32GB one will cost you $749.
Officially unlocked iPhones have not been available in the US, however Apple has been selling them in countries such as Canada and the UK. Those who wanted unlocked iPhones in the US would then have to restore to software based unlocks for which jailbreaking your iPhone is a pre-requisite. Some people have paid hundreds of dollars to get their iPhones unlocked via software, now the availability of official unlocked GSM iPhone 4 means that people won’t have to pay extra just to get their iPhone unlocked.
Unlocked iPhone 4 is particularly for those people who travel a lot and have to change SIMs whenever they visit different countries around the world. Now an iPhone locked to AT&T or Verizon Wireless won’t work, but an official unlocked GSM iPhone 4 would work on GSM networks around the world, without any glitches.
In case you’re wondering whether the micro-SIM of your 3G iPad will work on this iPhone 4, you’re wrong as the micro-SIM if the 3G iPad and the iPhone 4 are not interchangeable.
Keeping in mind the fact that the next generation iPhone is releasing soon, would you prefer buying an officially unlocked iPhone 4 at this point in time? Let us know your thoughts, in the comments below.
