Disqus
What do we have here? Unlocked iPhones in Germany? Indeed we do. It seems Vodafone’s legal pursuit of T-Mobile’s Apple iPhone exclusivity has finally caught up with the No. 1 German wireless carrier. Thanks to a German court order, T-Mobile Germany has agreed to start selling iPhones sans contract – at least until they can work out this little legal snafu. As you might recall, a court in Hamburg, Germany ordered a temporary injunction (upon rival carrier Vodafone’s request) against T-Mobile Germany – stating that the iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple was in breach of local laws.
Well, T-Mobile Germany is now offering iPhones without requiring the customer to sign a 2-year contract, but unlocked iPhones come at a price, a huge price. In return for the privilege to use the iPhone on any GSM carrier, T-Mobile is asking a hefty 999 euro ($1,470) price tag for an unlocked iPhone. Of course, if you’d rather buy a new LCD HDTV and a new iPhone, T-Mobile Germany is still selling locked iPhones for 399 euros ($590) on a 2-year service contract. T-Mobile Germany is also offering unlock codes to customers that previously bought an iPhone and want to venture out to other GSM wireless carriers’ networks (ahem, Vodafone perhaps?).
T-Mobile is planning to appeal the injunction so that it can continue to maintain its status as an Apple iPhone exclusive carrier. We’ll keep you posted on the happenings in this space. Stay tuned.
[Via: Apple Insider]
About The Author
Will Park
Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...
