Unlocked iPhones under fire in Singapore – Apple threatens legal action against unlocked iPhone retailers
By Will Park on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 9:35 PM PST In Announcements, Apple, China Mobile, Financial/Corporate News
By now its a well known fact that iPhones are finding their way onto networks worldwide. Of course, that means that the unlocking market for the iPhone is booming – so much so that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has restricted sales of iPhones to US customers. Well, it looks like Apples finally taken it to the next level by going after the Singaporean retailers that are hocking these unlocked iPhones. Specifically, Apple has threatened to take legal action against retailers in Singapore’s Square (a mall in Singapore) – and could seek damages of S$1,000 (~US$691) per unlocked iPhone that’s sold.
With Apple rumored to be having trouble convincing Chinese carriers that giving ridiculous revenue-kickbacks is a good idea, it makes sense for Apple to tighten its grip on the unlocked iPhone market. After all, why would China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) agree to a revenue sharing model if Apple can’t even assure them that the iPhone will be a China Mobile exclusive.
[Via: iPhone Central]
It makes me sick how greedy that company is…they know if people sell them unlocked, it takes the carriers out of the equation. This is bad for them because they get a piece of everything iphone related when a carrier sells an iphone. Truly disgusting -
I really think Apple would be better off selling the next iPhone unlocked. In the states (since Apple is an American company), they prolly figured, they could sell unlocked iPhones to at&t + tmobile customers, or locked to one provider with kickbacks. But the rest of the world uses GSM, its, selling unlocked iPhones to the whole world, or locked iphones to 1 carrier per market. Surely the entire world as a market has to be more profitable than the kickbacks of a single set of providers?
I believe it should be Sim Lim Square and not singapore square..