Unlocked iPhone 4s to Hit Canada on Friday

[Michael Essany]

While the jailbreak community continues to absorb news of Monday's announcement by the Federal Government that, for all intents and purposes, iPhones can now be unlocked and legally jailbroken (even though Apple's warranty will likely still be voided as a result of the action by consumers) today comes news of another excitement development in the world of liberated iPhones.

This Friday, when the iPhone 4 is scheduled to debut in Canada, it seems the device will arrive already unlocked. In other words, Apple will be selling unlocked iPhone 4s through Bell, Rogers and Telus and, thus, iPhone 4 owners have the option to select their preferred wireless carrier.

Best of all, users can come and go with the carriers of their choice all over the world via SIM cards from other regional carriers. Unfortunately, the only downside of the dawn of the unlocked iPhone 4 is the price tag. The 16-gig version will run you $659 and the 32-gig iPhone 4 is $779.

From CBC News:

Industry analysts say Apple's move puts a higher value on the iPhone 4 in Canada than in the United States, where customers currently have only one carrier, AT&T, as an option for the device.

Back in the US, however, the emergence of an unlocked iPhone will no longer be an altogether foreign concept for most users. Thanks to the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and its high-profile supporters, the Federal Government ultimately sided with the iPhone freedom fighters and effectively authorized "jailbreaking," which comes as one of a few important new exemptions from a federal law "that prohibits the circumvention of technical measures that control access to copyrighted works."

CBC News

[tremerone]

Wooohoooo!
Come on iPhone 4 jailbreak! This is some exciting times in jailbreak land!!

[hitman10]

Hmm... So ill just drive down to the usa n pick up and iphone down there and save myself a couple hundred that ill blow on your cheap priced alcohols.

[jokimo]

The iPhone 4 is coming unlocked to Denmark on Friday too...

[politicalslug]

You have always been able to purchase a full-priced "unlocked" world version of the iPhone, ever since the 2G model. The problem, as most of the world knows, is that you have to pay full price for the handset.

In the US we pay a cheap subsidized price that spreads the true cost of the phone over the course of an expensive two year contract (which I myself prefer, because I haven't $800 to spend on a phone in one lump sum).

Finally, this is a scam by the Canadian phone companies: US copyright law has no bearing on Canadian copyright law, and this "victory" for the EFF means less than nothing north of the border. Canadian companies just found a great BS excuse to charge full price upfront.

BAD, BAD, BAD NEWS !!!

[eyepoper]

Where or How or What can I do to email SteveJobs to tell him to also try to give us here Phone 4 to our Carriers?

Who can tell me how to do that ?

hihi..

[bobsco]

I think that in the end, Rogers, Fido, Bell and Telus still make us take long contracts (2 or 3 yrs) to allow us to benefit with a lower priced iphone. So unlocked or not, we still have contracts. So, I believe that this unlock business won't change anything. If they want to sell phones, they better still offer a subsidized iphone with a 2 or 3 yr contract. If its unlocked, doesn't change the fact that if I break the contract, I'll get hit with a huge fee. They won't sell nearly as many iphones at $659 or $779.

[LGgeek]

"Hmm... So ill just drive down to the usa n pick up and iphone down there and save myself a couple hundred that ill blow on your cheap priced alcohols."


yes please come down, we need the revenue.

[LastSonOfKrypton]

Glad to hear the rest of the world is getting unlocked iPhones. Unlocking was never a big deal for me though. ATT is my only choice for GSM service in my area

[whereswaldo]

iPhones have been unlocked in canada for almost a year now

[Bouzo]

So I just want to understand, will the phones that will be offered through subsidizing directly with a carrier (FIDO, ROGERS) be unlocked as well? Or only full price ones ordered online or bought at the local apple stores?

thanks

[JacquesChirac]

Considering the exorbitant tax and everything in canada, I think I'd wait a week or two for the jailbreak and unlock to come out, buy a no-contract phone for $600 and unlock it. You'll save a good $100-$150

[Grabka]

Phones that you get on contract will still be locked. Only if you buy at apple for full price will you get an unlocked one.

[abujala]

If i buy a unlocked Canada phone would Tmobile 3G work?
If so where can i get one?

[Bouzo]

Phones that you get on contract will still be locked. Only if you buy at apple for full price will you get an unlocked one.

Thanks. Next question, does FIDO (in my case) or ROGERS care if you have take your SIM card out of your existing phone and put in an UNLOCKED iPhone or ANY unlocked phone for that matter.

I seem to remember back in the day they wouldn't support your data plan on NON Fido phones, ie, phones they do not sell.

[ctstiffler]

Actually the two stores that I went to before I upgraded both told me that you could NOT but an i4 out right, because of the high demand for the i4 apple told sellers they were not allowed to sell any i4 out right without contract.

[gurvir44]

Why do people say its been unlocked for over a year now? If you buy a phone from fido with a plan, you cannot use it on rogers or bell (they also sell iphone). If you buy a phone outright from rogers, you cannot use it on fido, only on bell unless you jailbreak/unlock yourself.

[skblut]

The problem is the cost and the same in the US to get a phone without a contract you have to pay a lot of money and Apple is not selling them without a contract even though at one time it was reported that they would for 599 they are not so our only choice is get one for more than that or not have one .They have been selling non contract phones for years like another poster said.The only ones you could buy for cheap were the first 2g phones that they sold without contract for a short window of time.

[UKROB86]

"This Friday, when the iPhone 4 is scheduled to debut in Canada, it seems the device will arrive already unlocked. In other words, Apple will be selling unlocked iPhone 4s through Bell, Rogers and Telus and, thus, iPhone 4 owners have the option to select their preferred wireless carrier."

This original post kinda threw me off..

Does this mean that ONLY the unlocked (non-subsidized/full price) version of the iPhone will be available (at a higher price tag) through rogers/fido/apple store etc?
Or will you still be able to get ahold of the iPhone 4, at the reduced contract price of $199/$299/$399 (or whatever it may be)?

Judging by the original post.. it seems as if we may not have a choice of locked/unlocked, since

"it seems the device will arrive already unlocked"

Can somebody please clarify this?

[phoenixfire425]

So does this mean that there will be a different firmware for the unlocked phones? or will it just read something in the hardware?