Apple: SCREW YOU, BRITS ... no unlocked iPhones for you A bit of Apple gold dust is set to bring some bling to the technology distribution channel after Tech Data confirmed it will trial the sale of SIM-lock-free iPhones to dealers in Europe – but not in good old Blighty, it seems. Yes, you read that correctly, people, the post-Jobsian empire continues to snub IT resellers …
Because there's Apple the retailer, and Apple the wholesaler. Resellers don't just pop into the Apple store, buy some and re-sell them. They get them wholesale from Apple, only in this instance, Apple refuse to supply them wholesale to their re-sellers, unless it's tied with a network contract (in which case, it's more likely the reseller is getting them wholesale from the network providers, not Apple).
... for why I don't buy apple.
What astonishes me is that fanbois still put up with this behaviour. They let apple drag them around on a leash like this and still sing their praises?!
It's this aspect of draconian control that apple place on their products which is the real reason for why I hold the company and their users in such contempt. It's laughable, especially when some of my "iPhone till I die" friends have bought something other than an apple phone and they exclaim "Wait, you can do that?!" for things as simple as bluetoothing a photo or music track.
I can only conclude that people like to be controlled.
In the case of a company, they might well.
If you want to convert company phones from (say) Blackberry to iPhones, do you
go onto Apple's website and put your company credit card through the ringer 20 times?
call your current mobile supplier and find yourself re-negotiating your current contract?
call your usual supplier of tech and ask the price for 20 iPhones, then take the sims out of the current phones and put them in the iPhones?
At the moment, the last one is not possible.
well that’s fine for you, for me it’s another reason why I do buy apple, and why I buy from the Apple store then go and get my sim from Tesco (or wherever is currently cheapest) on a month by month contract. OH, and when I buy my new iPhone (or whatever) the nice tech in the store transfers everything and makes sure all is working before I leave. I am not [enough of ] a techie, I just want stuff to work. Thank you.
You sir are a bit of a dickhead.
The Poster is describing behavior that the majority of users will want. Apple can provide that service should you want it. It saves a lot of people an awful lot of faffing about.
The people who visit and post here are in the main not the majority of users in their behavior and the way they use their devices.
Most iDevice users don't care a toss about if they can root it or stuff like that. Folks here do. I don't care about rooting because I have bricked one HTC phone and have no intention of even trying to do it again. I have more rewarding (to me) things to do with my life.
Now I'm off down the pub. See that's more important at the moment mr dickhead.
AC 13:29 - "The Poster is describing behavior that the majority of users will want. Apple can provide that service should you want it. It saves a lot of people an awful lot of faffing about.
The people who visit and post here are in the main not the majority of users in their behavior and the way they use their devices.
Most iDevice users don't care a toss about if they can root it or stuff like that."
===================================
My point exactly.
So, what IS the point of Sheeple constantly coming here to post about their Fanboy-ism? Cause I can assure you with great certainty, the whole "evangelism" thing probably isn't working worth a crap on this website. And I get zero tech info from any of their posts.
It really doesn't even make for good discussion. It's just ... weird.
Posting about their Fanboy-ism? You mean like all the Android fanboys who come here to "evangelize" about Android and tell iPhone owners they're stupid, sheep, or whatever because they didn't make the same choice that the Android fanboy did? No one gets any useful tech content out of those posts, either.
Let's face it, anyone posting about why their phone/OS is the best and anyone who chooses differently is wrong is a complete dickhead, and stupid to boot. Doesn't matter whether they're posting as an Apple fanboy or an Android fanboy.
Mostly agree, but disagree a little bit. I think it's fine to be enthusiastic and loving platform A, B or C, a fan and it's even ok to evangelise a bit. After all this site caters for tech enthusiasts. It's when for A to be good someone feels C and D have to be denigrated as a pile of shit that I have a problem.
"In Europe, the telcos are understood to have less of a stranglehold on iPhone sales."
The situation is more likely down to subsidies: UK customers receive huge subsidies on carrier-locked handsets compared to other EU nations, and iPhone is the leader of the pack on this. The level of subsidy that Apple got from UK carriers is so high that it's debatable whether the carriers actually make anything at all selling the things, even when including iPhone owners' higher Revenue Per User figures.
But as long as you've got retailers (the networks) "selling" iPhones at £100.00 or even £0.00 on not-unreasonable contract prices (and more importantly: contract prices that don't change depending on what phone you take), the market for fully unlocked units will be so small that it's not worth bothering with UK sales.
Elsewhere, where the contract and off-contract prices are closer, the market for SIM-free handsets makes more sense.
Really? Thats why Apple sell zero iphones through their physical and internet Apple Stores.
Now consider every shop and website that is an Apple reseller and potentially can own their little corner of the world market in unlocked iphones.
If the resellers didnt think they could make money for it they wouldnt be clamouring for it.
The simple solution is to buy the unlocked iphone from Europe directly. Under EU law you are perfectly untitled to buy goods from other EU countries without penalty. You don't have to pay custom charges or import duty when buying from another EU state.
Because you can actually buy one? Shades of Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 sold out within hours of going on sale. Towards the end it listed "ships in 3-4 weeks" (which is more like a pre-sale than actually being on sale) and now is sold out and probably will stay that way for a month or more. I like my Nexus 4, but I'm under no illusion that Google isn't playing the game just as much as Apple is.
When I first read the post title I thought Apple were going to STOP selling SIM Free (network unlocked) iPhones in the UK but I think you are referring to 'resellers' only with this article?
For years you have been able to walk into any Apple store in the UK and purchase a full price, completely unlocked, SIM Free, iPhone. Granted resellers may have to sell them locked to a network but is that really a big deal, just order from Apple UK online store or walk into your nearest Apple Store.
@AtOmicAndy - It appears that you embody the view of all people that i know who own an iphone, this is exactly where apple are aiming too. I am not trying to be offensive as i understand the why, however it remains that the iPhone and IOS represent purely simple tech for non tech people. Whether this is due to laziness or stupidity is the box that you can tick yourself (if IOS hasn't already done that for you)
I do now own an android but have tried all offerings (even Winphone which isnt that bad at all, maybe even better in an O/S usablility and stability sense that IOS) My iPhone was just too basic and closed for me to enjoy. Anyone ever own a Speak and Spell when they were younger? the similarities are surprising.
I can't speak for Germany, but here in France you have the right to demand the SIM unlock code after a certain period of time (three months, I think). All of my phones are unlocked. While I have remained with Orange, other family members are with different networks, so it is useful to have the option - if one of their phones should fail - to pick up one of mine.
Does this unlock hurt Orange? In my case, no. I don't max out what is provided as a part of my contract (free calls from a mobile to landline? any French landline? free calls and texts to three nominated mobiles on any French network? I guess I could swap out the SIM for another provider, but with an offer like that, I really don't see the point...).
Anyway, if the customer has the legal option to unlock their phone from the network, then it is perhaps a more attractive market in which to offer unlocked phones?
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