Is the age of unlocked cell phones upon us? Pretty please??

[superboyac]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2012/12/01/apples-contract-free-iphone-could-benefit-every-consumer-in-america/

Is this really happening?  Are phones going to get divorced from the carriers?  Is our country ready for such freedom being unleashed upon the population?  What will the mindless animal civilians do without the big corporations holding our hands every step of the way??

[Renegade]

Apple? What's the ulterior motive?

[Stoic Joker]

It sounds like SOP for Apple to me...take any deficiency and spin-doctor it into a feature. History has shown that they can't secure the device well enough to keep a 9 year old from cracking it. So they might as well just kick the doors open for people and call it a customer friendly feature (marketing opportunity) that will reduce inventory/stocking complications.

[wraith808]

Truthfully, I've never gotten the hate.  If they subsidize so that you get a $600 phone for $200, $100, or free... well, you have to pay for it some way.  I do think that they should offer unsubsidized phones along side that offer- sort of like the Kindle/Nook.  But I for one would continue to get the subsidized version.  I'm staying with my provider, so why should I not benefit from it.

[Curt]

Apple’s introduction of an unlocked and contract free iPhone 5 may be a big thing in the United States, but for the rest of the world it’s business as usual.

At the current rate iPhone 5 is approx $850 (in Denmark) WITH a contract, and, can you guess it, $850 WITHOUT a contract! The difference being "minimum usage", whether you use the phone or not, plus, of course, that you don't have put down more than approx $50 each month for two years, if you get a contract - again: whether you use the phone or not... If you are not a heavy user, it is cheapest to merely buy the phone without a contract. Heavy users can safe some, by getting it with a contract.

[superboyac]

Truthfully, I've never gotten the hate.  If they subsidize so that you get a $600 phone for $200, $100, or free... well, you have to pay for it some way.  I do think that they should offer unsubsidized phones along side that offer- sort of like the Kindle/Nook.  But I for one would continue to get the subsidized version.  I'm staying with my provider, so why should I not benefit from it.

Well, in my mind, it's many things in addition to what you are pointing out.  For one, it's an awareness thing...most non-tech people are not aware that you can get unlocked phones and to figure it all out is quite a headache compared to walking into the phone store and just getting the traditional thing, which is cell phone subsidized plus contract.  If they offered a no contract phone right there alongside the contract phone, it would be a different story simply due to the awareness.  Then, I think more people would be inclined to get non contract phones which would affect the pricing eventually.  It would mean more competition and the price of unlocked phones would go down.  it would take a little control away from the big cellular companies and put more decision making opportunities into the hands of the customers.

Package deals int he long run seem to benefit big companies and take opportunities away from smaller companies and customers.  Normally, i'd avoid either extreme philosophically, but currently I feel like it's far too extreme in the favor of the big companies.  i don't find it as nice and beneficial as, say, a package deal involving a flight and rental car.

[wraith808]

Then, I think more people would be inclined to get non contract phones which would affect the pricing eventually.

I think, perhaps, you're a bit too optimistic.  I don't see the why there.  At one time, I was quite determined to get the best signal/deal possible.  I cycled through every carrier available at the time.  And in the end, I realized that none of them were good.  They all had their positives and negatives.

If you get to that point, and you're going to get the service in any case, why would you bother?  I'm not paying any more for service now than I would if I didn't get a subsidized phone.  But I would pay more for the phone.  So ... why?

[4wd]

I'm not paying any more for service now than I would if I didn't get a subsidized phone.  But I would pay more for the phone.  So ... why?

That depends purely on your phone usage pattern, I know I'd be over $800 better off if I chose an unlocked iPhone5 over a carrier locked/contract version....so why would I choose locked?

[wraith808]

I'm not paying any more for service now than I would if I didn't get a subsidized phone.  But I would pay more for the phone.  So ... why?

That depends purely on your phone usage pattern, I know I'd be over $800 better off if I chose an unlocked iPhone5 over a carrier locked/contract version....so why would I choose locked?

True... that's why I said I. 

[Mark0]

I never had a locked phone. Here in Italy is very common.
Plus, usually the telcos offer better conditions to new users than to recurring ones, so often it pay off to just move from one company to another, again and again.

[superboyac]

I never had a locked phone. Here in Italy is very common.
Plus, usually the telcos offer better conditions to new users than to recurring ones, so often it pay off to just move from one company to another, again and again.

this is true.