The Skeleton Key
With the recent 200 dollar iPhone price drop, the device is now costs $399 (before tax/shipping fees). This is a much sweeter price point, in the sense that the phone is now much, much more appealing to the general public. The early adopters and Apple fanatics that would have bought it at $499/$599 pretty much all have–to the tune of 1 million units. (At the current price I’d actually consider buying one, but I’m still holding off because I’m in a Sprint contract till 2009 and I always prefer to hold off until the second generation of any Apple product. It’s nice to have a couple solid concerns reinforcing my willpower.)
But the really interesting thing to me is, in a happy coincidence, the iPhone hacking community has come up with an absolutely free software-based SIM card unlock method less than 90 days after the the product’s release. Unlocking a phone allows it to run on any compatible network in the world, as opposed to the US AT&T network. This is great for a few reasons. People with AT&T who are going overseas can buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card to avoid exorbitant roaming fees. Domestically, it is now possible to use an iPhone in all the places where AT&T does not offer any service at all. Like the entire state of Vermont. T-Mobile users can now purchase an iPhone and use their T-Mobile SIM card if they so desire.
Where things get really interesting is outside the United States. GSM cell phone networks like the iPhone uses are very common in the rest of the world, so it is now possible for those living in other countries to get an iPhone ahead of the Europe/Asia/Canada/South America launch dates (which are, as of this writing, still unannounced). So the bleeding edge early adopters in those countries will now be able to get working iPhones, if they so desire. Everything else aside, a lot of the barriers on iPhone adoption worldwide just fell away.
Note that iPhone’s Visual Voicemail, the random access, email-like voicemail system, will not function on networks not set up for it. That is, any network that does not have a contractural agreement with Apple to be an offical iPhone reseller and service provider. Right now, AT&T is the only such network, but that could change as early as next week, when Apple is expected to announce the iPhone partner in the United Kingdom, if not all of Europe. Regular voice mail will work on any network, though, just like it does on every other cell phone.
If you’re interested in learning how to unlock your iPhone (it is by no means a trivial process), check out this guide from Macworld.
A Note on Cell Phone Networks
The iPhone, as stated, supports the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard. Quoting from the article (which is a very interesting read if you’re so inclined):
[GSM is] the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Its promoter, the GSM Association, estimates that the GSM service is used by over 2 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories. Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world.
The iPhone, it should be noted, is a quad-band GSM device, meaning it supports the following bands/regions.
- 850 MHz (U.S.)
- 900 MHz (Europe/Asia (excluding Japan and South Korea)
- 1800 MHz (Europe)
- 1900 MHz (U.S.)
Keywords from the above definition: “in the world.” Within the US, which is somewhat insular when it comes to cellular technology. Sprint relies on PCS, whereas Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is used by a variety of carriers within the US. GSM just isn’t that common. That doesn’t mean T-Mobile and AT&T are the only options. They’re just the biggest companies, with the largest coverage areas. GSM World provides a list of GSM-compatable carriers in the US. It’s a surprisingly long list, isn’t it? Lots more than the two providers the mass media would have you believe are the only options. Can’t say how many of those offer EDGE data plans with reasonable prices.
[tags]iphone, apple, apple iphone, hardware, hack, hacking, gsm, global system for mobile telecommunications, personal communications service, pcs, code division multiple access, cdma[/tags]