Apple has finally caught up with the huge demand for the iPhone 4S. For the first time since its iPhone 4S launch way back< in October/a>, all models of the iPhone 4S are now shown as in stock.

No matter which model you go for, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB or which carrier you choose from AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, they are all in stock. Even the unlocked and contract free models too.

Source: Apple Store via Macrumors

Sprint and Verizon will offer the iPhone 4S with an unlocked micro-SIM card slot according to information given to Macworld. The iPhone 4S is the first iPhone that can be classed as a world phone which means it has a GSM and CDMA radio. This is particularly useful if travelling overseas where CDMA networks are few and far between.

In simple terms, this means that users of Sprint or Verizon who buy an iPhone 4S and travel overseas will have the ability to install a local micro-SIM card in their phone; to use on GSM networks. AT&T will still offer the iPhone 4S with a locked micro-SIM card slot; which means users can roam on overseas GSM networks but do so via AT&T agreements with local carriers. This leads to a huge increase in call and data charges with this method.

If you use Sprint or Verizon and travel overseas, having an unlocked phone could save you a considerable amount of money. The downside however is that your number will be different when using a local micro-SIM card. Sprint’s iPhone 4S will be unlocked from day one but Verizon will do it on request after 60 days; as long as your account is in good standing.

Source: Macworld

The unlocked iPhone works only on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S. When you travel internationally, you can also use a micro-SIM card from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone 4 will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint. If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

Source: Apple

In a company blog post earlier today, Cole Brodman, Chief Marketing Officer for T-Mobile USA, told customers that they were interested in offering a “no-compromise iPhone experience” on their network, but offered little details on the negotiations between the carrier and Apple.

We’ve heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service, but are disappointed that we don’t carry the iPhone. To these customers, first, thank you for your business. Please know that we think the iPhone is a great device and Apple knows that we’d like to add it to our line-up. Today, there are over a million T-Mobile customers using unlocked iPhones on our network. We are interested in offering all of our customers a no-compromise iPhone experience on our network.

One interesting takeaway is the current amount T-Mobile customers using an unlocked iPhone on the service. Although T-Mobile has never offered the iPhone to its customers, over a million users have been able to unlock the iPhone to run on the network.

Funny, though, that Brodman went into how T-Mobile offers a plethora of Android devices to cull would-be iPhone users until they’re officially under the Apple umbrella. Given recent surveys suggesting roughly 31 percent of current Android device owners are planning on jumping ship to the iPhone as their next purchase, this doesn’t bode well for T-Mobile who currently has the lowest number of US customers (around 32 million).

It will be interesting to see how the AT&T/T-Mobile merger plays out and if that will have any impact on T-Mobile finally offering the iPhone to its customers.

Source: T-Mobile via AndroidCentral

Sure, AT&T might be trying to buy T-Mobile US, and sure, T-Mobile got into the microSIM game before AT&T and Apple made them famous, but it looks like now T-Mo is actually going after iPhone and iPad owners before the former, using the latter.

Already have a GSM phone or iPhone that you need to activate—or have an unlocked GSM phone you want to use on the T-Mobile network? Just get a Micro SIM card and choose a plan. Slip the ready-to-use Micro SIM Card into your phone and you’re ready to go.

And why not, there’s reported over 1,000,000 unlocked iPhones already on the magenta network.

When I roam in the US, often at trade shows like CES, I often have to switch between AT&T and T-Mo, as often as I change buildings. That’s not an option for US iPhone users, but if you’re willing to live with EDGE speeds and pay for a second plan you could have the next best thing.

(Though yeah, the two year contract is nuts)

[T-Moble via App Advice]

Traveling to another country and wondering how to change your iPhone’s data settings so you can use a local SIM and avoid ridiculous roaming charges? Now that Apple is selling unlocked iPhones in the United States, something that has been available in Europe and Canada for some time, almost everyone has that option. However, while Apple does have a built in database of supported carrier settings, if the local carrier you decide to use is not on the supported list, your data settings will not work… unless you enter the settings manually. We’ll show you how after the break!

In this how to, I use a network in the UK called Giff Gaff; it is an MVNO of O2 UK. When you first put the Giff Gaff SIM in the iPhone 4, it defaults to O2 cellular data settings. This won’t work with Giff Gaff so it has to be changed to the correct settings.

To do this, follow these simple steps:-

• Go into Settings, General, Network, Cellular Data Network
• You will now see three headings, Cellular Data, Visual Voicemail and MMS
• To get data working we will need to change the APN settings, make sure you know what these are for the network you are going to use. A simple Google search should help.

• Click on APN and enter the new APN details, in my case it is: giffgaff.com
• Click on username and enter the new username details, in my case it is: giffgaff
• Click on password and enter the new password details, in my case it is: password

That should be it; you should now be able to access the cellular data network for the new carrier. If you also have the Visual Voicemail and MMS settings for the network you are using, you can enter them in exactly the same way!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Seth Weintraub over at 9to5Mac heard from a T-Mobile USA spokesman that their network is already home to over 1 million iPhones, and this is without the benefit of an Apple contract, T-Mobile supplied micro-SIMs, or support for their AWS 3G/4G bands. That means, right now, there are over a million people willing to jailbreak and unlock, or buy an unlocked model, manually cut their SIM cards, and go 2G EDGE only just to be on T-Mo with their iPhones.

There have been rumors that iPhone 5 would support T-Mobile’s AWS HSPA and HSPA+ bands, and AT&T is trying to buy T-Mobile and if that goes through, it probably means iPhones for everyone.

If a million customers are willing to go to the effort of doing it on their own, how many would go iPhone if it was officially offered?

Are you running your iPhone on T-Mo? If so, how’s it working for you?

[9to5Mac]

Both black and white models are available in 16GB and 32GB flavors. It will set you back $649 for the 16GB model and $749 for the 32GB. Shipping is quoted at 1-3 days.

Get all the features of iPhone 4 — FaceTime video calling, Retina display, HD video recording, and more — in a phone that you can activate and use on the supported GSM wireless carrier of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States. If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone 4 is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide.

There is no mention of any support for T-Mobile AWS frequencies so you wouldn’t get any 3G data on that network. We assume, then, that this new offer is aimed more at those who travel and would benefit from using local SIM cards at their destination. Like iMessage it could also be a show of strength to the US carriers, or a way to help ease the regulatory wheels by showing how open and available iPhone is in the US.

No word yet on whether AT&T will offer to unlock any existing, previously locked iPhones. In the UK, carriers do offer to unlock for a fee, while in Canada, no carrier unlocks have been made available.

Are any of our readers planning on picking up an unlocked iPhone 4? Is the price too high? Let us know in the comments!

[Apple Store]

If Jailbreak developer Chronic’s sources are to be believe, unlocked iPhones may finally hit US Apple Stores this Wednesday.

Unlocked iPhones headed to Apple Stores for Wednesday: MC603 (16GB, Black) MC604 (16GB, White) MC605 (32GB, Black) MC606 (32GB, White)

Chronic originally believed his sources were referring to new MacBook Air models but has since stated the original information was off — it’s for unlocked iPhones.

While countries like Canada and the UK have had SIM-unlocked models available since the iPhone 4 launched (and places like Hong Kong before that), the US has remained GSM-locked to AT&T even after Verizon launched a CDMA iPhone last February.

Before T-Mobile users get their hopes up, it’s unlikely these unlocked iPhones would support AWS frequencies, which means no 3G off AT&T in the US. But for travelers who’d prefer to swap SIM cards than pay extravagant roaming rates, it might be a compelling choice.

If this rumor pans out, expect the unlocked models to come with a hefty, unsubsidized price — like $600+ for 16GB and $700+ for 32GB.

And with iPhone 5 likely coming this fall alongside iOS 5 would anyone rush out and pay that much, right now, just for a factory unlock?

[@chronicwire]

New to iPhone and wondering what exactly that tiny SIM card in the side of your AT&T/GSM iPhone or iPad 3G is, and what it does? The short answer is, it’s a Subscriber Identity Module, and it is a small circuit board which is placed in your iPhone (or any GSM phone) in order to identify it to your carrier. It’s why you can swap SIMs in GSM phones and your phone number, voice, and data plans are swapped right along with it. Unfortunately, it’s also why you can’t just take a SIM-locked AT&T iPhone and run in on another carrier. For the long answer, stay with us after the break!

A SIM card is internationally identified by its Integrated circuit card identifier (ICC-ID) which is engraved on the body of the card. They are also identified by the carrier from its International mobile subscriber identity (IMSI). Beyond identification, SIM cards (mini SIM in iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS and micro SIM in iPhone 4 and iPads), have several other functions.

Look

SIM cards have evolved a lot over the years. All three are 0.76 mm in thickness and run at a speed of 5MHz. The old, original SIM cards were credit card sized. The next and still most common size is the mini SIM, which is 25 mm in length with a width of 15 mm with a cut on the corner so that it is easy to place in the slot properly. Apple began using micro SIM with iPads and iPhone 4. This is the newest standardized SIM size, and is 15 mm × 12 mm. Many carriers provide a mini SIM with the smaller micro SIM punched out inside so that it can be broken off and placed into the phone if needed.

There are also 3rd party, after market SIM cutters to turn a mini SIM into a micro SIM and jackets so a micro SIM can be used in a mini SIM slot.

Use

The SIM card is provided with your iPhone (or 3G iPad) by your carrier and it is used to store data about your account. It holds information such as your phone number, security data, billing information and things which help the carrier to know who is the user of the phone. (On older devices, especially feature phones, it also stored things like text messages and contacts). The SIM card allows you to change cellular phones and keep the same user data.

The SIM card is what lets your carrier know that you’re the account holder of the iPhone using it. So if you take your SIM card our of your iPhone and then put it into your friend’s iPhone and receive calls as though it were your own (assuming the SIM card is compatible).

Bonus Tip: So yes, if your iPhone runs out of power and you desperately need to use your voice or data plan, you can just swap the SIM into another iPhone or phone and use it with your minutes and data bucket. Or, if they’re running low on minutes or data, they can borrow your SIM card and use it with the apps on their iPhone until you need it back.

Benefits

The main benefit of a SIM is that you can easily swap phones on your own. If you buy a new phone you can simply insert your existing SIM and keep on using your existing service (carrier restrictions may or may not apply, but the technology works that way.) Likewise if you travel internationally you can just buy a SIM on a local carrier and use that as a way to avoid expensive roaming fees (again, carrier restrictions and lockouts may apply).

Drawbacks

Theoretically there are few drawbacks to SIMs. Practically, however, many carriers lock their iPhones so they only work with that carrier’s SIMs. That means, if you put in a SIM from another network you’ll get an error instead of the service you’d expect. Typically the SIM-lock is in exchange for a subsidized phone (so you can’t buy a cheap phone on one carrier then switch over an use another before you’ve paid back the subsidy over the life of your contract).

However, with iPhone many carriers like AT&T won’t unlock it even if you pay full price, even when your contract expires, or even if you work internationally and need it unlocked for travel.

The only way around the restriction is to Jailbreak and then unlock your iPhone. (See our Jailbreak Starters Guide for more.)

Apple does sell officially SIM-unlocked iPhones in many countries, however they cost full price (over $600 for 16GB and over $700 for 32GB). Some carriers will also officially unlock phones after certain periods or at a certain cost. They communicate your iPhone ID to Apple which then registers it as an officially unlocked iPhone and will activate with any SIM on iTunes.

(Note: The Verizon iPhone and Verizon iPad 3G run on the Verizon CDMA network and don’t use a SIM card, though current and future LTE phones on Verizon will.)

Let us know if you found this post helpful and what else did I miss on the subject?

Considering switching to a Verizon iPhone and wondering how to avoid an AT&T ETF?

Early termination fees are a necessary evil for most carriers. They allow the carrier to recoup some of the cost of a subsidized device if someone cancels early. It also makes the cost of switching to another carrier pretty painful. But there are a few ways to either get around an ETF or offset some of the cost to make the switch a little easier to swallow. Click through for a few suggestions.

Carriers are pretty hard up when it comes to waiving early termination fees. Especially when they know most customers are probably switching for a specific device. In this case, the Verizon iPhone 4. Back in June AT&T changed their ETF policies for smartphone users. The termination fee is not $175 any longer. It’s now $325 and will drop by $10 for every month you carry service with them.

Avoiding an ETF

• Watch for contract term changes. If rates go up, that typically will give you an out. Keep in mind the rate has to directly affect you. If text messaging rates go up a cent or two but you have unlimited texting, the change doesn’t adversely affect you. You’d have a hard time arguing your way out.

• If you’ve recently moved and your service is noticeably worse than what it was before, this can be a way out as well. You’ll need to be able to prove the service is pretty bad. Calling and reporting dropped calls can have a huge impact on their final decision. And when you talk to a rep, always get their name and make sure they notate on your account that you were calling about poor service coverage. This also works for people whose service has went downhill. I live in a huge Centennial acquisition area and we’ve had sketchy service for about the past year. I’ve seen a few people talk their way out of an ETF because of the degradation in coverage.

• Keep your cool. This is probably the most important point of all. You want the person on the other end to sympathize with you. If you have a bad attitude, odds are they probably aren’t going to be too willing to help you out. Explain your situation thoroughly and with a level head. Reps are much more responsive to courteous customers than they are to those who just want to yell at them. Remember, the rep on the other line is a person too.

Offsetting the cost of an ETF

• A lot of you may already have an iPhone 4 on AT&T. They sell like hotcakes on sites like Craigslist and eBay. They’re worth even more if they’re jailbroken and unlocked (or at least on a firmware that can be unlocked). In my area (Chicago), a 16 GB iPhone 4 is currently going for anywhere between $400-550 on Craiglist. A 32 GB that is unlocked is fetching around $650. These prices may vary given your area, but I’m almost willing to bet a mint condition iPhone 4 will fetch you at least the amount of your ETF. I always recommend meeting face to face for cash if you can. I’ve upgraded to the newest generation iPhone every year this way. I unlock them and fetch almost what I paid. I haven’t paid for an iPhone since I purchased my first gen.

• If you don’t want to go through the hassle of listing your phone on websites, sites like Gazelle will take them off your hands for a reasonable amount. For a mint condition iPhone 4 with all the original accessories, the 16 and 32 GB models are being bought at $360 and $420 respectively. Enough to cover your ETF with AT&T.

• If you’d like to get rid of your entire AT&T plan, you can always use sites like CellSwapper. You basically unload your entire contract. The way it works is you list your plan and device and when someone wants it, they’ll notify you. You’ll go through a change of responsibility with the carrier. Keep in mind the person on the receiving end will need to pass a credit check just like you did.

• Find a family member or friend who wants an iPhone 4 and doesn’t mind being on AT&T. Maybe they have better service in their area than you do. This is probably the easiest way. You’ll need to call AT&T and tell them you want to do a change of responsibility. They’ll need to verify information for both parties, so you’ll both need to be on the phone call. They simply agree to take responsibility for the rest of your contract. Once they pass a credit check and pay their deposit (if there is one), you’re free from the AT&T ball and chain.

These are some of the ways that I have found to be most effective for customers. You can also find more advice and experiences with escaping ETFs on sites like the Consumerist as well. If any of you have any luck getting out of your AT&T contract, let us know how you did it!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Apple has posted an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page concerning the new SIM-free (i.e. unlocked) iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 they’re selling for the first time in international Apple Store like UK, France, and Canada.

Bottom line? They’re really, truly, 100% unlocked and will work on any GSM carrier for which you have a miniSIM (iPhone 3GS) or microSIM (iPhone 4). You’ll pay full price for them, of course, but for those who absolutely don’t want a contract, or for frequent international travelers, this is huge.

(Note: No T-Mobile US 3G. Sorry folks, even though iPhone 4 is pentaband, T-Mobile’s 3G band isn’t supported. It hurts. Sorry).

Here’s the cover:

Buy your iPhone from Apple commitment-free.

It works with the carrier of your choice. Buy your iPhone from the Apple Online Store and choose your own GSM carrier. You can change carriers at any time.

It’s easy to set up. Get a compatible SIM (iPhone 3GS) or micro-SIM card (iPhone 4) and select a plan from the carrier of your choice. Then insert the card and set up your iPhone using iTunes on your Mac or PC. With a few clicks, you can start making calls.

It works internationally. Because this iPhone is commitment-free, you can purchase a micro-SIM or SIM card and service from a local carrier at your destination. Or check with your home carrier regarding international roaming charges.

Full FAQ after the break!

[Apple.com iPhone 4 FAQ, via @havvac]

Does iPhone work with any SIM card or carrier worldwide?

iPhone 3GS works with SIM cards and iPhone 4 works with micro-SIM cards from compatible carriers, including prepaid cards. Non-GSM carrier networks do not support iPhone. Availability of 3G data depends on carrier support for the radio frequencies used by iPhone.

Where can I get a SIM or micro-SIM card?

You can get a SIM or micro-SIM card from any carrier offering iPhone plans.

How do I get started using iPhone to place and receive calls?

First, insert an activated SIM or micro-SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes to complete set up.

Do I need an iPhone-specific service plan?

iPhone may require large amounts of data usage. Please contact your carrier to ensure that you have an appropriate service plan to support iPhone.

Do I need to commit to a long-term contract for my iPhone?

Buying a commitment-free iPhone from the Apple Online Store allows you choose your own carrier and change carriers at any time. iPhone may also be available at a reduced initial price with a contract directly from your wireless carrier.

Does iPhone support tethering?

Yes. You can share the fast 3G connection on your iPhone with your Mac or PC and connect to the Internet from just about anywhere — no Wi-Fi required. Contact your carrier for details.

Are iPhone 4 and iPad micro-SIM cards interchangeable?

No. Your iPad micro-SIM card will not work with your iPhone.

Will all iPhone features work with my carrier?

Visual Voicemail requires carrier support and may not function on your carrier’s network. Please read this Support article or contact your carrier for more details.

Why does the price of iPhone from the Apple Online Store differ from its price from a carrier?

Carriers typically sell the iPhone with a contract that subsidizes the initial purchase price of the phone. By purchasing your iPhone without a contract, you can use any SIM or micro-SIM card from a compatible carrier, including your current one.

Can I use my iPhone outside my home country?

Yes. iPhone is enabled to work on carrier networks using GSM around the world. Because the iPhone sold by the Apple Online Store is commitment-free, you can purchase a SIM or micro-SIM card and service from a local carrier at your destination. Or check with your home carrier regarding international roaming charges.

If I buy iPhone from this Apple Online Store, can I ship it to another country?

No. Orders placed through this Apple Online Store can be shipped only within the country of purchase. You can also shop for friends and family in countries where iPhone is sold. Just visit the local store of the country where you want your products delivered.

As the UK and France Apple Online Stores come back up and start taking iPhone 4 pre-orders again, it’s worth noting that Apple is actually offering them SIM-free in those countries. That’s right — unlocked:

When you purchase your iPhone from the Apple Online Store, you’ll get it SIM-free. So you can sign up for service with the carrier of your choice and change your carrier at any time.

It’s not cheap, mind you: £499/16GB and £599/32GB in the UK, and €629/16GB and €739/32GB in France. Canada will also have the SIM-free option but won’t be offering the iPhone until July.

Any of our international readers taking that iPhone 4 unlocked option? Anyone looking to buy international and have it shipped home? (And if you see it SIM-free anywhere else, let us know!)

[Apple Online UK - Apple Online France]

Looks like Apple’s hype machine has once again succeeded in building interest for iPhone 4 to the degree that — it’s brought down the Apple Online Store. Taken down earlier tonight and brought back with iPhone 4 pre-orders, it was quickly overwhelmed.

Now it’s down again, with Apple hopefully getting its server ducks in a row this time, especially for countries with multiple carriers like the UK where you can buy iPhone 4 completely unlocked if price is no object (£499 for 16GB, £599 for 32GB).

Don’t hold your breath for a white option to come back with the store, however. That seems to condemned to late summer and later adopters.

If you see the Apple Online Store coming back up before we do, let us know!

9to5Mac is reporting, based on multiple sources, that Apple is now selling unlocked off-contract but still locked to AT&T iPhones at US Apple Retail Stores, at list price.

List price means $499 for 8GB [for iPhone 3G], $599 for 16GB and 32GB is $699 [for iPhone 3GS].

Gizmodo scored the pic above. It’s unknown whether or not this is in response to the unlocked AT&T-friendly Google Nexus One being released (or the Palm Pre on AT&T… we guess), or just part of an ongoing, unrelated sales strategy.

It’s limited right now to one iPhone per person, per day, and who knows how long it will last so if you want your officially unlocked device — go get it! And tell us what your local Apple Retail Store says when you ask for it.

Steve Jobs announced as part of the iPad event, that Apple’s new device will come with WiFi 802.11n, and also have a prepaid (no contract) 3G option via unlocked GMS.

If you’re on AT&T, you can get contract-free pricing, $14.99 for 256MB/month, $29.99 for “unlimited”.

International carrier pricing will be coming in June/July.

[Image via GDGT]

The Register, (via Engadget Mobile) is reporting that T-Mobile UK is slipping unlocked iPhones to high-value customers in an attempt to keep them from switching to the exclusive UK iPhone carrier, O2.

It seems if you do indeed appear to be a big spender on T-Mobile, you just need to find a willing customer service rep, threaten to take your money and go to O2, and they’ll slip you an unlocked iPhone (smuggled over from T-Mobile Germany, perhaps?). Apparently, however, they’re limiting this to 150 units a week so as not to be too overt — or called out to joust by angry O2 bigwigs.

Any UK readers nab one?

Buy.com is offering the iPhone 3GS at 32GB “Never-Locked LEGALLY Unlocked” for $999. You can also get the iPhone 3G at 16GB for $849.

While seller DB Electronics doesn’t source the gear, we can only guess they’re picking them up somewhere Apple sells unlocked iPhones (like Hong Kong) and reselling them here (if someone knows better, drop us a correction in the comments).

What that means for manufacturers warranties and/or Apple Care, well, we don’t fancy the plane ride. If you don’t either, make sure you establish how the reseller will be covering exchanges/repairs for you.

So, any world-travelers going to take the plunge at 1K?

Buy.com is offering iPhon 3G, “officially” unlocked, for $799. We’re not sure if these are imported units from markets like Hong Kong or Taiwan, where Apple themselves sells unlocked units, or what the deal is, or if $799 is even a deal for you to not have to worry about Jailbreaking or cat and mouse games. But, if you have the extra bills in your pocket and alternate and international carrier support is worth the premium to you, you might want to check it out.

Anyone hitting the buy now button?

[via 9to5mac via GeekBrief.tv]

This past Saturday Apple posted a new support page, a simple list of all the carriers currently selling iPhone 3G’s and which ones are locked and which ones are unlocked. As all AT&T customers know, our iPhone’s are locked down tight until the Dev-Team can do something about it. I suppose if you were that desperate and crafty you could use this list of unlocked carriers to get yourself one, for a hefty fee of course… and be sure to know how to speak fluent Chinese if you want support for one purchased in Hong Kong or Taiwan.

[Via Engadget Mobile]

Good news? Looks like there really is a new “Home” option for iPhone activation in the US. Bad news? Looks like it has nothing to do with the iPhone being sold unlocked. Apple Insider, who broke the rumor, updates as follows:

In order to service these customers, a special home pre-qualification web site has been set up so that users can find if they are qualified by AT&T for a phone unit subsidy. Users can set up their account at home so that everything is ready to go when they make their iPhone 3G purchase at a retail store. The new “Home” option that retail employees are seeing on their EasyPay terminals is designed to allow them to use this home pre-qualification step to accelerate the transaction of a new iPhone 3G. That also indicates there is no impending potential for unlocked iPhone 3G sales in the US, although this is expected at some point.

Apple Insider is also sticking to the 32GB SKU, but maybe only after the holidays (though presumably that means short term, not, you know, any point after the holidays and into future months/years…)

Magic 8-Ball?

• Unlocked iPhones in the US? Very Doubtful
• 32GB iPhone in the *near* future? It is certain

Interesting! Can’t wait to see how this one pans out!

Apple Insider in reporting that a new option has popped up in US-based Apple (Retail) Stores: Home. Previously, the only options were Upgrade existing iPhone, New AT&T Single, New AT&T Family, and Additional AT&T Line. They conjecture this may mean a new, contract-free, unlocked take your iPhone 3G home and do what you want with it. They rightly point out that this is already an option in some countries which require unlocked handsets by law, though the price is typically as astronomic as the freedom that comes with it. Will this happen? And will it be “unlocked” meaning it can run on other US carriers only (i.e. T-Mobile), or truly SIM unlocked to run with any card, in any county, around the GSM world? We’d love it, but we’ve been learned not to let our expectations get ahead of corporate avarice before…

Also, they point to a possible capacity bump in time for the holidays. With 8GB supplies running low, they say, 32GB might just be on the horizon. This, of course, would require Apple to switch from the current NAND flash chips they’re using, which max out at 16GB on the iPhone and 32GB on the iPod Touch (which lacks the radios and hence has double the space for the memory). Apple bought tons of the old NAND chips before the 3G slipped, and we haven’t seen any rumblings of them ordering the higher capacity ones yet, but the same thing did happen last year, so…

Who wants an unlocked 32GB iPhone 3G (in Product Red, no doubt!) wrapped up for them this year? And who’s got the probably close to $1K to drop on it?? Let us know!

Engadget, via typically credible Italian newspaper La Repubblica, reports that a 3G iPhone will be coming soon to Telecom Italia, and what’s more: without carrier or contract lock-in.

Ch-ch-ch-che?

First, a quick look at our scoreboard, if this be true:

Next, Apple Insider brings some details:

[A] formal agreement on the matter was signed last week when Franco Bernabè, chief executive officer of TIM’s parent company Telecom Italia, met with Steve Jobs at Apple’s Cupertino-based headquarters. Under the terms of the deal, TIM will reportedly receive a several month exclusive on sales of a 3G iPhone through its retail shops [...] Apple is also reported to have agreed to terms by which the new iPhone will be sold at a higher price than in other European countries, but without a carrier lock and two-year service agreement.

Apple Insider further notes that, given the high percentage of pay-as-you-go plans in Italy, this unprecedented arrangement would give both the carrier and customers multo-flexibility in selling units and either using them on TIM, or with other providers, with plans or with pre-purchased bundles/minutes.

No comment, of course, from either Cupertino or Roma, but we’ve repeatedly repeated Apple COO Tim Cook’s comments on being open to other business models, and this particular one is very intriguing to say the least.

How does the idea of a contract-free 3G iPhone coming soon (albeit to Italy) grab you?

Ars Technica brings word that Australia may just be giving Singapore, the Netherlands, and Mexico a run for their international money in the great race towards the 7th official iPhone launch.

If rumors are to be believed, resellers have been told to say g’day to an UNLOCKED 3G iPhone down-under come the end of June. This would bring our current score to:

Without an Apple retail presence or strong carrier-branded stores, resellers are said to be key in getting the device out to market in Oz, and Apple COO, Tim Cook did say they would be open to different business models, but UNLOCKED?! And 3G in June?

Personally, I hope this is true as unlocked may be the only way we’ll get an iPhone in Canada any time soon (though 3G will do little good if it’s $1K a month…), but I’m taking this with a kangaroo-sized grain of salt for now… What do you think?

During our last regularly scheduled podcast, we received an dispatch from Hong Kong written by one Janric. We already knew that there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 400,000 unlocked iPhones in China alone, and Janric confirmed that you can’t walk down a Hong Kong alley without tripping over somebody that has one:

I just want to comment out on the news about the 400K iPhones that are loose in china. I’m based in Hong Kong and it’s no secret that you can buy the iphone here almost anywhere. The iPhone is such a hit here that I can almost see 1 iPhone per day (excluding mine ofcourse). In my office alone, there are about 5 unlocked iPhones in use.

Don’t believe it? Check out these photos that Janric snapped in an area of Causeway Bay – just a random two block stroll:

We’ve heard firsthand reports that it’s pretty much the same situation on the opposite side of the planet (Sweden) as well. So basically it’s as easy to get an unlocked iPhone in areas Apple hasn’t made official yet as it is to get a locked-up one in the official zones. If Apple wants to get their preferred revenue sharing going in these places, they need to step up the pace of worldwide releases.

Thanks, Janric!

Tom Cook, Chief Operating Officer of a little Cupertino company named Apple, spoke at the Goldman Sachs Investment Symposium, mercilessly teasing the faithful with the following bombs:

• Apple is not “married to any [single carrier exclusive] business model”. It’s apparently all about the “best phones in the world”, baby, and if unlocked, CDMA, and/or pre-paid proved, in the future, to provide the greatest sense of childlike wonder (or complies with future Congressional mandates), Apple could (possibly, maybe) go with that flow.
• Apple believes the global unlocking epidemic is a good sign of the iPhone’s potential, and that there will always be a percentage of unlocks in the wild because of the high demand.
• That the upcoming iPhone SDK would allow developers to “only be limited by [their] imagination.” (And whatever restrictions Apple imposes on accessing the metal and distributing via iTunes, ‘natch).

To the delight of Wall Street, Cook also continued to hold firm on the 10 million iPhone march through the end of 2008.

Check out Apple Insider for all the details.

Is Cook telling us Apple will make good on their promised smart phone utopia? Or Is he just cranking on his own mini Reality Distortion Field? Hit the comments and let us know what you think!

Well the news about 1.1.4 is that there’s no news — the apps are the same, the features are the same. The good news is the popular ZiPhone / iJailBreak method of jailbreaking works just fine — for Jailbreaking. Unlocking is apparently still a no-go, but just you wait, it will be.

We’re also hearing reports that the Bluetooth-dropped call issue has been fixed, along with the SMS order bug. Huzzah!

Wired.com

rener points us to this story: that roughly 400,000 iPhones are showing up on China Mobile’s network. That’s 1 in 10. That’s alotta iPhones:

According to China Mobile, the biggest wireless carrierin China, there were about 400,000 cracked iPhones using its cellular network service at the end of 2007, representing one out of every 10 iPhone shipments announced officially by Apple. – In-Stat – Information Alert

We’ve treaded lightly on the issue of the iPhone Gray Market and the question of just how many unlocked iPhones are floating about (and why these missing iPhones matter) – but it’s time to stop treading lightly and stomp: Apple either needs to get more carriers (especially China Mobile) on board with the iPhone to staunch this wound or they need to finally admit that unlocked iPhones are still sold iPhones and the lost revenue sharing ain’t a big deal.

There’s a great article over at Newsfactor about the booming iPhone gray market, it appears that unlocked iPhones (of which there are supposedly as many as a million) are coming out of all sorts of crevices in the standard iPhone market. One big source is apparently iPhones that “fall off the truck” directly from the factories in China. That’s not the only way they get out, though, turns out that people are using an incredible amount of ingenuity to grab the suckers for reselling on the gray market:

Sometimes, it is as simple as asking friends and family members to tap out their limit, which for individuals is five phones at Apple and three at AT&T. One reseller admits he got a friend to print business cards and pose as a small business owner so as to dupe an Apple Store manager into letting him buy 100 iPhones for his “employees.” – Newsfactor

Buyer beware, though. If you’re buying it direct from Apple or AT&T, about the only real risk you’re taking is a precipitous price drop right after you buy it. If you buy one on the gray market, you never really know. And for the resellers themselves, the number of people trying to defraud them is awfully high, as well.

AnySIM, the free software unlock by the iPhone Dev Wiki crowd, now works with iPhones that are running firmware version 1.1.1. The first version of AnySIM, released for 1.0 versions of the iPhone firmware, didn’t unlock the iPhone correctly. So, when folks that unlocked their iPhones with AnySIM updated to 1.1.1, it bricked their iPhones. This version of AnySIM doesn’t fix that issue. They claim that this version won’t cause the same problems as the earlier versions, but it might be a good idea to hold off on unlocking with AnySIM for a while anyway, caveat emptor. You have been warned. Speaking personally, I went crawling back to iPhoneSimFree to fix the broken AnySIM unlock. But, if all of those warnings are of no use to you, you can get the new version of Anysim here.

figure 1:Apple’s 1.1.1 update is out, and it clocks in at 152.3 MB

Apple released their long-promised 1.1.1 update to the iPhone, and it looks like the update is “all clear” for anyone that has not hacked their iPhone. They also posted another training video to go with the update, starring the same fellow from Apple’s earlier training videos (see here, here, and a creepy but funny mashup here).

I received an email from Wireless Imports in which they advise unlockers wait to apply the update:

We have just received confirmation that it is NOT safe for anyone to update their iPhones software at this time. If you do upgrade the software you will have your phone relocked back to AT&T and there is nothing currently we will be able to do to assist in re-unlocking your phone.

At this time we do not know if you will be able to use your AT&T sim card with the phone even though it is locked back to AT&T.

Again we ask that you DO NOT upgrade to the new software under any circumstance.

We will send you another email when we have more information on this matter.

If you unlocked via AnySIM or the terminal unlock methods, it’s probably also not a good idea to update the iPhone. If you’ve unlocked your iPhone, it is probably best to wait to apply this update.

Unsurprisingly, if you’ve hacked your iPhone, Apple has broken 3rd party applications and re-locks iPhones that were previously unlocked. Applications that were installed on the iPhone remain on the iPhone, although there isn’t a way to launch those applications until hackers jailbreak the iPhone again.

Unfortunately, Apple’s language in the patch update indicates their willingness to dump the warranty on anyone that’s unlocked their iPhone and thereby saw it bricked with this update. If you hack your iPhone in the future, you will want to get used to waiting a few days or more past an update to see how the update could affect you. Let someone else be the hero.

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As far as I can tell, this article was written by someone that understands the Magnuson-Moss Act very well. I’ve never even heard of it, but it governs the aspects of a limited warranty and sets what you can and cannot do in terms of legally limiting a warranty and for what purposes. The legal mumbo-jumbo is strong in this one — the phrase “I am not a lawyer” really hits home trying to read this, but if you’ve got an eye for the law-talkin’ boilerplate, then it’s worth a read.

To the best of my understanding, the iPhone unlocking situation is analogous to using 3rd party ink cartridges in printers. Or buying a 3rd party garage-door opener for your garage door. Also, Apple could require you to re-lock your iPhone before they’d provide any kind of warranty service.

Otherwise, there could be a bit of trouble for Apple if they ditch warranties on iPhone unlockers:

The conclusion here is simple: Apple has, at least in a minor and reversible way, violated the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Apple should take action to correct their policy, and require that iPhone customers seeking warranty service, return their iPhone’s to locked condition. Apple could also release a software tool that aides in this process, though legally they are not required to… it would make the job of the Genius Bar easier to have such a tool in-house.

Everybody hold your breath for the next iPhone lawsuit.

The iPhone Dev Team, the same folks that have set the stage for 3rd party applications and more recently, the free iPhone unlock methods, released a statement via Erica Sadun of TUAW about Apple’s positioning on the iPhone unlock and the possible bricking of iPhones. Their statement is to wait to install the patch if you’ve unlocked your iPhone; if you really need the update, they have a tool in the works that will restore your iPhone to its factory condition. The ‘restore-to-factory-condition’ tool would be useful for anyone that wanted to sell their iPhone and be assured that there’s no personal information on the iPhone. The text of their statement is reproduced below:

9/25 Statement from the iPhone unlockers

Based on download numbers, the iPhone Dev Team believes that, worldwide, several hundred thousand people have unlocked their iPhones. That number continues growing every day. The removal of the lock, a bug, was a major step forward in the iPhone development. It made the iPhone free and useful to anyone, not only to those in certain countries.

Apple now announces that the next firmware update, expected later this week, will possibly break the handset of all of us free users in the World. It speaks of “damage” done to the firmware and “unauthorized access” to our own property, The removal of those firmware problems, which were built in in favor for AT&T, does not cause “damage” as they want to make us believe.

We will provide you with a tool in the next week which will be able to recover your nck counter and seczones and even enables you to restore your phone to a Factory-like state.

In the meantime we advise you not to update your free iPhone with the upcoming firmware. Wait for the next version to be fixed to work properly with your carrier and not break your phone.

A bit of friendly advice — if you’ve unlocked your iPhone, you should be careful with the next firmware update — don’t apply it immediately. Check with news sites and forums to see if the update works fine with unlocks first. Apple released a press release that noted that the current methods of unlock can cause “irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software.” And as such, they’re going to void the warranty of anyone that unlocks their phone, and they’ll mark your phone as ineligible for warranty service. There are some reports of people that have been “blacklisted.” There’s a full rundown of this story after the cut.

Phil Schiller went on the record today, saying that some of the software unlocks can cause damage to the iPhone software. Quoth Schiller, #2 Executive at Apple, in an interview with the New York Times:

“This has nothing to do with proactively disabling a phone that is unlocked or hacked. It’s unfortunate that some of these programs have caused damage to the iPhone software, but Apple cannot be responsible for … those consequences”

Apple’s own press release warns of doom and gloom as well, noting that updates could render an unlocked phone “permanently inoperable.” Their press release is small, so here it is in all of its glory.

Monday September 24, 4:40 pm ET

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone’s warranty.

And it goes without saying that anyone that has applied 3rd party tools (including Installer.app and unlocking tools) will have rendered their warranty null and void. Thankfully, avoiding this issue shouldn’t be difficult. If all you’ve done is 3rd party tools, all you need to do for Apple to not find about your dirty little hacking habit is to restore your Phone.

And, as John McLaughlin of UniquePhones.com notes, reversing the unlock is not out of the realm of possibility; indeed, it’s fairly simple.

“We have reviewed the source code of a number of these applications and to the best of our knowledge any changes made to the software can easily be reversed. After unlocking the iPhone, minimal effort is required to get it in to its previously locked state.”

As noted in this article by Ars Technica, your iPhone could be bricked by an update. Why would you have to worry about that? Well, it turns out that there are two firmwares for your iPhone.

The first firmware is for the computer side of the iPhone. This part is for the computer portion of your iPhone; it’s responsible for putting pictures on the screen, running Safari, or Mail, or the iPod, and a bunch of other stuff. Apple has said that they encourage 3rd party development on this firmware. They’re happy to have apps here, and they don’t have any intention to destroy this happy ecosystem. They acknowledged that they might break it in the future, but it would be out of necessity instead of malice.

The other firmware is for the modem or radio chip. This radio firmware is responsible for doing the heavy lifting on the phone side; it does stuff like contacting cell towers, determining which cell tower gives the best reception, keeping your iPhone connected to the EDGE network, and the like. This firmware is also responsible for determining if the iPhone has been unlocked or not. Apple’s comments with regards to folks playing with this firmware are chilling:

“This is constant cat-and-mouse game. We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it’s our job to stop them breaking in.”

Jobs’ quote indicates to me that Apple is either protecting the revenue stream they get from AT&T subscribers, or that they have a contractual obligation with AT&T to keep the iPhone locked (or both). While we have a legal right to unlock our phones, there’s no law that says Apple can’t re-lock phones with an update. Still, re-locking a phone that someone has unlocked within their legal rights could bring down the wrath of regulators.

It’s true that one way to stop folks from mucking around with their radio firmware is to brick their phone. That would be very heavy-handed (ham-fisted, even); it probably befits Apple much more to simply re-upload locked firmware on unlocked iPhones, or to just let unlocked iPhones slide for the current update, but the method of their response may depend on their contractual obligations with other parties, like AT&T.

figure 1: what you see when you launch AnySIM.app. Apart from installing it, instructions for this app should require a FAQ.

Another full GUI SIM unlocking application is now available. AnySIM.app is the official unlocking application from the iPhone Dev Wiki crowd. AnySIM is going to be a bit difficult to install for now, as it hasn’t been brought over to installer.app yet, but that should be fixed in the next day or so. If you can’t wait and you’re comfortable with SSH and the Terminal, installing it should be a breeze. It is significantly easier than the command-line not-for-the-faint-of-heart unlock, and AnySIM’s unlock only takes 3-5 minutes, as opposed to upwards of 20 for some other methods.

We had linked to an iPhone unlocking application that worked fine earlier in the week, but there was apparently some drama with it and it wasn’t by any means an official version (that didn’t stop it from being the version I used, however).

Apparently the Harro fellow I linked to yesterday has a penchant for scams and has caused a bunch of drama in the iPhone hacking community. There’s allegations of stolen code, misappropriations of intellectual property, and the intent to sell the GUI unlock program code. HaRRo also removed the direct download link, so I’ll direct you now to the instructions page if you’d like download the IP-tainted GUI unlock. Erica Sadun of TUAW notes that though her code has been misappropriated, the code has been given back to the hacking community and they’ll continue to work on it:

“we should be very, very close to the holy grail: a completely free and open source, completely GUI, one click unlock for the iPhone.”

Once they get that GUI app written, it should take them little to no time to get it installed on AppTapp Installer.app, or to make an AppTapp-like installer for it.

In related news, I cancelled my order for the iPhoneSimFree unlock solution, and Wireless Imports was very pleasant about it. It appears that they were having very serious difficulties with the Windows platform; they intend to get the unlock.app installable via AppTapp Installer.app. I guess iPhoneSimFree has been unresponsive in the past few days, which makes the other folks reselling their software look bad.

After that, I downloaded the GUI unlock.app zipfile. I expanded the zipfile on my desktop. I then copied it into my iPhone applications directory with the following Terminal command:

scp -r ~/Desktop/Unlock.app root@iphone:/Applications/

I waited for the password prompt (it can take up to 30 seconds the first time you ssh into the iPhone), and put in my password, and waited for the files to finish copying. I then restarted my phone to get the Unlock.app to show up, ran the Unlock.app, pressed start, and waited 20 minutes. My iPhone now accepts other sim cards.

It’s tough to say when or if this will make its way into installer.app because of all the weird legal questions, but at least the method of install isn’t too tough. The only bad news is that now my wife is definitely going to start pressuring me to switch back to T-Mobile. Well, it’s not the only bad news. I wasted $99 figuring that the iPhoneSimFree crowd would have their ducks in a row. Time to ask for my money back, I guess.

“This is still buggy and i will release a faster version in a few days as i havent slept.”

“And a shoutout to all those reporters who manage to get stories completly wrong”

Hmmm… the folks at iPhoneSimFree et al haven’t been able to get their ducks in a row, so I might just try this.

Here’s a relevant portion of the email I received from Wireless Imports last night related to my unlocking order:

Very Important, read from top to bottom for all the details!

We have been getting tons of calls left and right from our customers. I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you for placing your order with us for the iPhone unlocking.

At this time we have received over 1000 orders for the iPhone unlocking orders. We have suspended any further sales in order to accommodate all of you as soon as possible. Some of you are calling wondering if we have forgotten about you and that you had sent in your email back from our first one 6hrs ago. I apologize that we have not been able reply to your follow up.

We will try to reply to everyones email tonight before calling it a night.

Again I would like to stress how important it is to not call us. I hate to say it but we are extremely undermanned to take on the demand as it is and by answering the phone it takes us away from replying to others with the software needed to unlock the phone. The only thing calling us will do is delay everyones order. Again we are here if you urgently need to speak with us but please continue to remain to be patient.

Depending on when you placed your order we might not be able to get to it for a couple of days as we try to walk through those that need assistance that placed their orders earlier then others. Again we are going to help people out in the order you placed your order.

If you wish to speed things up we have posted on our website instructions of what is needed in order to unlock your iPhone. Currently we are working with customers on the phone and helping them do a step by step installation of the software in order to go ahead and unlock the phone.

Unlocking has been going on for about a day now. What are the various gadget sites saying about it?

• tuaw.com doesn’t care, claiming that only Europeans care. Everyone else is too worried about their warranty.
• Gizmodo reports that various hacking groups are already hard at work reverse-engineering the software unlock. Jon Lech Johansen, widely known as “DVD Jon” for the work he did unlocking DVDs, is supposedly hard at work reverse-engineering the hack. At least a part of the iPhoneDevWiki hacking crowd is still working independently on their unlock. Gizmodo is not happy about the software unlock situation, they want it to be free. But you can get a free unlock just by commenting on their web page. Even if you do get it, it’s not like iPhoneSimFree’s unlock is without its own set of problems. Did I say is? I meant was. A new version of their SIM software that has no problems available:

“It has been brought to our attention mainly through this article that there was a small bug in our code. This bug has now been resolved we will be forwarding the new simfree.app to all our currently registered resellers.”

iPhoneSIMfree.com chose CNN as their 2nd news outlet that got to verify their iPhone software unlock method. The good news is that CNN re-verified what Engadget already verified. So yeah, what we thought was true before? We were right. It looks like they’ve set the cost of the software unlock pretty low — $36 US each for each block of 50 licenses, and the price drops to $25 if you buy 5000+ licenses. The licenses are supposed to be available as of today, though all’s quiet on their website.

That’s right, they’re not going to sell to the end user. And since the price point is now available, end users won’t be willing to pay too much past that for the unlocking software. My guess is that they want to avoid that AT&T lawsuit, and their law-talkin’ guy thinks that this method will be their DMCA loophole. iPhoneSIMfree can distribute the software to other folks who then assume the legal risk of a lawsuit for distributing software that bypasses a security measure.

Engadget notes that due to the way this deal is set up, the best way to not distribute this software is to either

1. Send your iPhone in to be unlocked, or
2. buy a new iPhone that they’ve unlocked.

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At any rate, Ars Technica has probably the best writeup on it that I’ve read this morning.

They link to Ed Felten’s blog, where he states that AT&T is screwed, and that we’ll have an unlock one of these days. Ed Felten is kind of famous in some circles for work with the Govt. in the Microsoft Antitrust trial, his defeat of the SDMI audio watermarking (and the RIAA’s bizarre lawsuit that followed), and his utter defeat of Diebold / Premier Election Solutions e-voting machines on TV. He’s had some experience here, and knows what he’s talking about.

iPod Observer has a good writeup on an article at BusinessWeek that also explores the issue in depth, and BusinessWeek has a bit of their own insightful commentary as well:

“Indeed, this time, hackers may have the law on their side. Remember, decades ago, automakers built their instrument panels so that only authorized radios of their own manufacture would fit in. Eventually, U.S. courts ended that practice.”

And no one ever had trouble installing a car stereo again.

There’s another writeup on the two currently-poised-to-release-unlocking-software-but-not-really-willing-to-until-the-lawyers-say-it’s-ok groups, iPhone Unlocking / John McLaughlin, and iPhoneSimFree. It gives a good view from above if you’ve not heard about it.

MYiTablet found an interesting article at C|Net that postulates that Jobs wants the iPhone hacked and unlocked; that Apple lawyers doesn’t care — Apple’s stake after the sale is tiny:

“Isn’t it ironic that AT&T lawyers went knocking on the doors of the hackers while Apple lawyers sipped tea at home?”

I suppose that’s a rhetorical question, but NO — it’s not irony. It is insightful and interesting, though. What does Apple get for iPhone service plan revenue sharing, $12 the 1st month and $3/month per subscriber thereafter? He’s got a good point, and it’s a good article. As a side note, Don Reisinger has some crazy red lips.

figure 1: Seriously, check out the crazy red lips Don Reisinger’s got.

And finally, there’s a Slashdot discussion about it all too. I don’t have anything stupid to say that I want broadcast to the internet today, so I’ll skip it. But that option is always there.

Anyway, here’s a wee bit of posturing from the iPhone Unlocking blog. The unlock video isn’t a good quality video; it’s all done with his Nokia N95; the video is chunky, as shaky as anything could really hope to be. The Windows command-line text that proves the connection and unlock process is all a big blur. Once it’s all said and done, he puts in his sim card, and it appears to work just fine. But if you need to watch it, it’s here. Bonus points for him exposing his friend Liz’s phone number in her voice mail when she doesn’t answer his call.

It is now 12N EST – the time when we said we would be offering iphone unlocking software to our customers.

We have the software. It works. And we are ready to go.

Seems AT&T is a bit annoyed at the idea. A middle of the night phone call from a Silicon Valley law firm is slowing down the release of the software to you.

Stay tuned.

On their blog, they mention the difficulty of knowing what to do with the code in the event that AT&T bans them from operating an unlocking service. The lawyers will figure that stuff out fairly promptly, I would imagine. I figured this site to be legit, it’s too much work to be a fake and do the linking with uniquephones.com, so I registered for an invite. It looks like they expect to be up and running within the week:

Your details have been stored, expect an invite code in the next few days!

• You still have to activate using the usual tools
• APN settings were included in the 1.0.1 update in secret
• You can set preferred carriers if you don’t want to roam
• YouTube doesn’t work
• No visual voicemail
• Takes a couple of minutes and is painless
• Gizmodo did not post a Death Star picture; they’re saving that for the iPhoneDevWiki folks or some other free unlock.

figure 1: this is the soldering you’d need to do

The full ten steps to unlocking an iPhone have been posted at iPhoneJTAG by George Hotz, aka Geohot. It’s a ten step process, beginning with step 1. It’s not as difficult a process as I expected it to be, except the precise scratching and soldering process. You have to scratch away at one of those tiny wires on the iPhone, and solder other wires to it directly. I imagine that the folks at the iPhone dev wiki will still be hard at work on unlocking the iPhone via a software method; not everyone has got a steady soldering hand.

According to Ars Technica, an iPhone hacking group has claimed to unlock the phone with the aid of some sophisticated soldering. This, of course, goes well beyond the ken of the average user, but it should give hope to anyone that wants their iPhone unlocked: the hackers hope to have a software unlock within the week. Even if they don’t, they’ll post full instructions on how they did it in a week, so anyone that wants to go through the arduous microsoldering process can do so.

So in one week exactly from this blog post(thats less than the time it takes to ship a turbosim) we will release simple step by step instructions for unlocking, probably not even involving hardware. Sorry about the wait, but I assure you it will be worth it.

It seriously kills me. They unlock the iPhone, some damn fine hacking work, and then they apologize about the wait for it. No apology should be expected.

Gizmodo is reporting that the iPhone can be 100% unlocked with the use of a Turbo SIM card. This SIM card unlock doesn’t use SIM card readers or any other fancy equipment, besides the $80 blank Turbo card that an unlocker would need to buy. The actual unlocking process seems to need information only from the iPhone. You’ll need to have ssh or iPhoneInterface on your iPhone, in the very least, so you can modify some key iPhone files. After the process is done, any SIM card can be used in the iPhone, and apparently on any network. [image: Jesus Diaz of Gizmodo]

Forum members of Hackint0sh have figured out how to unlock an iPhone using a SIM card reader/writer and a blank SIM card. The Phone has reportedly been tested in Europe. The equipment to do so apparently cost $96 US, and we can apparently expect a Gizmodo post later today once they verify that this method works.

In other unlocking news, other hackers have figured out how to dump the full content of NOR memory; this memory dump should ostensibly hold all the information an enterprising hacker would need to unlock the iPhone in software. You know, without $96.

And lastly, I just want to call attention to the neat Star Wars themed photoshops Jesus Diaz of Gizmodo has been posting.

Bit by bit, information is coming out on how the syncing will work, and what it means to have to activate the iPhone before you can use it.

First, AT&T’s return policy has changed: you now only have 14 days to try it out (it used to be 30 days). There’s now also a 10% restocking fee for a return. Don’t worry, though; the contract breakage fee ($175) is still the same if you miss that 2 week deadline. We knew the phone was going to be locked, though it’s a surprise that it may be locked to one SIM card.

Second, you’ll have to activate an AT&T plan before you can even use the iPod functionality of it. Crazy! Without a worth-$3000 2 year plan, that purchase is just a $499 or $599 pretty little brick. Hopefully it will reduce the reasons to steal them. It’s going to be a hot little thing in my pocket, that’s for sure.

The article doesn’t mention the most important thing about the European carrier, however (important, at least, to North Americans). There are businesses who make it their work to take advantage of foreign economies to purchase an unlocked mobile device and then resell it in a different nation. Some nations, like Belgium, mandate that all phones are sold unlocked. So, one might be able to buy an unlocked iPhone via Belgium, for example. The purchaser may end up with a European warranty, sending their device across the Atlantic to have it serviced, or an outright refusal to service the warranty.

The idea is that the purchaser gets an iPhone on Rogers or T-Mobile, etc, instead of Cingular. It’s not possible to get an iPhone on Sprint, Verizon, or Alltel, unless you can get one of them to give you a SIM card, which you likely can’t. We will, of course, post updates as they come.