Well, if it's an iPhone...

_

Also, I don't think you really need to pay the unlocking fee. You should be able to jailbreak it / unlock it.

No, because you can't get a 3G iPhone from the US without a contract.

I have a SIM provided to me by work thats on the Next-G network. Irrespective of contracts, I'll be wanting to put that SIM into my iPhone. I *will* get one, but I need my work SIM in there. Don't care if I'm locked to a 2 year contract with voda or whatever to get it. I'll just get the cheapest plan and pay it out.

The OP's original question isn't whether there is a point to doing or not, but rather, is it technically possible? The current iPhones work on Telstra's network if you jailbreak & unlock them. The worst case is that we'll need to wait for a jailbreak & unlock for the iPhone 2.0 to do it.

I thin it should be possible, with any of the following scenarios that are floating around (from nicest to worst).

1. iPhone available off contract (ie, prepay) and you can go into a store, pick it up for $800+, walk out and shove in any SIM with a compatible network and off you go.

2. As above but have to pay an unlocking fee to Optus or Vodaphone first.

3. Not available prepay, required to buy it on Contract. However, you can pay the contract out for a (large) fee, maybe $1000+ and then pay for unlock, and put in Telstra SIM.

4. Only available on contract from Voda and Optus. No unlock codes, even if you pay out the contract early. Using a Telstra SIM requires jailbreaking the iPhone (voiding the warranty) and unlocking it.

Whichever it is of the above, I'll be getting an iPhone and putting in my Telstra SIM.

I highly doubt there will be a prepay option ,I think most likely scenario would be 4 or possibly 3 with a cost around $2000 or more -the last thing Optus or Voda want is someone using their Iphone on Telstra so bet they make it as difficult as they can.

I still find it hard to believe that these carriers will make us pay more $$$$ than $199 for prepaid, considering Steve said, "The iPhone 3G will ship internationaly at a maximum of $199". How are carriers allowed to charge extra? Are they in there own little world?

Because Apple are not really selling US the iPhone, they are selling it to the Network for that price.

THAT explains ALOT

Thanks

Think of it like this. You see at Australia Post or Harvey Norman (or any other phone shop) a big ad that says "$0 Nokia XXXX". That is on the condition that you subscribe to a $49 monthly plan and such. You walk into the shop and say I'll take that on prepaid. They say, "Oh, that'll be $400 then" and you present a reaction how can they do that? Well, when you're on prepaid, that don't have that same monthly commitment from you that you have on a $49 plan, and can't recoup the costs that they are investing in you, by subsidising the phone.

You can bet your bottom dollar that the carriers aren't paying Apple $199 for each phone they sell, now that the revenue sharing agreements are void.

^ Exactly.

Before: Apple sold phones upfront to customers.
Now: Apple are selling the phones 'upfront' to carriers.

Now we are bending over for carriers because they risk losing money by subsidising the phones. That is why the activation takes place in store. They want a guarantee that you've signed a contract etc before you walk away with a phone that the carriers have paid for.

It may be $499 to the carrier, and $199 for the customer upfront, but they are hoping to get that $200 back over the next 24 months in terms of monthly caps and plans, call charges, data charges, etc.

Apple is laughing because they sell more iPhones to carriers and the carriers are left to deal with the issue.

Makes me wonder if the carriers will be hesitant to order too many in, ie. underestimate the amount that will sell. Does anyone have any info on how many iPhones are allocated to each country, or maybe a guess of how many Australia will get?

Vodafone and Optus have both confirmed prepay options, however given the market for prepaid phones is generally those with lower incomes it won't be $2000, much more likely it will be closer to $500/$600.
A. He said most countries.
B. That's on a contract.

Yes, I'd happily pay that to have an unlocked phone and not be locked to anyone.

I agree that it's not likely to be $2000, but I very much doubt it's going to be as low as $600. I'd say that Apple will do everything in their power to keep the iPhone as exclusive as possible, yet still have it accessible, via contract pricing. The networks would rather have you on a contract too... so I expect some serious price hikes. If you are PrePay your chances of running up nice and expensive data bills is very limited, unlike on a contract.

For the 8GB model $600 is certainly possible, going off iPod touch prices the old 8GB iPhone would have cost $500, add in the new stuff and a price around $600 (probably $629) is about right, $750-$800 for the 16GB. Although Apple isn't setting outright prices this time around so it could be a lot more.

ok. So with that in mind. (prepaid prices) does that mean we could assume that AT&T or anyone else in the USA might have it available via prepaid (or their equivalent)?