Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 10:07:25 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

25% of iPhones Get Unlocked

Posted Feb 13, 08 9:38 AM CST in Business,  Technology 

(Newser) – The worldwide demand for the iPhone is creating a growing gray market where the phones are bought and sold outside of Apple’s restrictions, BusinessWeek reports. The devices are supposed to operate only through cell phone carriers who have contracts with Apple. But as many as 1 million iPhones, or one-fourth of the total sold, are unlocked for use on any network.

The iPhone is officially on sale only in the US, Britain, France, and Germany, but it can be found for sale in Canada, Brazil, Peru, Poland, Russia and other countries dotting the globe. Apple and its partners haven’t interfered with the unsanctioned sales so far, but most transactions are happening in countries where an authorized carrier isn’t available.

Source BusinessWeek

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • MacBook Doesn't Disappoint: Mossberg

    Oct 23, 08 1:07 PM CDT
    MacBook Doesn't Disappoint: Mossberg The redesigned MacBook adds several nice features to an already top-selling laptop line, writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. The most striking difference from the old models is the trackpad: rather than tacky plastic, the controller is slick glass like the screen of an iPhone, and users depress the screen to click, rather than a button below the trackpad. "The whole thing is a big button," Mossberg writes.
    More »

  • Apple's Profit Jumps 26% as iPhone Sales Boom

    Oct 21, 08 7:30 PM CDT
    Apple's Profit Jumps 26% as iPhone Sales Boom Apple Inc. said its profit jumped 26% in its fiscal fourth quarter as the newest iPhone outsold the market-leading BlackBerry. Despite the blockbuster performance, which sent Apple's shares soaring in after-hours trading, the company issued what it called "prudent" predictions for the current quarter because of broader economic uncertainty. More »

  • New Mac Notebooks Weigh Less, Do More, Cost Same

    Oct 14, 08 3:00 PM CDT
    New Mac Notebooks Weigh Less, Do More, Cost Same Steve Jobs rolled out redesigns of Apple’s MacBook line today, adding many desired features such as iPhone-type trackpads and better video cards, Ars Technica reports. A new entry into the line of flat-panel monitors was also unveiled. Though prices remain the same for each laptop (except the entry-level MacBook), new manufacturing practices and suppliers promise lighter weights and improved functionality. More »

  • Shares Dip Ahead of Apple Announcement

    Sep 8, 08 1:32 PM CDT
    Shares Dip Ahead of Apple Announcement Apple's shares have been off as much as 5% today ahead of a much-publicized event tomorrow at which the company is expected to drop a new iPod Nano and give an update on iPhone sales, Reuters reports. One analyst worries the news will underwhelm; another says the dip isn’t unusual: It's “a ‘buy on the rumor, sell on the news’ kind of stock.” More »

  • AT&T Rivals Pounce on iPhone Glitches

    Aug 29, 08 4:48 AM CDT
    AT&T Rivals Pounce on iPhone Glitches Glitches have plagued the new iPhone since its release and AT&T's rivals are gleefully capitalizing on customers' griping, the New York Times reports. It's still unclear whether Apple or the wireless network is to blame, but companies like Verizon aren't letting the opportunity slip by. “A phone is only as good as the network it’s on," crows one Verizon ad.
    More »

Attendee Wil Gieseler talks on his Apple iPhone in front of a iPhone poster at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)   (Associated Press)
The iPhone can be unlocked to run on any cell phone network. (PRNewsFoto/hotels.com)   (Associated Press)
An Apple iPhone is seen at a T-Mobile shop in Bremen, northern Germany, Friday Nov. 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Joerg Sarbach)   (Associated Press)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up an Apple iPhone at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco, in this Jan. 9, 2007 file photo.   (Associated Press)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the new iPhone at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, in this Jan. 9, 2007 file photo.   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Related links

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Apple • iPhone • cell phone industry • AT&T • unlock iPhone


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »