Not really.. Every iPhone sold by AT&T is subsidized by $200. This brings the cost down for the consumer and allows Apple to make more profits. This is why you have to have a 2 year contract. Of course Apple could just deny any Internet service to iPhones not purchased through their providers. In Germany its T-Mobile, simply because they are the largest provider there. Same with AT&T here.

However people are suing and a law will probably be passed preventing such locking. The effects though is that free phones with service will disappear and phone prices will increase 50-80%.

Personally, I like AT&T wireless service. I don't live in a large city and get great service with them.

Come again? Can't you explain to me what "this law" would prevent and who would be affected by it?

If I get this right a law should be past to prevent company's locking there phone to only one carrier?

Congress is looking into the deal between Apple and AT&T. Some people said it was creating a monopoly. Which it isn't because Apple should choose who they do business with and who they didn't. Apple is a small time player in the cellular phone market and probably will be for a long time. 1 million phones sold is nothing. However being congress, they will probably write a law that makes such deals illegal. This means that cellphone companies cannot enter into deals to provide their newest phones to companies of their choice. The cellular providers won't have the contracts to offset prices and so therefore general phone prices will increase. Actually fits in well with lawmakers since they get powerful lobbying funds from both manufacturers and providers. The manufacturers will end up making more money because their phone will sell for 50-80 percent more and providers will make more money because people will bounce between them more than they do now and they can raise prices easier.

Just the consumer that suffers because of increasing prices. Personally, I am against such a law because the iPhone is less than 1% of the market but is driven by hype. Such a law would effectively end the last of the oversight provided against these companies and protecting consumers from getting gouged. Sometimes the free market is not the best for the consumer.

If your numbers are correct then I don't see a monopoly here. What I see is a smart contractual arrangement between two companies. As for Congress, if they want to restrict other similar business partnerships, to prevent a potential monopoly in the cellphone/wireless market, then I can see the logic there.

Okay, so for those who have the Iphone. Is it worth it? I want y'all opinions :p

I have the IPHONE and it's unlock using version 1.1.1 and yesterday version 1.1.2 has released but i didn't upgrade.

its a great phone and it's the best i had scince now

Honestly its just like every other phone. A phone is a phone. I got it because my other phone was OLD and I just said I'll step up to technology.

you hit the hammer right on the nail..which i was trying to explain from my previous posting. But yours was better written intelligently..hahahaha which motorola had to unlock all iden phones and soon other manufactures will follow.

I had a chance to go to the apple store today and have a play around. I really don't see what all the fuss is about. I went to my site in safari and it was utterly useless trying to browse it. If I zoomed out to fit all the text on one page I couldn't see anything, and if I zoomed in so I could see it, I had to scroll horizontally as if my eyes were scanning the page, which you would think was intuitive, but in practice it slowed me down tenfold as my fingers aren't as fast as my eyes. Also typing on that little keyboard requires more concentration than I'd care about. The good thing about keyboards and mobile handsets is you become familiar with the layouts, and I can type text messages with my eyes close and I can type on a PC with my eyes closed. My one finger is not sufficient to do the same on a tiny qwerty keyboard. I'll be sticking with a phone that has a numeric keypad for the forseeable future I think!

Read this
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13...e/article.html