Canada Will Get Unlocked iPhone 4s
7/28/2010 07:09:00 PM - 1 comments
Canadian customers of the iPhone 4 are privileged to get the phone unlocked and contract-free beginning Friday. CBC News reported that Canadians also have the option to choose a service plan with the top three carriers Bell, Rogers and Telus. The iPhone 4 will work with any of these top three carriers so customers also get the opportunity to switch providers.
Not only this, they can also use the phone in other countries just by buying a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card from local carriers. This saves them from roaming charges from Canadian providers.
Apple also offers these unlocked phones through its Apple Online Store, giving customers the freedom to choose their GSM carrier. This would also allow iPhone 4 users to use the phone without a contract and use any SIM or micro-SIM card from a compatible carrier.
The Catch
The freedom of choice for iPhone 4 users may not sell like hotcakes because of the phone’s price. Apple will be putting a higher value on the iPhone 4 in Canada as compared to its prices in the U.S. The 16-gigabyte unit will sell for $659 while the 32-GB version will cost $779.
Industry analyst Amit Kaminer said, “The iPhone's price tag is too high to change the wireless game in Canada. Most consumers prefer the $199 price point that generally comes with a multi-year contract, and $500 to $600 is an uncomfortable price point for a phone for many.” Canadian providers normally sold phones at reduced cost in exchange for a long-term service contract.
Still, another analyst said prices could go down that may lead to a “fairly large proportion of the market that (would) buy phones up front."
People are also hopeful that a recently introduced private member's bill in the House of Commons would result in lower prices. The bill seeks to create a law that would force cellphone carriers to unlock phones. Currently, it is legal to unlock a phone in Canada but carriers are not obliged to do so.
can cydia repo be installed in these canadian unlocked iphones? can MyWi be installed?