[Macworld]

Post your comments for AT&T to sell iPhone without two-year commitment here

[bousozoku]

For those prices, the phone should be unlocked.

[Alex_Hill]

If the phone were unlocked, I'd definitely buy it at that price. Given that it's not, I might. However, I'm both wary of AT&T (with whom I've had very poor customer service experience in the past) and fairly likely to move abroad in the next year or two; I want to be able to use my $600 phone wherever I move.
If you do activate the no-contract iPhone with AT&T, do you have to use the iPhone plan, or can you just get a basic (no-data) calling plan? If yes, that might be enough for me.

[Alex_Hill]

The AP story answers my question: "AT&T will only activate them on the regular iPhone plans, which include a $30 monthly charge for data access. Prepaid service will not be available." Boo.

[HerbalEd]

Definitely at this price the 3G iPhone should be unlocked. At this same price in Thailand or Hong Kong one can buy a legally-unlocked 3G iPhone ... and when I'm in Thailand next month I will do so. Then I can use my Thai per-minute SIM card while in Thailand, and my USA per-minute SIM card when in the USA.

[HerbalEd]

No thanks, Apple. I'm not at all interested in downloading HD light (i.e., 720).

[OriginalMacRat]

"But, hey, maybe you just like doing things the prim and proper way."
Prim and proper would Apple not forcing customers to be locking into ATT Hell in the first place.

[DragonMaster]

I just DON’T see the use of doing that. Let AT&T pick up the tab for part of it if you must be on that crappy service anyway.

[kennethfcooper]

How come this sounds like, "If you pay more, I'll sell you the bottle without the beer. If you want the beer, it will cost the same as before. But, hey you'll own the bottle sooner."

[ronincali3002]

Does the GPS work without the contract? Clearly, I realize the the Map function and such would not work without network access, but is GPS a separate "app" that can function without cell service?

[junkmail999]

see how people are ready to buy it even after all these games by att?
they are trying to clear them during recession of all unsold lots in preparation for June arrival of new one. Please guys....do not fall in now and please do not be so desperate irrespective of what they do.

[junkmail999]

I have never heard any where in the world where you pay full price for a locked phone and only greedy ATT can do this to americans cause we are such a stupid mac lovers and it is their advantage as we show our weaknesses.

[mikemike]

Funny to see how many people who don't own iPhones that are telling me how terrible AT&T's service is. Never mind the fact I've had both the first and second model, the first day that I had the first one, I dropped a call for the first time in months, but that had to be the service, not the phone. You people that have never owned an iPhone bore me by now. You hate and hate, use your experience from AT&T Wireless, now defunct of course, hate this huge Cingular/AT&T company, never worrying about the fact that when I'd change something on my plan years ago or today I wouldn't have to re-up my plan (Which Verizon and Sprint did make me do).
Look, if you don't like the company, don't do business with them, if you want an iPhone and live in the US, then get it. I have had one for over a year now and haven't had a better phone or better service, even if it does drop from time to time. If you want a Blackberry Storm, they're still buy one get one, but that piece of junk instead, but remember this, the carrier is only part of the problem, the phone manufacturer looks at the world with their goals in mind, but doesn't always get it to work perfectly in the field because it does more than what ANY network can do. How many Nokia N95's were sold by any carrier in the US? Is it really all network or do you people just love your carrier a bit too much?
MM

[hillstones]

The other carriers had their chance when the iPhone was being developed, but they lost their chance when they didn't think Apple could make a decent phone. AT&T (Cingular) was the only one willing to go on board without seeing the finished product. So, too bad for other carriers.
I have no problems with AT&T. I get great service on my iPhone. There is nothing stopping anyone from unlocking the iPhone. However, an unlocked phone is lacking some features. I have two friends that unlocked their phone to use with T-Mobile (the only other carrier that uses a Sim card) and the message counters don't work for Mail, SMS, Phone and neither does visual voicemail.
I would never buy or unlock a phone. I had a Moto Razr that was unlocked and the Bluetooth could not pair to any device because of the hacked software to unlock the phone.