[Swedson]

I am asking because I am from Sweden and I don't want to wait till Christmas for apple to release it here. If iPhone is being sold as unlocked, I can buy it in US and use it in Sweden.

[drmbb]

If or when unlocked phones appear, they won't be sold by either Apple or AT&T, that's for sure. And of course, no service provider other then AT&T will support the iPhone services like picture mail, so would an iPhone really be worth the premium price if many of it's best features would be disabled for lack of servcie?

[Swedson]

I don't know how much difference will be between MMS and email services we have here in Europe. I am only wondering if it is possible to do a setup for MMS and email configurations manually in Iphone. The only problem is lack of 3G in iphone. Otherwise 3.6mbps turbo 3G which we have here would be great with iphone.

[onlyone]

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If or when unlocked phones appear, they won't be sold by either Apple or AT&T, that's for sure. And of course, no service provider other then AT&T will support the iPhone services like picture mail, so would an iPhone really be worth the premium price if many of it's best features would be disabled for lack of servcie?

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I think you're missing the point. The ability to use it overseas at other than ruinous toll rates (which after buying this phone and maybe some accessories, one would likely be even more sensitive to) while at least having IPod functionality and the general integrated software functionality is the objective here. Once you return stateside, you would have the features back if you really needed them. Is it picture mail and the like that really brings the premium price? Don't think so. It's as usual the look and feel of an Apple product-the large screen, the 60-80 gigs. Anyway, the real question is whether it will be unlockable for conveniences sake or hardware-locked as for example the Verizon Samsung worldphone is.

[drmbb]

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I think you're missing the point.... Once you return stateside

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I didn't miss anything. The OP is in Sweden, so is unlikely to be merely looking for short term use overseas.
P.S. 60-80 gigs??? The iPhone will be offered in a 4GB and an 8GB model - if you've got 60+GB needs, this phone ain't going to cut it.

[Mikael_Pe]

My guess is that you will NOT see an unlocked version anytime in the next year or two. Apple is surely already working with the big carriers in Europe, and Scandinavia in particular, and the only way to offer all the unique features is to lock it to a carriers network, thus you will likely see "exclusive" deals through Vodafone, Orange etc. Hey, the carriers over there will be delighted to finally have a phone they can sell in their own stores without having to provide $100-$300 subsidy, like they do on all current phones. When you travel overseas, simply keep that old unlocked GSM phone, pop in a pre-paid card from the country you are traveling in and email/text message everyone your new temporary number. Use your iPHONE as an expensive iPOD... Well folks, that's my 2 cents worth...

[Walt_Basil]

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P.S. 60-80 gigs??? The iPhone will be offered in a 4GB and an 8GB model - if you've got 60+GB needs, this phone ain't going to cut it.

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Exactly. People who complain about the 4-8GB iPod features are missing the point when it comes to the iPhone's iPod features and purpose. This is not intended to replace your huge 40-80 GB iPod needs. When I bought my Shuffle for use when I run, I didn't complain that since it didn't hold my 67GB music library, it simply wasn't going to cut it. When I bought my Nano, again, I didn't complain that the measly 4 GB wasn't going to cut it, nor replace my 30GB iPod.
When I buy my iPhone, I'm not going to use it to replace my shuffle (for when I run), Nano (for when I want a small display iPod), nor my iPod (that I take to work and use for my background music.
If you are really needing an iPod with near triple digit GB for music storage, this isn't for you, nor intended for you.

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
I'm waiting to see the 6G iPod with iPhone form factor. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[stashmanguitar]

I only have a 12GB iTunes Library at the moment - excluding video. I keep my entire library on my 30GB iPod only because I can. I only bought it to watch video, but again I don't really need my whole library on there. I don't listen to all of it - mainly some ten or twelve playlists I've created and some podcasts. So long as I'm able to program the iPhone to sync certain playlists and videos, like with the nano and shuffle, I'll be alright. Besides, my MBP is nearly always by my side. I can always sync up some new tunes or watch a video in full screen if I neet to. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[onlyone]

You're right about the 60-80 gig thing of course. I was astonished that it wasn't 60-80 gigs, when I found out it was only 10% of that) so how useful as an iPod music and video player does that leave it? Not very. But you did miss the point. Will it be sold as unlocked, was the question asked --for being able to avoid being locked into one carrier--overseas-based or not. This pertains to it's main function as a phone. Nearly everyone who cares about making a sensible purchase will focus on how useful a phone it is. Bringing up picture phone as an example feature that wouldn't be supported is something that is negligible as to it's desirability, anyway. Now we know that it will be hardware locked, and so it's excitement factor dropped again. The OP will need to wait until EU regs hopefully force Apple to sell it in Sweden unlocked.

[drmbb]

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...Nearly everyone who cares about making a sensible purchase will focus on how useful a phone it is...

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/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Sorry, but that just made me laugh. People are camping in line 3 days prior to the release! People are paying others to hold place in line for them so they will have designates at multiple locations to snap up an iPhone on Firday!
Is there even a single "sensible" cell phone shopper out there for the iPhone release date? And if the focus was on the use of the device primarily as a phone, why would anyone be looking at paying more then $100 for a phone (with new service)? In other words, the phone part is not at the forefront of the iPhone mania - it's the interface, the YouTube television ads, the picture mail, the spiffy scrolling contacts. How many discussion of call clarity have you seen, or reception? As a pseudo-PDA or messaging phone, who'd really want a touch screen over a true QWERTY keyboard device that's designed for rapid text entry.
I'll even go so far as to say it has almost nothing to do with the iPhone's utility as an actual voice telephone.
If you just need a cellular telephone, then why would you even be considering an iPhone? Stop off at WalMart or 7-11 and grab a cheap prepaid - the calls on them will be just as good as any voice call on an iPhone, and you'll pay about 1/10th the initial price. Or buy an unlocked GSM world phone form Amazon, eBay, TigerDirect - pay less, get a great quality voice phone and stick any SIM you want in it.

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
I don't see what the gripe / problem is. All pones sold through carriers' stores are locked. My SGH-A707 ( Samsung Sync ) is locked to AT&T. Why would I care?

[onlyone]

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...Nearly everyone who cares about making a sensible purchase will focus on how useful a phone it is...

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/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Sorry, but that just made me laugh. People are camping in line 3 days prior to the release! People are paying others to hold place in line for them so they will have designates at multiple locations to snap up an iPhone on Firday!
Is there even a single "sensible" cell phone shopper out there for the iPhone release date? And if the focus was on the use of the device primarily as a phone, why would anyone be looking at paying more then $100 for a phone (with new service)? In other words, the phone part is not at the forefront of the iPhone mania - it's the interface, the YouTube television ads, the picture mail, the spiffy scrolling contacts. How many discussion of call clarity have you seen, or reception? As a pseudo-PDA or messaging phone, who'd really want a touch screen over a true QWERTY keyboard device that's designed for rapid text entry.
I'll even go so far as to say it has almost nothing to do with the iPhone's utility as an actual voice telephone.
If you just need a cellular telephone, then why would you even be considering an iPhone? Stop off at WalMart or 7-11 and grab a cheap prepaid - the calls on them will be just as good as any voice call on an iPhone, and you'll pay about 1/10th the initial price. Or buy an unlocked GSM world phone form Amazon, eBay, TigerDirect - pay less, get a great quality voice phone and stick any SIM you want in it.

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Thanks for laughingly setting me straight. OK, almost none of these people you talk about waiting in line basically care that it's a useful phone (and really voice quality is not subject to as much variation as you seem to imply, so wouldn't realistically come up-it's going to be decent). So I'll leave the generalizations to you (you are after all a fanatic, it says, and surely know best about your peers) and stick with my original point:
for a GSM device, with it's potential to be multicarrier domestically and overseas, it is important for the phone to be unlockable and this will ultimately determine how successful the phone is, not whether picture phone and minor stuff like that works on other carriers. The look and feel of its operation and form factor is important as I said before, that's a given, but it's still a phone, and few would buy it if it wasn't one.

[drmbb]

Ultimately, you may well be right. I'm just saying that this initial release seems all about the coolness factor - purely form and fun over practicality and function. Long term sales will tell the tale I guess, and what the competition comes up with (the LG KE850, already in use in Europe, is strikingly similar in many user-interface respects, and is available as an unlocked phone here in the US).
P.S. I wasn't personally attacking you onlyone - I disagree with your assessment of the situation - you are entitled to your views and comments, and I to mine, that's all. And the phrase "sensible buyers" given the complete insanity at the Apple and AT&T stores really did make me laugh. Who camps out for 3 days over a cell phone - ANY cell phone /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I suppose I should not be surprised when I see those who waited in vain paying thousands over the weekend on eBay for other people's iPhones /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif