Apple Cracks Down On iPhone Unlockers

An anonymous reader writes "It looks like Apple and its wireless operator partners have finally figured out a way of cracking down on iPhone unlockers by making it a requirement to sign up for a contract before you can get your hands one. "It's obvious why this has happened though. This method means you're tied into a contract, or you're paying O2 and Apple a massive wad of cash for the privilege of owning a 3G iPhone. We're disappointed about this decision, but it does make business sense." Both ATT in the US and O2 in the UK are implementing the new activation system on July 11th, when the iPhone 3G goes on sale."

Re:Correction

[stormguard2099]

I own a baseball bat. Am I allowed to smack you upside the head with it a few times?

Depends on if you are in the majors or just in the minor league

Re:ER, non-story

[x_MeRLiN_x]

Great Britain was the island you were looking for. 'Great Britain' and 'United Kingdom' are also not interchangeable.

Re:ER, non-story

[Anonymous Coward]

How dare the spellchecker recognize a perfectly valid word!

Re:Correction

[Angostura]

That's the problem with cell-phone companies today. They subsidize the cost of the equipment, in the expectation that they might get some call revenue in exchange. Then they get all annoyed when you don't give them any call revenue. Weird that.

Re:Correction

[howdoesth]

...wireless providers have no standards whatsoever (ethical or otherwise)...

CDMA? GSM?

Re:ER, non-story

[Silver Sloth]

Great Britain is a country

a great Briton is an inhabitant of that country who is either (a)notable or (b)obese

And, ok, mod me off topic, I've got the karma to burn.

Re:Correction

[Firehed]

I had more meant along the lines of business practices.

Ok, they do have one (and it never involves lubrication). You can fill in the blank.

Re:Just what ethical duty is that?

[mumblestheclown]

New to slashdot, are you? Things that you can learn from slashdot include:

• you have a right to pirate something if it is not for sale in your area.
• you have a right to pirate something if you want it in a format in which it is not possible to purchase
• companies have an ethical duty to make GPL drivers,
• if you have some grievance against a company where the question is about whether you get some good/value/service from the company by being in violation of some law, contract, agreement, statute, or convention, you are nevertheless justified in doing so since while you are small, the companies are big.
• and on and on.

welcome to the home of situational ethics!

Re:Correction

[Machtyn]

And nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Re:Correction

[MrPerfekt]

Because some people irrationally think that one American provider is better than another... which is patently false. They all suck.

Re:Correction

[xouumalperxe]

You saved one character by clipping "parents". It wasn't worth loosing your credibility ;)

He was just being considerate, and saving you a character so you could splurge on "losing".