Apple fans worldwide have been wondering how they can get an actual unlocked iPhone cell phone from the company without having to resort to jailbreaking and other potential harmful software. Well, the wait is over in Germany but it is quite costly.
SIM unlocked iPhones in Germany went on sale on November 21st. The pricing for this is now known to the cellular industry as quite a premium costing 600 euro more than the 399 euro the iPhone normally costs with a German T-Mobile plan.
A SIM unlocked iPhone means that it will work with any GSM SIM card, along with any network that supports the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz radio bands. Unlocked cellular phones have been commonplace since the first phones were produced many years ago. It has taken international courts for Apple to agree to selling unlocked iPhones.
The unlocking procedure for the iPhone in Germany is quite easy. Purchase a locked iPhone from T-Mobile in Germany and then pay an additional 600 euro’s. The IMEI number for the iPhone is recorded and sent to Apple. After about a full day, Apple’s iPhone database is updated. Then the iPhone is connected to a computer with iTunes music software. The iTunes software application will recognize the iPhone, the IMEI number and then what’s described by users having done this, will unlocked in “seconds”. The firmware for an unlocked iPhone from Apple still remains at version 1.1.2. Via Macrumors.