ok so apple has signed an agreement with AT&T to offer the iphone with exclusive rights in the US, AT&T don't discount the phone so everyone is paying full price.

I live in the UK, and have paid full price for an iphone that cant be used here as there is no AT&T network.

Now to me, my defense would be pretty stong if I decided to pursue obtaining an unlock code from apple.

• I paid full price for the iPhone

• I live outside the US so the exclusive agreement between Apple and AT&T does not apply to my country.

What are you thoughts on the above?

My first thught is that it's not entirely clear what you want from them. The unlock codes? A refund? Something else?

I think Apple willl thank you for your purchase but tell you that they never said they would make the first wave of iPhones available outside the U.S. and therefore there is nothing they can do for you.

Edit:

Oops. Sorry I read it too quickly and completely missed "decided to pursue obtaining an unlock code from apple." Still, I think you're not going to have much luck. No harm trying though.

logic, the iphone is intended to be used in the US with AT&T network. Only if you have activated the iphone with AT&T then you may be able to use it, via roaming, in the UK. Apple does not make any promise on anyone who purchase the iphone overseas and use it over there...

You did NOT pay the full price. You bought an iPhone which is OFFICIALLY available only for selling in the US because AT&T has an agreement with Apple and pays a lot of money to them for that.

There is NO iPhone available outside the US, so anybody buying an iPhone is entitled of using it in the US using the AT&T but nowhere else. Only exception: international roaming. The GoPhone subscription is available for owners of international credit cards too, so you CAN use your officially activated GoPhone iPhone in the US.

I hope you understand the logic and the legal stuff behind it.

Again: you did NOT pay the full price for the iPhone, like it or not.

So I was wondering if none of us have paid full price.. Im in the states and currently with att contract... What would the full price be?

According to a rumour in a financial publication in Germany (Financial Times?), the full price would be 150-200 USD higher (this is actually the money AT&T is rumored to pay to Apple for every sold iPhone or for every AT&T activated iPhone, I don't remember anymore).

Let us pay apple 300$ or more if they want. And get our unlock codes. Did somebody asked them about it?

If they want 1500$ per phone, can they just say that to us..

Apple & Iphone & AT&T = Complete rip off
===========================

I m sure some of you guys are offended already, but that's the truth.

I never heard of paying a full price for a phone that will be locked to a carrier which will require a 2 full year contract! If you dont call this rip off, I might be missing something, please correct me.

It has been always Apple's strategy to look cool, functional, quality (debateable) and posh = DOUBLE or TRIPLE the possible market value!

Look at it this way, if you are signing a commitment for TWO years, you would expect some value in return. Yeah value? Your gift is FULL priced locked iphone, 2 years contract, 180$ cancelation fee? Is that your valued gift? There is no such deal to my knowledge anywhere. If you commit that long contract, network compansate the value of your device, or tarriffs (aka call&data plans). But if you go direct to device, you pay full price but unlocked! Noone can force you for two of these at the same time. It is a matter of time until a USA court will have case about it, yet some senators if i m not wrong are talking about it already. Otherwise what would you call all this? DEAL? or RIP OFF?

I am RIP OFF side... (as almost always the case with Apple brand involved)
Note: Dont get me wrong, i m not against apple, they are good, but truth is they are always overpriced because of their pride and greed!

Most of you will call me oh MS boy. Well without them you wouldnt have your 100% modified PCs, probably you would be still paying 1000s for a MAC where as you could get much more powerful if not equal specs at half price if not 1/3 PC

UK guy. You may have some legal recourse. Anyone can travel to the US and buy the iPhone and take it back to their country. Because anyone can buy this device without signing a cell phone contract thing start to get blurred. You bought it. You own it. But, it doesn't completely work because a US cell phone carrier has locked some functions. That doesn't seem fair. You might be able to push this unfairness bill in court and sue Apple/AT&T. You could seek punitive damages and force AT&T to provide unlock codes to those not wanting or NOT ABLE to use their service.

The courts may find some validity in this because the device is made available for purchase without signing anything. They may find that it is an unfair business practice and order AT&T to provide unlock codes for those not on their service, in special cases, like in your case and in mine (I am outside the US).

From what I have seen, as for price, the iPhone costs about $250 US to make, so the markup is over 100%. No, they shouldn't be charging us more, they should be fair and give us full access to a POST PC DEVICE.

Freudling

I'm not a lawyer but I don't see suing AT&T/Apple over this to be all that productive.

Take another product, say the British come out with an awesome hydrogen powered car for the European market. As an American, I'm free to buy one and bring it over to the states but I don't see that I'd get very far suing the car manufacturer because the U.S has no hydrogen infrastructure. I may be able to hack my own hydrogen "still" to produce fuel but it's really not the manufacturer's problem.

It seems to be pretty much the same type of thing with the iPhone