Originally Posted by kevinbr

The price you see is the subsidized price. Orange France are not going to sell you a phone with no contract for 199.00. I also believe it is French law that any phone sold must also be offered without a plan. The original iPhone was no subsidized so the price was the price. I suspect it will be 400+ Euros with no plan just as a prepay.

But we will see. You do not have to be a French citizen. EU law would not allow a company to sell only to a French man. The only reason I believe they might ask for a French address is to send you the unlock confirmation. You do not need a French credit card either. If they ask you for an address, have a prepared "false" but not false address if you know what I mean. Pick an address out of the phone book.

Perhaps wait a day or two for people to report on the unlock issue, they COULD change the process -- but I doubt it.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough I meant the unlock will probably cost the amount of the subsidy which is rumoured to be $200, so if phone is sold for $200 and you pay the unlock you get a legit unlocked phone for $400 (rumours not real numbers). Someone said the unlock would take 3 days to complete so I guess you'll have to be in France as long as you're still waiting. And till now the reports are conflicting, can you or can't you buy without a french address? Thanks all.

Originally Posted by kashefcom

Maybe I wasn't clear enough I meant the unlock will probably cost the amount of the subsidy which is rumoured to be $200, so if phone is sold for $200 and you pay the unlock you get a legit unlocked phone for $400 (rumours not real numbers). Someone said the unlock would take 3 days to complete so I guess you'll have to be in France as long as you're still waiting. And till now the reports are conflicting, can you or can't you buy without a french address? Thanks all.

I think it will be more like $600/£300 (in line with Europe prices for the last gen iPhone for a Pay As You Go model (Italian Vodaphone has annouced 500 Euros or something).

Originally Posted by ldhilljr

Re: the French address -- I followed one of the old threads on this topic for quite awhile, and the consensus was you could use any French address for the unnecessary letter, but more important was having a French iTunes account to actually get the unlock process to work. As you may be aware, creating an iTunes account in a different country isn't always easy (you can easily set up a UK iTunes account it in the UK by buying an iTunes card there in £££ and then going to the UK iTunes site, but I have not yet been able to find anyone selling an iTunes card that goes with the French iTunes store).

At the time I was in contact with various people from places like Switzerland who had bought the iphone in France, while it did not come up specifically, I am sure they did not have a French itunes account. I suspect that each country sends a message to Apple with phone identifier, and I cannot imagine that Apple have a database per country, perhaps iTunes is coded to lookup this database, and then send the unlock. But I do not know. I seem to recall various people confirming you did not need a french itunes account.

I could not believe that iTunes has country specific code to lookup into a country specific unlock database. I think it just goes to a generic apple database. But pure speculation.

http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/show...ock#post147213

This guy confirms no need of French iTunes. Also I can confirm the letter is just a notification to remind you to sync your phone, at which point if the unlock is ready iTunes informs you - phone unlocked. I never actually got the letter, I just connected every day for three day and lo on the third day, my phone arose as an unlocked iphone.

You do not need to be in France for three days, it is just a phone call to service client. They do not initiate the unlock in the shop, unless the assistant call the customer service for you as a favor.

You can be almost sure it'll take a few months at best for Orange to receive the unlock codes for the 3G Iphone ... and the price will most likely be completly extravagant

Better get a prepaid phone somewhere and wait for the unofficial unlock IMHO - it might take months as well but at least it'll be cheaper

Originally Posted by Zf_

You can be almost sure it'll take a few months at best for Orange to receive the unlock codes for the 3G Iphone ... and the price will most likely be completly extravagant

Better get a prepaid phone somewhere and wait for the unofficial unlock IMHO - it might take months as well but at least it'll be cheaper

Under French law, Orange must offer an unlocked phone. The original iphone was inlockable from day one.

Originally Posted by Zf_

You can be almost sure it'll take a few months at best for Orange to receive the unlock codes for the 3G Iphone ... and the price will most likely be completly extravagant

Better get a prepaid phone somewhere and wait for the unofficial unlock IMHO - it might take months as well but at least it'll be cheaper

IMHO I don't believe the 3g iphone will ever be (unofficially) unlocked that's why I'm inquiring about the legit unlock.

Any news on the price for a legit, unlocked iPhone 3G from France, Orange?

I would like to buy one and use it here in Denmark. I don't mind paying extra for a legit unlock.

And, with an unlocked iPhone 3G from France, are you sure it's not bound to French SIM cards (even though it's "unlocked")?

/Martin

Prices have been made official a few weeks ago - 609 euros for an unlocked 8G, 709 euros for an unlocked 16G

(to be more precise : you buy a prepaid 8G for 509 euros or a prepaid 16G for 609 euros then pay a 100 euros unlocking fee later)

so thge thing is
i am going to buy one unlocked from france on july 17
and bring it to my country dubai
but the question is will it work here????