Apple Tuesday officially endorsed what hackers have already accomplished: selling an ‘unlocked’ version of the iPhone 4. The Apple Store announced Tuesday it is offering a 16GB and 32GB unlocked iPhone 4 – a day earlier than expected. However, there’s one hitch – the phone will work with only GSM carriers.
The unlocked iPhone 4 “arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide,” the Cupertino, Calif. company announced. That proviso limits U.S. customers to either AT&T or T-Mobile. The unlocked 16GB version costs $649, with the 32GB handset priced at $749.
“If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone 4 is the best choice,” Apple explained. Locked versions of the 16GB and 32GB handset are already available for $199 and $299, respectively.
For years, iPhone owners seeking to use the handset on another carrier have relied on hacks to “jail break” the Apple device. The iPhone 4 was jail-broken nearly a year ago when the iPhone Dev Team released “ultrasn0w,” software that would unlock the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G.
Officially, Canadian and U.K. customers have been able to purchase unlocked iPhone 4 devices for some time. Today’s announcement brings that option to the U.S., one of Apple’s largest North American markets. Over the weekend, rumor leaked of Apple intending to offer an unlocked iPhone 4.
Although the unlocked handset is now available from two U.S. carriers, that could be cut in half if AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile proceeds without government intervention. The sale would result in just one U.S. GSM carrier.
