With T-Mobile losing its iPhone exclusivity in Germany to O2 and Vodafone, the last European iPhone exclusivity deal is dead. That’s good news for German consumers, who now are not only in a position to avail themselves of the spoils of the carrier wars as different mobile providers scramble to attract customers, but who also now have the option to buy an unlocked iPhone directly from Apple.
Apple’s online store in Germany is now selling both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 unlocked and contract free, with the 8GB 3GS starting at the price of 519 euros and the iPhone 4 16GB and 32GB models costing 629 euros and 739 euros respectively.
Unlocked Phones are also now available in Apple’s four German retail locations.
All in all, it’s an excellent time to be a new or prospective iPhone owner in Germany. There’s just a wealth of options available here for every budget. It makes me despair that I’ll be leaving in the next few months back for America, where exclusive carrier deals is still the rule. Perhaps the United States will be the next carrier-exclusive iPhone country to crumble into a pro-consumer free-for-all?
[via Apple Insider]
