Apple sells an unlocked iPhone 4, so it stands to reason they’ll do the same for the iPhone 4S. Even so, we’ve yet to get any direct confirmation that Apple’s got an unlocked model planned, which is sort of a bummer, since an unlocked world phone iPhone is seriously tempting.
It does seem, though, that Apple may have an unlocked iPhone 4S in the pipeline, based on info found by selecting an iPhone 4 on the Apple Online Store and then clicking the link titled “About the unlocked iPhone.”
What’s weird is the text says the iPhone 4S won’t look on CDMA-based carriers, which is just bizarre, since the hardware should surely allow it. I’m guessing this is just hastily updated boilerplate that will be refined over time, but it’s still pretty strange.
[via MacTrast]
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
29 responses to “Apple.com Hints That Unlocked iPhone 4S May Not Work On Sprint or Verizon”
Umm that doesn’t seem like a hint, more like a fact! Very confusing though..
“Apple sells an unlocked iPhone 4, so it stands to reason they’ll do the same for the iPhone 4S.”.
Um, no. Confirmed with Apple earlier today. Only unlocked unlocked iPhones available are 4 and 3GS.
Check the keynote again, Tim Cook said the exact same thing, ‘It’s a world phone, so you can roam worldwide on supported GSM networks’
you call that a hint?
Weird, I figured one of the advantages would be that if I got sick of AT&T that I would be able to take the CDMA portion to either Verizon or Sprint. It would be logical since I purchased it at full price. Why does the U.S have to remain backwards like this?
Based on what I know about CDMA this makes sense. There is no SIM card for CDMA. The IMEI number (or its equivalent) is registered with the carrier and your phone is then on their network.Â
If you got an iPhone 4S you and did not want GSM you would call Verizon or Sprint give them the IMEI number and you are done.Â
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Gee, what a subtle hint. That’s like me saying Steve Jobs releasing a statement saying how much he wants his position back and websites saying things like “Steve Jobs is reported to be hinting that he may have some interest in coming back to work at Apple”. I mean, really? Other than that, good article.
I honestly don’t think that’s the full price. It’s the subsidized price with a carrier agreement. It’ll cost you at least 200 more if you don’t want a contract
I’m going to upgrade to iPhone 4S. Any chance I could unlock my old 4 legally? Without jailbreak or anything I mean.
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Jailbreaking is legal, pirating apps is not.
The hardware will allow it; but Verizon and Sprint do NOT allow unauthorized devices on their network. Â Â The ESN must be in their system as a phone that was sold by them. Â Â So it is not a device issue, but rather a carrier issue.
They are available everywhere outside of North America unlocked.
available now and available sometime later on. i’m sure there’s a difference.
 Its ridiculous you cant travel anywhere and switch from your own carrier to a local one without unlocking it. One of the reasons i unlock and jailbreak all my iphones. Last time i had a phone bill of 2600 euros while travelling in canada for biz. Glad i found a good site that always updates with the latest unlocking and jailbreaking solutions..
Best chance to unlock and jailbreak your iphone 4s is to wait for a site like http://www.unlockingiphone4s.c…. I read a tweet from them today that they did finish developing the unlock and jailbreak for the iphone 4s but are currently testing it to make sure everything is working. As soon as they post it online, im there to get it done..