Apple has recently announced the availability of unlocked iPhone 4 models in the U.S., and now they are reportedly taking one step ahead. Since the first iPhone launch, Apple has been selling its locked phones through AT&T network, which apparently cost less due to two-year contract.
According to the Apple sources, the company is now allowing users to unlock their new locked iPhone 4 models. Yes, that’s right! If you don’t want a carrier locked phone, you can ask Apple Store employees to unlock it at checkout.
Apart from that, there is no real benefit of this service, as customers will have to pay same price i.e. $650 for 16 GB and $749 for 32 GB. However, this will be helpful in a scenario when Apple Store runs out of unlocked models. If the factory unlocked models are not available in the store, employees will offer an AT&T unlocked iPhone 4.
Well, we should not forget that iPhone 5 is expected to be released in September this year, and this could be the reason why they are selling these unlocked devices. Also, the competition from rivals, Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Google’s Nexus S 4G, is getting quite tough.
Anyway, have a look at the following screenshot, which confirms this new service -
[via - 9 to 5 Mac]