Apple makes iPhone 3G available unlocked in HK
It looks like Apple has decided to sell the iPhone 3G to folks in Hong Kong without having it locked down to any particular carrier. This could be a straight backlash to the rumors that China Mobile won’t carry the iPhone unless 3G and Wi-Fi are disabled (we know, right?). Anyway, the iPhone 3G will now be available for the Chinese to use however they please so long as the chosen carrier’s SIM is installed before syncing the phone to iTunes 8. The 8GB model will be available for $5,400 HK ($692) and the 16GB will be $6,200 HK ($794). Hmm, anyone think these will hit the resale market?
[Via MacNN]
so say these bad boys hit ebay and i pick one up, i can just stick my at&t sim card in and continue to pay 30 bucks a month?
One would assume that’s possible. They are unlocked, after all.
I dont think this is a backlash to the rumors? china mobile does not even operate in hong kong and those state owned cellular companies, as well as state regulations do not apply to this region either. Different region, different laws. No backlash.
-keep up the good work though b.g. love the site.
i currently dont have a data plan with at&t. would their be some sort of catch if i wanted to activate the 3g internet service?
Would be great to use with Tmobile-US! I wonder how much it will cost in the resale market.
@timothyt Thanks for the clarification.
I just assumed that Apple was saying, “To hell with it,” just to get the phone into China. Especially since the iPhone 3G isn’t officially available there yet and their talks with companies like China Mobile have resulted in unrealistic demands.
I do not think iPhone sold in HK at those prices will hit the black market, the price is too steep. Here in Colombia one of the providers -Comcel- which sell iPhones are selling the 8Gb at US$600 aprox. as PREPAID plan PAYG. Probably soon it or later Apple will be selling iPhones unlocked like HTC, it’s just a matter of time, they’re researching the market to see how it’s gone be.
China Mobile would not demand Wifi is removed. The bastards at MII demand wifi is removed.
http://www.miit.gov.cn/
They pulled the same crap with nokia on the n91, for example.
These are the same idiots that forced TD-SCDMA on China Mobile. Eventually they’ll open up to LTE and HSPA. Now they’re stealing 4 billion USD from China Mobile and giving it to China Netcom.
What a disaster.
My bad. $7.4 billion
Apple should do the same in the US.
I’d love to buy one from the HK Apple Online Store. Will they ship to US?
go to italy, unlocked and working, 499 EUR, 569 EUR
I agree with you Marc that these will be flowing into mainland China. Not sure if Apple is doing it to get back at China Mobile but whatever the reason they will be going to the resale market. The original was a big seller in China once it was unlocked so this one coming unlocked will be resold in large numbers.
it was only a matter of time!
Given the healthy secondary market of unlocked 1st generation iPhones, if the unlocked iPhone 3G does become a reality, it’s only a matter of time before they start selling in the secondary market as well.
Why would you want to buy the iphone 3g for 700 bucks in china if you can get a knockoff thats the exact same thing for i bet like 50 bucks xp
The CECT clone is not selling well. People, like my brother-in-law would much rather have a Nokia S60 device. In fact you can see CECT profits are down about nearly 50% recently.