It appears that Apple is already selling the iPhone 4S unlocked in the U.S., according to iOS developer Steven Troughton-Smith and 9to5Mac reported that select Apple Stores in the United States have begun selling contract-free versions of the iPhone 4S, which our friend Steven Troughton-Smith was able to both verify and purchase. Although Apple says that they will begin selling unlocked, contract-free iPhone 4S units in the United States in November and Troughton-Smith’s unlocked iPhone 4S in the United States successfully connected to T-Mobile’s EDGE network via an O2 SIM-card on roaming………………..
Apple previously indicated that it would not be possible to purchase an unlocked iPhone 4S until November, but it seems that Apple is already selling them at retail stores as simply Off Contract devices and Off Contract devices are sold at full retail price, don’t lock you into a contract with AT&T. The prices for these models are $649, $749 and $849 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB iPhone 4S models. The common thread was that they were purchased as off contract devices. Developer @stroughtonsmith has since verified this by purchasing one himself and it seems Sprint iPhone 4Ss are also come GSM unlocked according to @gruber who was able to successfully use a Canadian SIM card in his Sprint iPhone 4S. The finding was noted by 9to5Mac and had also been discussed in the MacRumors forums where multiple users noticed that iTunes informed them of the Congratulations your iPhone has been unlocked message from iTunes:
I really have no idea. Part of me thinks it was some kind of glitch. The only thing I can think of is that a paid full price and didn’t extend my contract. I ordered through Apple too. I wish there was a way I could confirm it, but I don’t have any T Mobile or foreign sims laying around lol – BFW122083
The same thing appeared on mine when I did a restore… I am wondering if it came like this from the factory because I paid the full $849.99 for a 64 GB because my AT&T contract was not eligible for an upgrade…- mjcxp
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