Iphone Apple Store Warranty
Understanding the Dangers and Benefits of an Unlocked IPhone
The iPhone is many things: powerful, revolutionary, fun, and sexy. There is one major thing that it is not, however, and this one point continues to be a huge turn-off to potential buyers. Apple (the manufacturer of the iPhone) has an exclusive contract with AT&T Wireless, and details of that contract include manufacturing the phone to be sold out of the box as a “locked” phone. That means that even if you buy the phone at full retail price from Apple, it will still only be capable of working on the AT&T network.
Well, there’s a slight caveat to that statement. You’ll be stuck on the AT&T network until you unlock your phone by downloading software that can complete that task. Once you’ve unlocked your iPhone, you’ll be able to use it on any network, as long as its compatible with the iPhone’s simcard system (which includes most of the American data and voice carriers).
International travelers in particular are affected by this problem. They understandably want to take their iPhones when they leave the country. Other phones let you to simply pop in a new simcard and go. The stubborn iPhone, unfortunately, doesn’t allow any such thing.
There are numerous third parties that sell software to create unlocked iPhones, ranging from 20-100 dollars. Not all of them are completely legitimate, however, and you would be wise to perform some basic research before downloading (and installing) these applications.
Another thing to realize is that newer iPhones are much harder to unlock than their older counterparts. For instance, the new 3GS, just released into the market earlier in the summer, is designed to be virtually “unlockable”. Of course, that statement is relative, and Apple and AT&T have applied it to all the previous models of the iPhone. The real story is that there are a few months of lag time in between the release of the new model and capable hackers creating an unlock solution. After about 90 days, you can generally find a more or less reliable software program that will get the job done.
So is there a downside to an unlocked iPhone, besides the cash you’ll shell out to have the actual operation performed? The main drawback is the loss of the standard warranty if you bring an unlocked iPhone into an Apple store, and they figure out that you’ve made this modification. This can be a huge downer if you have a basic problem, only to be told by an agitated Apple representative that you’ve voided your warranty by unlocking your phone.
Most programs that work to create an unlocked iPhone claim that the phone can be reset to factory specifications after unlocking, leaving no trace of the operation. That’s something you’ll want to take with a grain of salt: the iPhone is a complicated piece of technology, and if yours breaks and you can’t fix it under warranty, you’ll be out a bunch of cash.
There are advantages and disadvantages to unlocking an iPhone. Decide whether it’s a crucial move for you to make, and figure it out from there.
About the Author
Have you bought an iPhone only to realize it can’t be unlocked? www.CashforiPhones.com will give you the best price around for your used phone.
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