All is far in love and Smartphone dealing. As Apple starts to push out its iPhone through multiple carriers it stabs the likes of T-mobile in the back, who've been loyally flogging the iPhone under an exclusivity contract for years. But it's good news for consumers who now get A) more choice of contracts and, B) the chance to go down the unlocked/Sim free route.
Once exclusively sold through T-Mobile in Germany, the iPhone is now available through O2 and Vodafone, plus Apple has begun offering the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 unlocked without a contract to its German customers, with the 16GB iPhone 4 model selling for 629 euros.
Apple’s Online Store in Germany has been updated to carry the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 unlocked and contract-free. Apple state that an unlocked iPhone, “will work with the wireless carrier of your choice.” And they also remind users that the iPhone "only works with GSM networks and the iPhone 4 will require a micro-SIM card."
Changes in the German market are a sign of Apples strategic marketing. In January of this year, Apple officials revealed that they will go with multiple carriers where "they believe it is appropriate", but denied that it was inevitable in every market.
“I don’t want to imply that would happen in every market or that we are headed that way in every market,” said Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.
It’s Germany now, where next?
Source: Apple Insider