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THE COMPUTING UNPLUGGED INTERVIEW
How to unlock your iPhone (and what it all means)
By David Gewirtz
Unless you've been under a rock, you've heard about the iPhone. You've probably also heard terms like "unlocking" and "bricking" applied to this handy, if pricey gadget. What's it all mean? Is Apple purposely destroying phones? If you want to add software to your phone, are you voiding your warranty? What if you want to switch carriers? We asked wireless expert Shawn Zade to explain it all.
David: Please tell us about yourself.
"Bricking is when your fancy, expensive electronic toy turns into a paperweight."
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Shawn: My name is Shawn Zade and I work for WirelessImports.com. Wireless Imports has been in the business of selling cellular phones which are imported from all across the world for use in the USA. 99% of our handsets are not offered by any carrier in the US. All our handsets are 100% unlocked for use with either AT&T or T-Mobile.
David: Can you explain iPhone unlocking?
Shawn: Typically carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile lock their phones so they can't be used with any other carrier. The purpose of this is to ensure that the customer stays with the carrier and does not leave.
David: Why would someone want to unlock an iPhone?
Shawn: If you're asking this question, you don't live outside the continental US and you don't live in places like Montana. Did you know AT&T does not offer service in Montana? So what happens to people that live there and want an iPhone because it syncs so perfectly with their iMac?
Well, if you're one of those unfortunate people, then you can't use an iPhone because AT&T doesn't offer service in your area. However, if you can get your hands on one and then unlock it, then you would be able to use it with any GSM carrier you can find such as T-Mobile or the lower-tier local carriers.
But what if you are an AT&T customer? What benefit do you have then of having it unlocked? I'll answer your question by giving you a real world example of my last international visit.
I took a trip out to Israel. if my phone had remained locked I would have had to pay $2.50 a minute to to AT&T to talk to anyone that I called or who called me, however since my iPhone was unlocked, I was able to walk into a local cell phone store and purchase a pre-paid SIM card just like you do here in the US.
I put that into my phone and anyone who called me was a free call while outgoing calls were only .20" a minute. Plus I had a local number for my Israeli friends and family to reach me on.
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