Apple Getting an iPhone Soon

[I am r4ymond]

I may be getting an iPhone soon, so I need to know basic information about it. More specifically, I want to know how the iPhone works in terms of the carrier and the SIMS card for the phone.

If I were to buy an iPhone at other stores (e.g. Best Buy, Fry's, and other electronic shops) or online (Amazon, etc), would I be able to insert my own SIM card into the iPhone for it to work? Or must it involve a jailbreaking/unlocking process of some sort in order to "unlock" the iPhone? Basically, what I want to know is the "phone" part of the iPhone, as I'm perfectly fine with the other functions.

I did search for information about the iPhone, but I only looked at the basic parts of it, such as setting it up in general.

Any other information about the iPhone would also be helpful

Thanks.

 

[Dialexio]

If you buy an iPhone on-contract, it will be locked to a specific carrier (let's say AT&T). You need an unlock in order to pop in a SIM card from another carrier like T-Mobile or Vodafone.

Generally speaking, there are two different ways to unlock. Software-based unlocks are free, and require jailbreaking. Currently, there is no software-based unlock available for newly-purchased iPhones. Another method is using hardware that sits between the SIM card and the iPhone. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with compatibility for these.

If you'd rather not bother with this unlock stuff, you can buy an iPhone off-contract (it will be unlocked from the factory), but it is much more expensive.

 

[Foxi4]

You still have a chance to buy an Android, don't miss it.

 

[I am r4ymond]

If you buy an iPhone on-contract, it will be locked to a specific carrier (let's say AT&T). You need an unlock in order to pop in a SIM card from another carrier like T-Mobile or Vodafone.

Generally speaking, there are two different ways to unlock. Software-based unlocks are free, and require jailbreaking. Currently, there is no software-based unlock available for newly-purchased iPhones. Another method is using hardware that sits between the SIM card and the iPhone. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with compatibility for these.

If you'd rather not bother with this unlock stuff, you can buy an iPhone off-contract (it will be unlocked from the factory), but it is much more expensive.

I guess my options are very limited then. My parents bought new phones 2 months ago, so my options were to either wait another 2 years to buy the iPhone or buy the iPhone elsewhere and manually jailbreak it.

Thanks for the reply.

You still have a chance to buy an Android, don't miss it.

I'm not particularly interested in the Android because I'm more familiar with using iProducts :s

 

[Foxi4]

I'm not particularly interested in the Android because I'm more familiar with using iProducts :s

Fair enough. If you're going to buy one though, don't go any lower then the 4S. This is... pretty much the only iPhone that I can actually treat as "up-to-par" and as much as it sounds funny comming from me, an Apple-hater, it's actually an okay device.

 

[kthnxshwn]

The iphone is locked to carriers, but not locked to plans unless it's through a CDMA network. For example, if you have a small 20 dollar a month plan through AT&T, you can swap SIMs after you slim it down (seeing as the iPhone uses MicroSIM) and you phone will function perfectly fine with whatever features you pay for. However, since Verizon eneds to personally alter your plan to match the iphone, you'll be out of luck as far as saving money on a plan.

Also, I have the 4S and had a 4 etc etc, but the iPhone 4 is perfectly fine. There is honestly nothing astounding about the 4S. It's a small bit faster, as far as 3G speeds and performance go, but it's not amazing different. Siri is impressive, I will say that, but it's not a deal breaker or a necessity - even if you need it, you can jailbreak and use one of the many mods that enable it on your device.

 

[Foxi4]

The iphone is locked to carriers, but not locked to plans unless it's through a CDMA network. For example, if you have a small 20 dollar a month plan through AT&T, you can swap SIMs after you slim it down (seeing as the iPhone uses MicroSIM) and you phone will function perfectly fine with whatever features you pay for. However, since Verizon eneds to personally alter your plan to match the iphone, you'll be out of luck as far as saving money on a plan.

Also, I have the 4S and had a 4 etc etc, but the iPhone 4 is perfectly fine. There is honestly nothing astounding about the 4S. It's a small bit faster, as far as 3G speeds and performance go, but it's not amazing different. Siri is impressive, I will say that, but it's not a deal breaker or a necessity - even if you need it, you can jailbreak and use one of the many mods that enable it on your device.

I have a general rule when it comes to electronics - if you're going to buy something, buy it from the top shelf.

The 4S may not show off its full potential now, but it sure has alot of good hardware under its hood compared to previous revisions and if I were to buy an iPhone, what I'll never do knowing life, I would buy the 4S simply due to the onlook on the future of the platform it gives. Previous iPhones were made for "there and then", the 4S steps it up a notch and has hardware capable of staying afloat for more then half a year, even if the current apps aren't showing off its features fully just yet.

 

[iFish]

I'm not particularly interested in the Android because I'm more familiar with using iProducts :s

Fair enough. If you're going to buy one though, don't go any lower then the 4S. This is... pretty much the only iPhone that I can actually treat as "up-to-par" and as much as it sounds funny comming from me, an Apple-hater, it's actually an okay device.

"up-to-par" means nothing if the OS itself is optimized well for said hardware. The iPhone 4 isn't that bad even at this moment. Better specs ≠ better experience. (Not saying Android is bad). Apple does a pretty good job at optimizing iOS for their devices(usually) since it only runs on certain hardware.

But I would also say the iPhone 4S IS better(obviously).

Anyway, I think your post wasn't needed at all(Your first one). It didn't help the poster at all and it just makes you look like a dick.

 

[kthnxshwn]

The iphone is locked to carriers, but not locked to plans unless it's through a CDMA network. For example, if you have a small 20 dollar a month plan through AT&T, you can swap SIMs after you slim it down (seeing as the iPhone uses MicroSIM) and you phone will function perfectly fine with whatever features you pay for. However, since Verizon eneds to personally alter your plan to match the iphone, you'll be out of luck as far as saving money on a plan.

Also, I have the 4S and had a 4 etc etc, but the iPhone 4 is perfectly fine. There is honestly nothing astounding about the 4S. It's a small bit faster, as far as 3G speeds and performance go, but it's not amazing different. Siri is impressive, I will say that, but it's not a deal breaker or a necessity - even if you need it, you can jailbreak and use one of the many mods that enable it on your device.

I have a general rule when it comes to electronics - if you're going to buy something, buy it from the top shelf.

The 4S may not show off its full potential now, but it sure has alot of good hardware under its hood compared to previous revisions and if I were to buy an iPhone, what I'll never do knowing life, I would buy the 4S simply due to the onlook on the future of the platform it gives. Previous iPhones were made for "there and then", the 4S steps it up a notch and has hardware capable of staying afloat for more then half a year, even if the current apps aren't showing off its features fully just yet.

Very true; applies to the majority if not all of electronics. However, this is Apple. Apple will surely do something in the future that will make the 4 and the 4S look like slow pieces of metal within the next 2 or 3 years.

 

[Vulpes Abnocto]

Anyway, I think your post wasn't needed at all(Your first one). It didn't help the poster at all and it just makes you look like a dick.

Lighten up a bit, fishy. One joke isn't going to kill anyone.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm not particularly interested in the Android because I'm more familiar with using iProducts :s

Fair enough. If you're going to buy one though, don't go any lower then the 4S. This is... pretty much the only iPhone that I can actually treat as "up-to-par" and as much as it sounds funny comming from me, an Apple-hater, it's actually an okay device.

"up-to-par" means nothing if the OS itself is optimized well for said hardware. The iPhone 4 isn't that bad even at this moment. Better specs ≠ better experience. (Not saying Android is bad). Apple does a pretty good job at optimizing iOS for their devices(usually) since it only runs on certain hardware.

But I would also say the iPhone 4S IS better(obviously).

Anyway, I think your post wasn't needed at all(Your first one). It didn't help the poster at all and it just makes you look like a dick.

It was a suggestion straight from the heart, actually.

Many, many people buy iPhones because they are blisfully unaware of Android alternatives or are convinced that Androids are somehow inheritently worse then iPhones.
If he would've been interested in iPhone-like features not an iPhone itself, he could just get an Android phone and have a smartphone "for less" that "does the same things" and perhaps fits him better. Seeing that he's interested in iOS only, I suggested the 4S simply because it's equipped with the A5 processor that'll stay "fresh" for much longer then the iPhone 4's A4. Sure, the OS and apps aren't 100% compatible with Dual Core... YET, and that is my point - subsequent software updates will only allow this phone to perform better and better as the second core gets utilized more and more. The iPhone 4 on the otherhand reached a performance standstill.

 

[I am r4ymond]

The iphone is locked to carriers, but not locked to plans unless it's through a CDMA network. For example, if you have a small 20 dollar a month plan through AT&T, you can swap SIMs after you slim it down (seeing as the iPhone uses MicroSIM) and you phone will function perfectly fine with whatever features you pay for. However, since Verizon eneds to personally alter your plan to match the iphone, you'll be out of luck as far as saving money on a plan.

Also, I have the 4S and had a 4 etc etc, but the iPhone 4 is perfectly fine. There is honestly nothing astounding about the 4S. It's a small bit faster, as far as 3G speeds and performance go, but it's not amazing different. Siri is impressive, I will say that, but it's not a deal breaker or a necessity - even if you need it, you can jailbreak and use one of the many mods that enable it on your device.

I'm thinking of buying the iPhone because I don't want to carry one phone in one pocket and my iTouch in the other pocket. I only want to use the iPhone for calling/small web surfing/listening to music. I thought it'd be convenient if I had a device that can do all of that instead of carrying several devices.

So what if I ONLY want to use the iPhone for calling? I don't need texting nor do I need a 3G or 4G plan or whatever it's called because I'm a huge freeloader of Wi-Fi. If I only want the calling features, how would the contract work?

I have no idea what the plans are or how the contracts work. Oh, and my carrier is AT&T. According to my parents, I'll never switch to another carrier, but I honestly don't care which carrier I have.

 

[chris888222]

I believe in the US the carrier is locked, why want AT&T anyway? (Just curious)

I bought my 4/4S in Singapore and switched between carriers MobileOne (Singapore), DiGi (Malaysia) and even SoftBank (Japan) with no problems at all.

Personally I find the 4 to be good enough. Decent camera, decent speeds and fantastic retina graphics. The only few things better about the 4S is the inclusion of Siri, dictation, slightly better speeds, better camera. Both have the same RAM and graphics. Some even consider the 4 to have a better quality screen.

 

[kthnxshwn]

You just strip all the features from AT&T's site then get an iPhone from a 3rd party and pop your SIM in it. if you go to AT&T, Apple Best Buy, or any other retailers, they'll have to order a new plan with different rates. You'll also need to make sure the phone is activated in iTunes before buying since it'll give you a set up for basic needed features when you try to plug it in and sync.

Also, if you're on AT&T now through a family plan, you're probably saving a ton of money compared to going to any other carrier. IIRC, the basic feature plan with Verizon is around 80 a month.

 

[I am r4ymond]

I believe in the US the carrier is locked, why want AT&T anyway? (Just curious)

I bought my 4/4S in Singapore and switched between carriers MobileOne (Singapore), DiGi (Malaysia) and even SoftBank (Japan) with no problems at all.

Personally I find the 4 to be good enough. Decent camera, decent speeds and fantastic retina graphics. The only few things better about the 4S is the inclusion of Siri, dictation, slightly better speeds, better camera. Both have the same RAM and graphics. Some even consider the 4 to have a better quality screen.

As I've said before, my carrier is AT&T because my parents chose to use AT&T, so I'm bound to use it as well. But I honestly don't mind which carrier I get though.

I like to keep most of my technology that I own up-to-date. It's a habit for me .

You just strip all the features from AT&T's site then get an iPhone from a 3rd party and pop your SIM in it. if you go to AT&T, Apple Best Buy, or any other retailers, they'll have to order a new plan with different rates. You'll also need to make sure the phone is activated in iTunes before buying since it'll give you a set up for basic needed features when you try to plug it in and sync.

Also, if you're on AT&T now through a family plan, you're probably saving a ton of money compared to going to any other carrier. IIRC, the basic feature plan with Verizon is around 80 a month.

By 3rd party, do you mean buying the iPhone from places like Amazon, eBay, and other online stores for instance? If I were to actually buy an iPhone from an online store, how would I go about inserting the SIM card? I read that the SIM card has to be carefully trimmed in a way so it matches the iPhone's SIM card's slot. I don't know if it's true or not. Just something I read before I made this thread.

 

[Thanatos Telos]

I believe in the US the carrier is locked, why want AT&T anyway? (Just curious)

I bought my 4/4S in Singapore and switched between carriers MobileOne (Singapore), DiGi (Malaysia) and even SoftBank (Japan) with no problems at all.

Personally I find the 4 to be good enough. Decent camera, decent speeds and fantastic retina graphics. The only few things better about the 4S is the inclusion of Siri, dictation, slightly better speeds, better camera. Both have the same RAM and graphics. Some even consider the 4 to have a better quality screen.

As I've said before, my carrier is AT&T because my parents chose to use AT&T, so I'm bound to use it as well. But I honestly don't mind which carrier I get though.

I like to keep most of my technology that I own up-to-date. It's a habit for me .

You just strip all the features from AT&T's site then get an iPhone from a 3rd party and pop your SIM in it. if you go to AT&T, Apple Best Buy, or any other retailers, they'll have to order a new plan with different rates. You'll also need to make sure the phone is activated in iTunes before buying since it'll give you a set up for basic needed features when you try to plug it in and sync.

Also, if you're on AT&T now through a family plan, you're probably saving a ton of money compared to going to any other carrier. IIRC, the basic feature plan with Verizon is around 80 a month.

By 3rd party, do you mean buying the iPhone from places like Amazon, eBay, and other online stores for instance? If I were to actually buy an iPhone from an online store, how would I go about inserting the SIM card? I read that the SIM card has to be carefully trimmed in a way so it matches the iPhone's SIM card's slot. I don't know if it's true or not. Just something I read before I made this thread.

If you're on ATT go to an apple store after making a Genius bar appointment. Best buy gives you it automatically.

 

[kthnxshwn]

By 3rd party, do you mean buying the iPhone from places like Amazon, eBay, and other online stores for instance? If I were to actually buy an iPhone from an online store, how would I go about inserting the SIM card? I read that the SIM card has to be carefully trimmed in a way so it matches the iPhone's SIM card's slot. I don't know if it's true or not. Just something I read before I made this thread.

3rd Party = Any place that doesn't officially sell the iPhone. Amazon, eBay, Craigslist, your neighbor, my neighbor

Yes, you have to trim your SIM card down carefully. There are guides out there, but also MicroSIM cutting tools as well.