If you're planning on unlocking the iPhone, don't buy from an AT&T store, as they'll make you sign up for one of their plans on the spot. Buy from an Apple store instead. Also, I have to add this since the board is international: If you're not from the U.S., get an American friend to buy the iPhone for you. The store will ask to see a driver's license, and they will not sell to foreigners. Oh, and you can't pay in cash anymore, so have a credit card on hand. Gift cards won't work, either. Got it?
I laugh when people say iphone is "overpriced"... Please... this thing is literally the best investment i've ever made. Worth its weight in gold, and proves its worth on a daily basis... I couldn't function without it.. it rules..
If you don't like AT&T service or if you're going to use this outside the US, buy directly from Apple store and have it un-locked here: http://www.iphonesimfree.com/cgi-bin/iphonesimfree/engine.pl?page=home I had to unlock mine because we use T-mobile at work. As long as you pay for the data service with your provider, iPhone works the same, you would encounter some problems when Apple usually upgrades the firmware, but you're usually back online after a while. Warning: if you have limited computer skils, don't open it. You will have a very expensive paper weight if you brick it.
If you ARE going to unlock the phone, try to get a phone with the 1.1.1 firmware. If you end up with a 1.1.2 phone out of the box (which has the new bootloader), you're going to be SOL until the hackers figure out a way to hack it (if ever). Unfortunately, there's no good way to figure out which firmware you're gonna get before buying, so it's all luck. I believe the new phones now ship with 1.1.2, so good luck finding an "older" iPhone.
I spoke/chatted with an apple expert about the iPhone and it seems that openline is **** up line. here's the transcript:
Dude, WTF? Why would you even say that to an Apple salesman? What did you honestly think their response would be? Besides, the guy's right: The iPhone WILL NOT work with T-Mobile... out of the box, that is. You gotta unlock it, hacker-style.
