As expected, Apple has officially welcomed US mobile users who are willing to pay the cost of iPhone 4 outright without having any subsidy or network carrier restriction. From Today, unlocked Apple iPhone4 will be available in U.S. starting $649 onwards. Till now iPhone4 is available in US only through network carriers like AT&T or Verizon.
Unlocked version of Apple iPhone4 will be available for U.S. customers in 16GB and 32 GB variants. The 16GB model would cost $649 and 32GB at $749. Also, iPhone4 unlocked handsets will be available in White and Black both colors from the beginning.
Such move from Apple is being considered as an initiative to strengthen US market share only at the cost of Android which is available with range of handsets through many various handset manufacturers like Sony, Samsung or upcoming Nokia (with Windows Phone 7 platform). Users on Android don’t have to stay committed towards any carrier and this provides an extra edge to Google Android across the globe.
Apple’s primary sales channel in U.S. is network carriers which offer iPhone at subsidize price and with latest move company is trying to tap the relatively smaller but important market which inherits the habit of frequent jump among networks. Mostly students and untraditional service class people come under this category.
One other fact which has made Apple to release unlocked versions of iPhone4 is company’s fifth generation iPhone5 which is expected to launch in next few months – sometime at the beginning of summer this year. Company is trying to sell unlocked version of iPhone4 now and later iPhone5 at subsidize price with a firm commitment towards any network carrier. In current mobile era when people are fascinated of holding two mobile handsets at a time, idea doesn’t seem to be a bad one by all the ways.
