# Pondering buying an iphone... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322 "2008-09-26T13:44:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/1 "2008-09-26T13:44:51Z")
They’re a little expensive down here. On ebay they’re kind of cheap. But if I buy one from the US, do they work in other countries? I’m thinking of how certain DVDs don’t work in different regions. Evil multinational technology companies provide technical solutions to parallel importation. Is Apple one of these? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/2 "2008-09-26T13:51:46Z")
Apple might not be, but your mobile phone company probably is. Many carriers (mobile phone companies), especially in the States, lock their phones to their network. If you get an iPhone in the States, it will probably be locked to AT&T, and it will not accept an Australian SIM card. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/3 "2008-09-26T13:55:43Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > it will probably be locked to AT&T, and it will not accept an Australian SIM card. You can legally unlock your iphone in Oz. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/4 "2008-09-26T13:59:55Z")
The phone will work in most other countries, but you’re really limited to non-data functions (i.e., you don’t want to surf the web, since it costs an arm and a leg). Of course, with an i-phone or the 3g, the non-data functions are great. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/5 "2008-09-26T14:20:01Z")
> [@Ponster](#): > > You can legally unlock your iphone in Oz. That’s good then. Can you get the voice and data plans, and Visual Voicemail, without having to get a phone? ---
**Author:** ![First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@First\_Amongst\_Daves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/First_Amongst_Daves)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/6 "2008-09-26T15:05:36Z")
Um. No idea. Perhaps I should investigate all of this first. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/7 "2008-09-26T15:25:28Z")
> [@Ponster](#): > > You can legally unlock your iphone in Oz. Could I legally unlock my _Canadian_ iPhone if I visited Australia? (Need excuse to visit.) ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/8 "2008-09-26T17:53:38Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Could I legally unlock my _Canadian_ iPhone if I visited Australia? (Need excuse to visit.) Once the iphone is jaibroken you can put any functioning sim card in and it will work, that’s how folks were able to get the first generation iphones to work on rogers and fido. So if you go to perth or where ever the normal phone stuff will work. The op however needs to find out if telestra or whomeve r will deny data service based on the device imei. Otherwise it should be good to go. declan ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pondering-buying-an-iphone/465322/9 "2008-09-26T17:58:57Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > That’s good then. Can you get the voice and data plans, and Visual Voicemail, without having to get a phone? It’d probably be better to get the phone that’s included with the plan (or even spend $50 to upgrade), and then sell _that_ phone on eBay. I have Verizon in the US, and I do it every time I’m eligible for upgrade.