Apple To Sell Unlocked iPhones In Germany

While North American iPhone users are struggling against a sea of firmware updates to use their devices on non-AT&T networks, and making enough headway to break the 1.1.2 firmware before its official release, those in Germany are getting a chance to buy a factory-unlocked phone -- for the not-so-low cost of €999, or approximately 1,500 USD,reports DailyTech.

Deutsche Telekom, the German T-Mobile carrier, had entered an exclusive agreement with Apple in September to sell the iPhone in Germany, but promptly found themselves the target of a court injunction from Vodafone Inc. Germany carries laws similar to France with regard to telecommunications that prohibit mobile phones being tied to a specific carrier or plan.

As expected, not all of the iPhone's features -- such as Visual Voicemail or Chat Texting -- will be available on unlocked units. With reduced functionality, a price tag of nearly a thousand euros, and the potential for a 3G-enabled model in 2008, the offering of unlocked iPhones seems little more than a concession to legality than a genuine offer of good faith.