So here’s the question… Why isn’t Apple selling unlocked iPhones directly to the public?
It’s obvious that there is demand, over a million unlocked phones, and the latest firmware has been cracked too.
Apple reportedly makes “as much as $400” per iPhone sold in additional revenue from the carrier, so wouldn’t it make sense to sell iPhones at some substantial portion of the $400 (somewhat less, since the full amount would be released to Apple immediately, rather then $400 over 2-3 years) above the additional cost, completely unlocked?
There are plenty of ads on Craiglist showing unlocked iPhones for $600-$750 a pop, so the market is obviously there, and with a profit margin of 50%, you’d think Apple would want to crank up sales.
Is it just Jobs’ control freak nature keeping the iPhone away from the obvious consumer demand?