Nobody knows, Singtel is keeping mum on details.

Singtel should be mirroring Optus's business model, seeing how Singtel owns Optus. Whether that means they allow no-contract iPhones or only offers contract-based ones remains to be seen.

Unlocking here can mean a lot of things. Unlocked to be used with sim cards from within the country of origin only, or unlocked to be used by ANY foreign sim cards? Belgian, Switzerland and a lot of the European unlocks are unlocks of the first nature: Unlocked to be used with sim cards form country of origin. Exception seems to be the Italian iPhones.

Asia and Oceanic region, only HK and New Zealand seems to have the unlocks to be used with any foreign sim cards. Optus still is locked to be used only with sim cards from Australia only.

All this will not matter once software unlocks from Dev Team is made available, that is the universal unlock. A lot of folks here are holding off for Singaporean launch, thinking of maintaining the close proximity as an added advantage in case of the need to return the unit when defective, but if Singtel(later Starhub and M1) do not provide no-contract unlocked units, what is the point of waiting for the Singaporean launch? The moment you dive in and starts unlocking using Dev Team unlocks, your warranty is void, and the advantage of having Singapore close by is gone.

What happens when it is contract-basis only? Live in Singapore?

That may not be the case. You see, in Singapore's case, the iPhone is not sold through any of the Apple's retail stores. Warranty-wise would still be restricted to region of purchase, so if you're thinking of claiming warranty from Singapore and choosing that fact as the reason why you're waiting for the Singapore launch, there may be other factors that would hinder that. Plus, iPhone warranties are not worldwide, you still have to return to the country of purchase for returns.

For example, we dont know how "unlocked" the iPhones are from Singapore. They may be locked tight, or unlocked only to Singaporean telcos. If this is the case, then you still have to jailbreak it, and therefore voiding your warranty. And from past experiences, Apple do know if you've been "naughty" with your iPhones.

My fascination with NZ iPhones is that, it requires ZERO jailbreaking or unlocking at all. I can simply slip in the sim card, and Celcom works right away. That way, if things break down, I still have a non-tempered with iPhone for claims and warranty from New Zealand. Granted my case might be unique, thanks to my travel opportunities and such, but I'm ready to take advantage of these circumstances. Now, if Singaporean iPhones mirrors the case of the NZ iPhones, then hurrah! No need to get from NZ already!

If I'm able to get the NZ iPhones, I'm planning to leave this unit unmolested as it is, and use the first gen as the jailbroken unit.

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Added on July 13, 2008, 1:52 pmWiht one condition: Provided that Singaporean iPhones are unlocked right out of the box and ready for use with our sim cards, without jailbreaking.

The moment that is the case, I'll be on the first flight out to Changi myself!

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 01:52 PM

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPhone...ation_Guide.pdf

One-year limited warranty information is in that PDF file. Whichever region you purchase from, the warranty information still links to that PDF.

Read Page 22 onwards."Country of Purchase"

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 02:22 PM

Even if Singapore iPhones = NZ iPhones, Singapore is not that close, unless you live in JB. They still have to get your information such as contact number and all, and unless you're free most of the time, you still have to arrange coming up and down there to return and collect your iPhone. Not that easy.

It's easy to reconciliate ourselves that Singapore is close and all, but the reality is not so rosy.

Again, provided if SG iPhones = NZ iPhones.

I've accepted the fact that the iPhones I'm getting will not be covered by any warranty. I'm looking at cases like videogame consoles, where owners having to send their consoles to Singapore for warranty purposes (XB360) as an example. The process is not straight-forward, but achievable, provided you have the patience. Things like having to provide Singaporean addresses as proof of residence,and claiming waranty, for example. Apple Singapore have all the rights to refuse service once they see that Malaysian cellphone number you put in as your contact number. In the end, isn't it back to square one?

I've read it in either Hackint0sh or TUAW that Apple have means of detecting tampered iPhones even after revirginizing. Plus, how are you going to explain to them about your problems during warranty claims when your iPhone is revirginized and returned to its factory state just like before it is activated? This alone means you have activated it by your own means, a.k.a illegal unlocks, used it and faced problems and returned it to its present state. Apple is not gullible.

A typical conversation on claiming warranty and making up a story about an imaginary defect to claim warranty would go something like this:-

User: Hi, I'm having a problem with my iPhone
Genius: Okay, I can help you with that. What exactly is going wrong?
User: Well, my network signal is on the fritz. Nothing is helping.
Genius: Uh, your phone is not activated.
User: Oh. Right...
Genius: How are you having fluctuating signal if you've never activated your phone?
User: ...
Genius: Did you unlock your iPhone?
User: I.. Uh..
Genius: ...
User: No?
Genius: Sure. Your warranty is void. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.


This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 03:00 PM

Dude, iPhones are not available in Malaysia. Apple Singapore is not incompetent. Any warranty and repair services, would have to go through Apple Singapore. The very reason why local vendors here would'nt touch a defective iPhone here with a ten-foot pole, is because of this.

Seriously, how would you convince an Apple rep that you have a defective iPhone, when you have not even activated it yet? It is still at its locked page, therefore you should have not even used it. If you said you have used it and *insert a fake defect story here*, then they would automatically know that you have activated it by illegal means.

With the advent of Apple Singapore now handling the launch to Singtel, this is even more telling. Singtel would have kept all information on which iPhones are adtivated by them , and which ones remained not activated. The ones remaining not activated would be prime suspect for illegal third party unlocks a.k.a iLiberty/etc.

Okay, now you're making sense.

I'm taking that same route myself. Until Malaysia has its own official iPhone, having to rely on Singapore and hoping that they would accept warranties point blank without asking you to jump through hoops, is hopeful at best, and potentially devastating in the future. I have friends and relatives living in Singapore that I could rely on for returns and warranties, but even that does not convince me of the warranty route via Singapore. Having to rely on anybody else but yourself, to me, is the weakest link.

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Added on July 13, 2008, 3:15 pmAnd I dont move back for a good reason now, dont I? Are all my reasoning that hostile or are there a ring of truth in them? I'd like to think I can go the "warranty in Singapore route" but how would you bluff the Apple rep into taking your warranty claim, when your iPhone is not activated at all, after several weeks/months of purchase? Is that too hard to believe?

I'm more than happy to "move back" with good reasons and proof, but I dont see any chances of Apple accepting defective iPhones without any convincing scenarios I can think of. Can you? If I'm wrong, prove me wrong, and I'll be happy to eat crow. So far, I dont see any points that refutes my points.

P/S: Why.....so.....serious? Teh internets....serious business, eh? Oh well, people change. I'm afraid I dont. Been this way since, and many have since find it hard to accept it that way.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 03:18 PM

Yes, I agree. Singapore is logistically closer. But the relative closeness does not guarantee that the return and warranty claims procedure would be easier. If it does, I'll join the bandwagon and buy my iPhones from Singapore, no doubt. But if it is not, the situation will have leveled out to square one back again.

We agree to disagree, deal? I'd like not to have to turn more into adversaries in here.


This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 03:27 PM

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPhone...ation_Guide.pdf

Okay, this is based on the assumptions that Apple Singapore will accept any other iPhones not from their region and impose charges for repairs and service. If you do read that link I provided above regarding the one-year limited warranty, that is applicable to all regions where iPhones are launched, they reserve the right to refuse service and repairs for iPhones that had been tampered with. Pray that you can revirginize your iPhone and not detected by them, and come up with a convincing story on how you manage to use your iPhone unactivated by legal means.

Got lobang? Okay, that i didnt know!

As for normal plebs like me, got no lobang. So I cannot rely on this means of getting repairs.

In retrospect, dont mind me, I'm not stable mentally right now.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 13 2008, 03:32 PM

Yeah sorry, I should be taking a break myself. Up since 11pm yesterday, and the recent disappointment. I'm sorry everyone, especially to the threadstarter and Nokia2003, for putting him up to me. Sorry again.

From the immortal words of the great Scooby Doo:-


Ruh-Roh!