@hsyong,
Maxis is rich; and with the recent re-listing, they're even richer, what's RM2490 to them?

As what teikwing has mentioned; go get a unit from Garage Sales. Speaking of which, I too have a brand new i3GS 16GB available for sale. Any takers, just PM me

JUst bought my Iphone 3gs 32gb white today. It is a factory unlocked set and accordingly it was from hong kong. Is the 1st page regarding factory unlocked iphone 3gs updated? For mine, the part no. MC134ZP/A is not in the list of factory unlocked 3gs iphones.

for some reasons (possibly due to circulation of refurbished units) apple has decided not to publish these model/part numbers anymore.

basically, if you restore your iPhone as a new phone and still use any sort of supported GSM sim cards, it is extremely likely, that you are tentatively holding an unlocked unit.

And going by deductions, irrespective of the numbers, the suffixes should be able to determine from where the i3GS is from by referencing the i3G's.

No idea about refurbished units but i bought mine from apple authorized dealer and the box came in an unopened package full set. At the start the phone has to be unlocked using itune and i tested it with my digi sim card, works fine alright. No turbosim or snow programme required.

@kirakun,
It's as updated as when forummers give us the information. So, this particular one is a HK set?! Will update Post #1 shortly. Yes that should be right, HK sets are officially unlocked units hence u should be able to use it with any telco

This post has been edited by tinkerbel: Nov 9 2009, 09:43 PM

Yeap according to the dealer it is a HK set. It came with a 3 pin plug head charger which i believe the same used in m'sia, singapore and hong kong.

This post has been edited by kirakun: Nov 9 2009, 09:47 PM

Based on my observation and rationalization as stated a few posts above, yours is a HK set.

alright then.

as i was pointing out earlier, the best way to determine such an incident is to experiment it by yourself

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Added on November 9, 2009, 9:53 pmyeah, but it is true isn't it?

apple has indeed remove such information from its website

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 9 2009, 09:53 PM

Is it true that now 3Gs can be purchased without contract .

@Arapan,
Maxis is still keeping tabs on who's purchasing the i3GS and apparently they haven't yet opened up the outright prepaid purchase of the i3GS.

Can we recap on the HK set. Is it the same one sold at china mainland phone shops? All units are supposed to be officially unlocked right?

What about the news that wifi and/or 3G disable for china iphones? Is this true?

@gyver,
If you're getting ur set from China, just make sure it's from an authorised store because there are a couple of iPhone imitations in the China market and u definitely don't wish to be caught with one.

Having said that, the phones from PRC should be officially unlocked.

In China, as far as I know, you can get hold of HK sets but you must find a way to determine if they are in fact HK sets. As far as China official units are concerned, they are without WiFi, if I am not mistaken and therefore it is not advisable to buy.

Thanks for the reply Tinkerbell. My best option now is to get one of the Singtel units from a known LYN seller which I have had business before. It is solely because I really hate to have to fork out deposits to Maxis and wait for 45 days or whatever.

My worries when buying a china unit is that I will get conned into buying a cloned "china mobile" unit and warranty claims of course is quite impossible else I plan to go back there.

What worries me even more is after digging a bit more is that there are news that wifi is blocked and rumors of the price being a bit pricey compared to other parts of the world. Can anybody here confirm this? Is the wifi hardware blocked or software blocked, and if JB can bypass this restriction.

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Is the HK version different from the China version? Sorry really unclear on this part.

This post has been edited by gyver: Nov 10 2009, 11:20 PM

If china set comes without wifi function which i doubt it(1st time i heard an original apple product comes short of a built in hardware unless it is not original apple), then definitely HK set do comes with wifi as mine did.

to understand the situation with regard to the iPhone in china better, kindly read this article; How Apple And IPhone Blew It In China

a rather interesting piece

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Added on November 11, 2009, 12:35 amlesson to be learnt; just because you are tentatively holding a precious cargo and attempting to hold it hostage; don't just assume that you will win against the majority, by default

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 11 2009, 12:36 AM

HK sets are definitely officially unlocked, I think people are really desperate to get an Iphone should try to get from HK since they have stocks n can be bought without contract... The price for 16gb is 5388hkd which is slightly cheaper than Malaysia if converted to MYR.. The only shorthand is u won't get an online plan with it...
Anyways, most of the iPhones in China are smuggled from USA or UK I think... cause they're all locked sets... I have frens from China using iPhone and theirs were locked sets...

however if warranty does bother you a little, i do suggest getting it from australia.

it is definitely easier to find someone who is flying to australia (due to its nature as a tourist and education hub) and claim it for you

Interesting piece you posted, Nok. If only the consumers at large here adopt the same stance vis-a-vis getting from alternative sources rather than you-know-who, then the power of monoply may just diminish to an extent where the public is not subjected to their whims and fancies.