Ok, so first we [Only Registered and Activated Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register...] that unlocked iPhones coming out of France’s Orange network were actually only kind of unlocked. You see, the[Only Registered and Activated Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register...] for Orange iPhones still requires Apple’s blessing to roam free on non-Apple-sanctioned networks. It looked like Orange and Apple had colluded to give unlocked-iPhone customers a semi-unlocked handset - one that could work on any non-Orange network, as long as the network was within French borders.
Then we heard Orange’s [Only Registered and Activated Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register...]. Orange spokesperson Louis-Michel Aymard [Only Registered and Activated Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register...] that unlocked iPhones from Orange would work just fine on any network - even those outside of France. As any unlocked phone should do, the unlocked iPhones were stated to only require an activated SIM card from any GSM network operator and the phone would be fully functional, save for any network-specific features like Visual Voicemail. We were somewhat skeptical of Orange’s announcement, but hey, they publicly said that their unlocked iPhones were truly unlocked - who are we to doubt a might corporation?
So, that brings us to today. iPhone Atlas, the originators of all this country-locked hoopla, posted a follow-up that seems to confirm those initial reports (and basically calls Orange a big, fat liar). It turns out that the unlocked iPhones aren’t exactly country-locked to France - they’ll accept foreign SIM cards. However, these unlocked iPhones seem to have been crippled when it comes to actually using the phone as, well, a phone. Calls, SMS text messages, recent call lists - they all seem to either crash the iPhone outright or cause it to revert to the screensaver.
What does this all mean? Well, Orange isn’t exactly a big, fat liar. These unlocked iPhones do accept non-France SIM cards and even lock onto foreign cell towers. But, what good is signal acquisition if you can’t even check a text message? Apple had better get their unlocked-iPhone business in order, or risk a ton (more) of bad press. We wouldn’t put it beyond good ole’ Stevie to have intentionally crippled these unlocked iPhones in order to force other carriers to agree to revenue kickback models. “Of course you’ll have iPhone exclusivity, I made sure all those French unlocked iPhones won’t work right anyway” - too far fetched, or just possibly possible?

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