Mr. Jobs – TEAR DOWN THIS WALL

Gordon Gekko said "greed is good". And it’s apparently a motto Apple has been living by for some time. The iPhone is the best thing that happened to Apple since the iPod. It’s a touch screen money making machine.

But there are some flaws in the greedy plan Apple concocted and it’s called sim locks.

It’s not uncommon for a mobile phone manufacturer to lock their phones. In fact, every phone AT&T and T-mobile sell you, is locked to their network. They invested in finding a new customer by giving you a discount up front on the phone, in the hope that you’ll stay with them for a long time, and by locking the phone, they do what they can to prevent you from taking the money and running elsewhere.

Apple is different. They locked their phone and demanded a cut of the money you give your operator every month. And on top of that they don’t give a discount on the phone when you sign that 2 year contract.

Each time you pay your iPhone bill, around 15% of it goes directly to Apple.

But what if you don’t want AT&T? Or if you are not lucky enough to live in a country where the iPhone is sold? For the first time ever, there is an Apple product that isn’t available to everyone.

Thankfully, creative minds are fighting a war with Apple over the sim lock (and winning). According to a report posted yesterday, there are close to half a million unlocked iPhones being used in China, a country where Apple doesn’t even sell the iPhone. There are at least another half million of them in other countries. It’s clear people outside the 5 "official" iPhone countries (USA, UK, Germany, France, Austria) really want their iPhone.

So the time has come for Apple to stop being greedy and share the iPhone with anyone that wants one. Unlock them all, stop charging your loyal followers every month for the privilege of using your phone and start selling it worldwide.

When you pay your iPhone bill, do you even realize that Apple is artificially making the bill $18 higher? You already paid around $400 for it, and no discounts are given on the iPhone when you signup for a plan. You actually give Apple $432 over the course of 2 years on top of what AT&T makes off you.

Yes, greed can be good, but in this case I’m convinced Apple is being too greedy. Imagine the success the iPhone would be if the plan were $18 cheaper and you could buy them anywhere and use it on any GSM network.

So, Mr. Jobs; tear down this wall!