Basically you will know what is the best way to purchase an iPhone 3G in Malaysia. Please read through the sections below and get ready to have a set for yourself.
- iPhone Basics & The Difference Between Unlocked Vs Locked Units
- Section B : Identifying An Unlocked & Locked Unit
- Section C : Where & How To Purchase
- Section D : Required Testing When Purchasing
Section ‘A’ : iPhone Basics & The Difference Between Unlocked Vs Locked Units:
1) iPhone Basics
Apple has to date launched two generations of the iPhone which is the iPhone aka iPhone 2G (2007) and the iPhone 3G (2008):
The iPhone 2G is no longer offered by Apple but can still be purchased in the open market. Available in:
- 4GB (Silver)
- 8GB (Silver)
- 16GB (Silver)
The iPhone 3G is still being offered by Apple and is available in:
- 8GB (Black)
- 16GB (Black)
- 16GB (White)
What are the differences between the 2G and the 3G asides from the price? In a nutshell, the iPhone 3G remains largely the same phone as the iPhone 2G but has a number of new main features which are:
- Added 3G Functionality
- Added GPS Funtionality
- Improved Design Features (rounded edges, curved back surface, different back surface styling)
Initially when the iPhone 3G launched, it also had the advantage of better software but with recent developments, the newest software is also fully available for the iPhone 2G.
iLounge has done a very in-depth review on the iPhone 3G which also compares it to its predecessor, the iPhone 2G. Keep in mind when reading this review that issues such as battery and software should not be taken into account as there have been numerous advancements in this area since the iPhone 3G was first launched which you can update yourself by doing further reading in the LYN iPhone Forum. You can read the iLounge review here. Official details of the iPhone 3G are available at the Apple Website here.
2) The Difference Between Unlocked Vs Locked Units
The first thing you must know is that there are ways to unlock all the iPhones. HOWEVER, different methods of unlocking produce different results. Now take this seriously as the method of unlocking used will determine the quality of the iPhone you will purchase. There are basically 2 categories of unlocking:
Hardware Unlocking refers to a method that can almost be described as a brute force unlock. The iPhone is tricked into believing that it is unlocked by modifying the physical components of the phone. The most common way to perform a hardware unlock is to apply some sort of modification to the SIM card. Common terms you will hear of are unlocking via TurboSim, UnlockSim, RebelSim, etc. The upside of hardware unlocked iPhones are that they are cheap. Don’t be fooled by the price though because the downsides far outweigh it. Because hardware unlocking is imperfect, you will find that not all 100% functionality of your phone is activated. You may not be able to use certain functions. Even worse than that is, you will experience all sorts of malfunction on your iPhone as time goes by. Horror stories include melted SIM trays, sporadic network signal loss, total shutdown of the phone and etc. No exaggeration here as problems like these are reported constantly. This is why you are strongly urged NOT to purchase a hardware unlocked iPhone.
Software Unlocking is the much more refined unlocking method and as its name suggests, unlocking is done by modifying the software components of the iPhone. It is relatively easy to be carried out by anyone as well because of third party applications that have been made to pretty much automate the process. All iPhone 2Gs can be fully unlocked using software. In fact, the iPhone 2Gs which you can readily find at most Malaysian hand phone outlets today are fully unlocked. You don’t even have to worry about anything. Just pop in your SIM and you are good to go. For that reason, not much emphasis will be placed on how to buy one. Instead, we will focus more on the purchasing methods for the iPhone 3G. At the time of writing, there is no possible way at all to fully unlock an iPhone 3G using this software approach (not even hardware). An unlocked iPhone mind you is a waste of your money as it is essentially a dud. Nearly all the important functions that make the iPhone worth its price tag is rendered useless. There are people working on a software fix but its just not out yet so you shouldn’t expect it to be anytime soon. However, do not be discouraged because Apple has created loopholes in the global market where one can purchase a fully officially unlocked iPhone 3G out of the box. For the purpose of explanation, these godsent phones will be referred to as the ‘officially unlocked iPhone 3G’.
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You should now have gotten the gist that the ONLY type of iPhone that you should even consider buying is either an iPhone 2G or an officially unlocked iPhone 3G. Absolutely no exceptions unless you want to freely waste your money and have a lot of headaches to boot.
Section ‘B’ : Identifying An Unlocked & Locked Unit:
1) How To Determine Which is Which?
Identifying an iPhone 2G is simple. Just spot the unique silver+black design of the back casing.
Determining an officially unlocked iPhone 3G requires a bit more work but is no rocket science. You just have to figure out which country the iPhone is from. Apple maintains an updated list here that you can refer to. The iPhones which do not have a tick under ‘Locked to carrier’ are the ones you are looking for. You will be shown how to cross reference and verify the part numbers in Section 4 of this guide.
For your reference, the list of officially unlocked iPhone 3Gs are available from the following countries:
2) Quick Trivia
Quick trivia for you. You should have at least visited the official Apple iPhone page which was recommended of you earlier. If not, go now. Ok, so the first thing Apple tells you is “Twice as Fast, Half the Price”. Being the typical Malaysian, you must have already done some quick calculations. Half the Price?! US$199 ONLY?!
Well hang on a minute. US$199 sounds like a sweet deal but it doesn’t factor in the carrier costs. One main reason why the iPhone 3G is locked in the first place is because it is meant to be bound to a (usually 2 year minimum) network carrier contract. If you add up all the costs of the contract, the iPhone itself as well as the transportation, processing and markup charges, you will end up with the average prices found in the market for an unofficially unlocked iPhone 3G. I’ll leave it to you to do the math.
Section ‘C’ : Where & How To Purchase:
As mentioned earlier in Section B, officially unlocked phones can be purchased from the following countries:
Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Macau, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey.
The easiest way to purchase an officially unlocked iPhone 3G from these countries are to look for them locally. Sellers can be found right here in the LYN Forum’s Garage Sales section. There is of course a markup to the prices of these iPhones for the service of ease provided to you but it is no doubt the safest and quickest way to go about it. The markup prices are in most cases quite reasonable. It might also be useful for you to know that local sellers commonly get their stock from Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.
Other places you can start hunting for local sellers:
Mudah.com.my, Lelong.com.my, eBay Malaysia
If you’re feeling a bit on the adventurous side or you happen to have relatives scattered all over the world, read on. Not all countries will be covered (because we don’t really know how in some places) but you should be able to connect the dots by reading the following:
1) Singapore
SingTel:
There are relatively 3 easy methods here:
i) Ask a legitimate resident of Singapore to sign up a contract for you. This is the most feasible alternative if you know have acquaintances there.
ii) Purchase directly from those who are interested to let go of their units upon renewing/signing up contracts. These private sellers typically advertise their intentions on eBay Singapore, SG Hardware Zone Forum/Marketplace.
iii) Purchase from commercial resellers (or fondly known as mobile phone retailers) which can be found in major shopping complexes along Orchard Road for example. Please bear in mind that these retailers are out to rip you off and haggling or negotiations efforts are known to be futile as they can fetch as much as RM4000 for a 16GB unit. (Not recommended)
2) Australia
Optus / Telstra / Vodafone:
Out of the box, Australian iPhone 3G units are locked by nature. However, the local network carrier provider can perform an authorised unlocking for a fee.
Apparently, Optus prepaid iPhones are extremely rare nowadays and to make things worse, Telstra does not sell them outright anymore. However, one can head to JB Hi Fi, Next Byte or Harvey Norman to purchase them. The downside to this is that the unlocking process will cost you approximately AUD150 per unit.
Another viable alternative is, to sign up a contract. Bear in mind that you will require a legitimate Australia resident to sign up a contract for you. Hence this is only useful if you do have acquaintances there. The cheapest way to go around this is to sign up for Optus ‘yes’ AUD19 Plan for a 12 month period contract and then subsequently cancel it. This plan also includes an AUD62 per month handset repayment fee. Hence a simple calculation will yield a total price of AUD972 ([19 + 62) x 12 months] for the 16GB unit, which fortunately includes a free unlocking service.
Optus based iPhone 3G units are not incurred any unlocking fees. You just have to ring up Optus and their customer support team will subsequently transfer you to an Apple representative. From there, you will proceed to provide Apple with your IMEI number and it will typically take up to 10 days to complete the unlock process.
Step-by-step instructions to perform an authorised unlocking (using Optus as an example):
1) Sign up for a contract with Optus where a credit check will be conducted (applicable only to legitimate Australian residents)
2) Opt for the 12 months contract plan
3) Make at least one call using that very same iPhone with the provided Optus SIM card (enabling Optus to register your IMEI number on their database)
4) Call Optus to request for an unlock
5) A text will subsequently arrive, indicating that it has been successfully unlocked (this may take up to 10 days)
6) Restore using iTunes and test it with a SIM card from another network provider
7) If it fails, ring up Optus again. However if it does, proceed to next step.
Call Optus to cancel your contract and they will then bill everything in a single bill
9) Pay the bill and you’re done.
3) New Zealand
Vodafone:
This is probably the easiest method to buy if you can find a way somehow to get to NZ. Unlocked directly from the box (with the cellophane packaging intact), an iPhone 3G can be purchased directly from a Vodafone store. Some stores do not sell outright though so it is recommended to ring them up beforehand to check for availability and whether they sell the phone outright. You can refer here for store locations.
Section ‘D’ : Required Testing When Purchasing:
If you’re going to shell out a few thousand ringgit for a phone, it is sincerely hoped that you have the sensibility to conduct a COD transaction. If not, I am sure the LYN iPhone forumers are hungry for someone to sponsor a TT session. 
The steps outlined here is to help you ensure that you are not being f*cked over by your seller. You should run through the following before making payment:
1) Physically inspect the phone and its package
It doesn’t really matter whether the box your iPhone comes in is still in plastic shrink wrap or not as it is normal for the package to be opened for inspection/activation by the telco carriers when your seller collects it from them. Your package should consist of the following items:
Phone 2G:
- iPhone
- Sync Dock
- Charger Adapter (charger design may vary from region to region)
- USB to iPhone Cable
- Earphones (with mic built in)
- Microfibre Cloth
- Documentation Pack
iPhone 3G:
- iPhone
- Charger Adapter (charger design may vary from region to region)
- USB to iPhone Cable
- Earphones (with mic built in)
- Microfibre Cloth
- Documentation Pack (with a fancy SIM eject tool attached)
Make sure you check the phone itself to see whether there are any physical deformities.
2) Cross reference the iPhone part number
You need to figure out where your phone is from first from your seller. Once you identify that, take down the ‘iPhone 3G Part Numbers’ from the list that Apple provides here. Cross reference the number you’ve taken down with the part number on the box as well as the phone itself. This step (and actually all the following steps) is not necessary for the iPhone 2G as it doesn’t really matter where your phone is from since it can be unlocked regardless.
On the box:
MB489ZA/A
On the iPhone: (via Settings> General> About> Model)
MB489ZA/A
3) Verify that your iPhone is genuinely unlocked
To check if your iPhone 3G is legit and is not a fake factory unlock look up on the iPhone under (Settings). The items list you should have there is Airplane Mode, WiFi, Carrier and Fetch New Data. As for the fake unlock iPhone 3G units, the ‘Carrier’ item is missing. If it is missing, you have been conned and if for some reason you already paid for it and there is no turning back, do not proceed to upgrade your iPhone firmware to FW2.2 as it will render your phone useless.
4) Make sure it is a new unit
If you are indeed paying for a new unit, you can get a rough idea whether if it really is new by looking it up on the iPhone (Settings> General> Usage). Note that the statistics shown there can be reset though.
5) Test your iPhone
Test the phone out! Give it a run through making sure the touchscreen and buttons are working, the software is in order, earphones can be used, etc. You will also want to pop in your SIM and do a test call. Take note that it may for some reason take a few minutes for the SIM to register with the network. There have been cases where it has even taken up to 10 minutes for the phone to start connecting to a network but that is quite rare.
Now pay up and go feel joyful for you are now an iPhone Owner! Congrats!
credits go for lowyat forum.
Tags:
Guide, iPhone, iPhone 3G, Malaysia, Mobile
Filed under: Guide, Malaysia, Mobile, iPhone | 3 Comments »
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