Why I wouldn’t buy an iPhone
February 7, 2008 - By Justin Hartman
According to The Core Group consumers in South Africa should not expect to see the iPhone at all - it simply isn’t coming to our country. While I don’t believe this is entirely true I decided I wasn’t going to wait around and find out so last month I had an 8GB iPhone brought back from the US. With so many resources out there to assist me in hacking the iPhone, and seeing other people successfully using the device in SA I figured why the hell not.
Step 1: Hacking the iPhone
When my mule arrived with iPhone in hand the first thing I did was follow this incredibly simple tutorial which unlocked my iPhone within about 30 minutes. I now had full functionality of my iPhone but as soon as I popped in my Vodacom SIM card into the device I discovered that I wasn’t able to use the software hack to unlock the SIM capabilities. A very disturbing moment in my life.
After some pain-staking reading it became clear that all iPhones made after 30 November 2007 could not be SIM unlocked via a software hack. It turns out that of the 3.75 million iPhones sold world-wide at least 1 million of them have been hacked so to combat this Apple released version 1.1.2 of the iPhone software. This new firmware includes a bootloader (version 4.6) that prevents a software hack from unlocking the SIM capabilities and I was left with an iBrick - my overpriced, glorified iPod Touch.
Step 2: Dual SIM Card Hardware Hack
The only good news I could find in all of this despair was that while a software unlock was not possible there were hardware options that would do the same thing. One such solution, or so I thought, was a dual SIM card made by a company called Simore in China. Their website claims that this dual SIM card worked with the iPhone and luckily I found a supplier here in Johannesburg.
Dual SIM cards have been around a long time but because of this iPhone lock they’re now being used to fool the iPhone into believing your non-approved SIM card (e.g. Vodacom) is actually a valid AT&T SIM card. The only issue however is that you have to cut both SIM cards so that they can fit into one SIM card slot (see below).
The bad news is that not only did the dual SIM card not fit into my iPhone but when I eventually forced it in the dual SIM didn’t work as expected. I was back to square one.
Step 3: eBay and the iSim
After more research I found a SIM card on eBay that guaranteed me I would have an unlocked iPhone if I bought their device. The iSim’s sole purpose in life is to unlock the iPhone and beyond this it is utterly useless. I was running out of options here so I bought it on eBay and waited 4 days for it to arrive from Hong Kong.
The more I use the iPhone the more I fall in love with it. It has changed the way I use mobile devices but there are issues nonetheless and this brings me to the reasons why I wouldn’t by an iPhone if I were you - at least until it’s officially launched in South Africa.
To date there is still no software hack for the SIM card functionality and you’d have to be an idiot to go through what I did to get this phone working.
Apple have also released version 1.1.3 of their iPhone software and all new phones are now shipping with this version by default. This means that we now have two versions of iPhones that can’t be software hacked and it’s going to get increasingly difficult to achieve as Apple fight this battle.
While I eventually managed to get a SIM card hack that worked for 1.1.2 there is no SIM card hack for version 1.1.3. Any purchase of an iPhone now will mean a long wait until the SIM cards have been updated to hack version 1.1.3.
Still not convinced? Here’s some bugs I’ve picked up on my iPhone:
- The iPhone is only GPRS/EDGE compatible which means no 3G or HSDPA.
- While Bluetooth works neither my Mac nor a PC can actually find any services to use on the iPhone.
I’m yet to try a Bluetooth headset but I’m guessing that unless it’s an Apple one it ain’t going to work.I have successfully setup my iPhone with Nic’s Motorola car kit so it looks like the iPhone has little (no) issues with car kits. - On Vodacom I have to make a call twice because the first call always fails.
- Calendar entries made on the iPhone don’t sync with iCal if you’re using OS X Leopard (there is a fix here though)
- Address Book (Mac OS X) entries that use the “other” tag for a phone number instead of mobile, work, home, etc. don’t appear on the iPhone contact list (I had to manually change each one of my contacts).
- Wi-Fi range on the iPod Touch is much better than on the iPhone.
- If you’ve previously used mobile portability (I have) you’re going to struggle to get the diverts setup correctly. Currently some of my diverts go to an MTN mailbox - go figure.
Purchased: January 2008
Location: Apple, USA
iPhone Price: $399 = R2,700
Simore Dual SIM: R100
iSim: $41 + $30 shipping = R520
UPDATE: As of 2008-02-08 there is now a software unlock for the SIM card functionality. I have just run this update on my 1.1.2 OTB iPhone without any problems. I used this tutorial which took about 5 minutes and required a few simple steps. Just as a side note this method is only for iPhones with bootloader version 4.6 which most 1.1.2 and 1.1.3 iPhones have. If you bought an iPhone and it came with either of these two versions then you have bootloader 4.6
Rate this review:
(9 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Like this post? You may want to consider subscribing to our web feed and you'll automatically get notified when we post a new review or news item. If web feeds aren't your thing then why not join our email list by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by.
Filed Under Apple, Audio/Visual, Featured Reviews, MP3 Players, Mobile, Smartphones
Very entertaining post. I have read various reports on how to hack it and although it has been quite tempting, I’ll steer clear of this phone until its officially availale here in SA.
Damn good post Justin, was really thinking about getting the iPhone but you’ve just convinced me not too. When it comes to a point where you have to literally slice up components to get the thing to work it’s really not worth it - on top of that it doesn’t have 3G - I’m over it.
I have an ipod touch and the wifi absolutely sucks. I have to be within 2 m of my Telkom Mega100 router to connect and once connected it drops every 5 minutes or so. I presume the Telkom router is the problem though….
I went from a Nokia E61 to the iPhone and frankly after using the E61 again the other day I’m so sorry that I ever swapped.
The “keyboard” totally sucks, the lack of tactile feedback is horrendous. The mail application which I use a lot is terrible since it takes forever to download messages and the phone just seems to hang.
The lack of software to install drives me insane, I just want a decent port of Tetris.
I didn’t go through the whole Turbo sim process and am still on Firmware 1.1.1 which was a lot easier.
The battery life is quite mediocre and EDGE data is actually quite mediocre.
I personally wouldn’t buy it now except for the bling factor. My two cents I suppose!
Eben and Wezz - I reckon the version we eventually get in SA will have resolved a lot of these issues. In terms of hacking it - it’s a no go zone for now but I’m sure the dev team are going to find a way, it’s just a matter of time.
Drew - I find it interesting that you have such issues with your Wi-Fi on the Touch. I owned a Touch before the iPhone and my connectivity was incredible. Seriously, there must be something wrong either with the iPod or the router. Try connect to someone elses router and see if you have the same issue - that way you’ll know if it’s the router or the iPod.
Saul, as much as i don’t recommend buying the iPhone it’s not from a usability perspective. I love my iPhone and am quite glad that I managed to find a way to hack it but I agree with some of your points.
Edge is rubbish and so slow on the iPhone but I do appreciate having it when I’m on the road or we’re having a “load shed”. From having an iPod Touch I really missed this option.
The keyboard sucks for me if you’re on the move. It does become impossible to type a SMS in the car or while walking but the qwerty keyboard is nice coming from a Nokia 6234.
From my experience (and I’ve never owned a decent Nokia that handles mail well) I’m quite happy with the integration between my iPhone and the Apple Mail client. This does seem to work quite well and in fact better than any other phone I’ve owned.
I think the one thing we need to keep in mind is that this is Apple’s first attempt at a phone and what an attempt it has been. This device is going to evolve over time and I look forward to seeing the next major version of the iPhone.
Wezz - 3G coming to the iPhone
http://blog.wired.com/business.....-up-3.html
Some Version 1.1.3 phones can now be hacked by the recently updated AnySim.
http://tinylink.co.za/e02ba3
Brilliant, Justin, brilliant.
Why I wouldn’t buy an iPhone : Nudjit - Gadget Reviews for South Africa…
According to The Core Group consumers in South Africa should not expect to see the iPhone at all - it simply isn’t coming to our country. While I don’t believe this is entirely true I decided I wasn’t going to wait around and find out so last mon…
@Grant - the key issue here with AnySIM is this - “be warned, though, bootloader 4.6 won’t work, only 3.9.”. Now I don’t know what bootloader the new 1.1.3 phones come with but if my 1.1.2 out the box came with 4.6 I’m guessing 1.1.3 would also. Version 3.9 was for phones made before 30 Nov 2007.
Core *Spit*
@Jason - ha ha ha…
Could this be the 1.1.3 hack that we all have been waiting for?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/0.....nlockable/
Justin, how do you find the signal strength on the iPhone? I heard reports that a lot of Brits find that the signal strength isn’t that great, but after placing it into the dock, the signal strength would go to 100%. That is one huge deal breaker for me. If you’re not finding that to be the case, please let us know.
I would love an iPhone .. purely because I’m a gadget freak and I’m tired and bord of the form factor of current cellphones. It is just something so refreshing indeed.
Glen - WOW. This is the unlock we’ve all been waiting for. Obviously I haven’t tried it yet but I’m going to give it a bash and see if it works.
In terms of signal I don’t have any issues. Strangely enough the first 2 days I had the Sim hardware solution I found that my signal was very poor. That said, we were being load-shed quite drastically and I think the cellphone towers may have had something to do with this factor.
Overall though I don’t have an issue with Signal. I would just say that Cell C and MTN do appear to be much more reliable than Vodacom with the iPhone. The only complaints I’ve heard are from Vodacom customers while the other networks seem quite flawless.
Glen and everyone else - I have just software unlocked my iPhone. I didn’t use the method in Glen’s link but rather this one:
http://www.hackint0sh.org/foru.....hp?t=28588
This method is so much easier and it took about 5 minutes. In this method you basically just add a new source to Installer.app and then install the hack software via wifi. It was soooo simple and all is working.
I guess I need to change the title of this post now…
This link has graphics which the other link I posted in my previous comment doesn’t. Just to show you how simple it is…
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=649
I remeber the day the iPhone was announced. Oh how I R5d my pc all night, just so I can see the iPhone in action. Drooling was ensured.
Months later, my first real interaction with the device kinda let me down. No idea why, perhaps I was expecting too much. I find the song capability a moot point, considering I have an iPod(160 classic).
Ofcourse, a 3G variant could be a diffrent story. But atm I have my eyes set on this baby:
http://gizmodo.com/354742/sony.....us-gallery
Sony just does it for me, even thought I hate WinMobile with every fiber in my body. Now lets just hope we see a Aug release in SA :p
Just a follow up, sorry for the horrible spelling, too tired to proof read.
That Sony looks like an excellent device - think we might need to try and get one for review purposes
I must say I’m liking my iPhone. It has got a lot of hype around it but it still remains a pretty revolutionary device and now other mobile manufacturers are following suite in terms of interface and functionality.
Completely agree with you there, when looking at the LG KF700 or the grand pappie of rip-offs, Meizu M8. Perhaps if the iPod touch didnt come out, the iPhone would seem way more exciting, Apple hates early adopters hehe :p
The Sony would be awesome, ofcourse lets hope Virgin doesn’t tag and limit the device to death, *cough* M600 *cough*. My biggest disappointment to date, SE M600, awesome device but thanks for corporate branding, the UI was locked and near useless, never forgave Virgin for that muck-up.
[...] makes me look like an idiot as I detailed on Thursday why I wouldn’t buy an iPhone but I’m quite happy to rescind as this is a major development for all wannabe iPhone [...]
Great stuff guys, now I can use my 1.1.2 otb as a phone.
2 questions, maybe someone can help.
1. is the local sim card meant to be in the phone during the procedure outlined on iclarified.com or do you only insert the sim after completion ?
2. Since jailbraiking my phone down to 1.1.1, the phone always boots in recovery mode and I have to run iphuc every time to make it boot up. will this cause a problem for this installation? All I do now is make sure my iphone does not switch off to avoid the problem. I am PC based so I cannot use Independence
Help !
Hi Rob, answers to your questions below:
1. It really doesn’t matter. I had mine in at the time without any issues. Some guys said to switch your phone to Airplane mode but mine was on the whole time and I had no issues.
2. This shouldn’t be an issue. On a mac we have the same issue when jailbreaking and independence sorts this issue out. From 1.1.1 you’d need to go to 1.1.2 and then obviously 1.1.3 if you chose. This boot up issue should be resolved when you upgrade to 1.1.2 at least.
One important thing that needs to be considered is the version of iTunes you have installed. I was running 7.5 when I originally jailbroke my iPhone and then I upgraded to 7.6 and jailbreaking wasn’t possible anymore. Luckily there was a new version of independence for iTunes 7.6 so I could re-do the jailbreak again.
I’m not sure what software Windows has but just Google this issue if you have 7.6 installed. That said, running iphuc will unlock the iphone again if you have any problems upgrading through itunes.
Hi Rob - one more thing. If iphuc doesn’t work to unlock your iPhone then run AppTapp which can be found here:
http://www.nullriver.com/~adam.....taller.exe
This will unlock the iphone when it’s in recovery mode.
Thanks Justin. Actually running Itunes 7.4.1.2 so hopefully all should be OK
I’ll give it a bash !
Maybe I’m missing something here. My iphone is a Dec 07 USA purchase with 1.1.2 otb. In January I jailbroke it and downgraded to 1,1,1 and it works great as an itouch.
Now i decided to follow the procedure for unlocking on iclarifies site and it all runs ok and says the phone is unlocked but when i insert my mtn sim it hangs for a while, reboots and then says no service.
Should i first have restored back to 1.1.2 (or even upgraded to 1.1.3) before trying the unlock ?? Of course then I would have to jailbreak it again and it seems this requires going back to 1,1,1.
I am lank confused,
Help !
That does seem strange to me. In the last 2 days I’ve unlocked Jan 08 1.1.2 OTB phones without an issue. Basically I decided I’d start over (seeing as itunes restores everything anyway) so I downgraded to 1.1.1 upgraded to 1.1.2 then again to 1.1.3
On the one iPhone I unlocked the SIM on 1.1.2 and the other I did it on 1.1.1. Either way it shouldn’t matter as you’re downgrading the bootloader and not the firmware. Once this is done you never need to unlock the SIM again.
If I were you I’d upgrade to 1.1.2 - this would hopefully resolve your issue. If not, I suggest doing it fresh. I did on both iPhones - i.e. restored to 1.1.1 then followed the rest. It’s cleaner this way and gives no problems.
Thanks again. I am in fact busy downloading 1.1.2 and I will upgrade to 1.1.2 and see what happens.
Of course if this fails and I try and “restore” to the original otb 1.1.2 will it not in fact try and install 1.1.3 which, if done via itunes, is reported to be a problem. But I will wait to see if upgrading to 1.1.2 fixes the problem first and then worry about the next step. If you are Joburg based I would be happy to pay for this to be sorted ??
Yes itunes will try and restore to 1.1.3 which is why you need to follow a few basic steps. I found this instruction the most useful for restoring:
http://iphone.unlock.no/#recovery-restore-mode - read the section titled “How do i upgrade, downgrade or restore the phone firmware?”
Just as a side note - if you do restore, make sure you restore to 1.1.1 then upgrade to 1.1.2. Don’t restore to 1.1.2…
hi,i bought a iphone,locked on to a network overseas,how can i make it work here in South Africa,i need help please!!!!!!!!!!
Mail me at cascades247@gmail.com
Thanks so much
TRACY
Hi Tracy, I’ve just sent you a mail.
[...] given the fact that my mouse uses one USB port and my iPhone another where am I supposed to plug in my Flash Drive, digital camera and USB printer? Could we not [...]
Hi, I went through the same mission to get mine hacked and eventually had a colleague take it to Australia to get hacked.
3 months later it works and although complex, it is a fun little gadget. However, it is still only a cellpone/smart phone, so if you’re looking for one - i would say rather wait until it’s here and easier to handle or get a different phone.
[...] with the iPhone the Palm Centro only supports EDGE connectivity and because there’s no Wi-Fi built into the [...]