The Apple stranglehold continues to loosen. You can now buy an unlocked iPhone 4 directly from the Apple online store.
The price tag, however, is hefty ringing in at $649 for the 16GB version and $749 for the 32GB one. Both white and black versions are available.
As with other unlocked GSM phones, the device will work with any Apple-supported GSM network around the world (international shipping is currently not offered). In the U.S., that means choosing between either AT&T or T-Mobile (though data is only supported on T-Mobile’s slower, non-3G EDGE network).
Technically, the iPhone 4 — once the golden child of AT&T — can now be purchased through Apple to be used with three of the four largest U.S. carriers (including the CDMA-equipped Verizon iteration).