Apple ‘unlocked’ iPhones not really unlocked

[venky83]

Just saw this at the Apple Core blog on ZDnet about the unlocked iPhones in France are not really unlocked.

Jason D. O'Grady writes that:

According to iPhone Atlas Apple’s “unlocked” iPhones being sold in France aren’t truly unlocked:

It turns out that the officially (Apple-sanctioned) unlocked iPhone you bought for 649 Euros (about US$965) from Orange in France — which, according to some reports, accounts for up to 20% of total iPhone sales in France — is not really unlocked. It retains a country lock, meaning the device will only allow use of SIM cards for carriers that operate in France. In other words, you can’t take your French, “unlocked” iPhone to Spain, the United States, or anywhere else, pop in a foreign SIM card, and make calls on a local carrier — you’re still stuck paying international roaming fees to your French carrier.

Thoughts?