Expansys (and no doubt others) will also shortly be selling the Palm Pre sim free.
Vodafone won't buy a Pre or iPhone sim free on the open market and re-sell it with a contract and subsidy because it's not really in their interest to do so as they'd have to sell it at a much higher price than O2 who no doubt get a discount from Apple and Palm. Vodafone clearly decided not to do a deal with Apple or Palm in the UK market and that's their choice (they did do a deal with Apple in several other countries). You can still use an iPhone or Pre with Vodafone if that's what you want to do. You'll pay more for the phone up front but as you aren't forced into an expensive contract the total cost over 18 or 24 months probably ends up being not that different.
The problem is not exclusive carrier deals, they are just a symptom of the subsidy model of selling phones. If phone manufacturers are doing subsidy deals with networks then they are obviously free to choose which networks they want to do a deal with, just as they are in any other business deal. It's not thwarting competition, it's just business. No one is forcing anyone to use a particular phone or a particular carrier, the choice is yours.
All though I'm not really in favour of the subsidy based phone selling business model, it probably does make mobile phone ownership a lot cheaper than it otherwise would be for the vast majority of people who choose their network first (based on coverage, friends/family having the same, rates etc) and then live with the phone selection the carrier has to offer.
Register
@AC 7:30
"How do I get an iPhone SIM free ?"
iPhone 3GS sim free: http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=183742
iPhone 3G sim free: http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=173895
Expansys (and no doubt others) will also shortly be selling the Palm Pre sim free.
Vodafone won't buy a Pre or iPhone sim free on the open market and re-sell it with a contract and subsidy because it's not really in their interest to do so as they'd have to sell it at a much higher price than O2 who no doubt get a discount from Apple and Palm. Vodafone clearly decided not to do a deal with Apple or Palm in the UK market and that's their choice (they did do a deal with Apple in several other countries). You can still use an iPhone or Pre with Vodafone if that's what you want to do. You'll pay more for the phone up front but as you aren't forced into an expensive contract the total cost over 18 or 24 months probably ends up being not that different.
The problem is not exclusive carrier deals, they are just a symptom of the subsidy model of selling phones. If phone manufacturers are doing subsidy deals with networks then they are obviously free to choose which networks they want to do a deal with, just as they are in any other business deal. It's not thwarting competition, it's just business. No one is forcing anyone to use a particular phone or a particular carrier, the choice is yours.
All though I'm not really in favour of the subsidy based phone selling business model, it probably does make mobile phone ownership a lot cheaper than it otherwise would be for the vast majority of people who choose their network first (based on coverage, friends/family having the same, rates etc) and then live with the phone selection the carrier has to offer.