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Apple selling unlocked iPhone 3G in Hong Kong

The price is steep, but Apple is giving consumers in this tiny Chinese territory the option of choosing any carrier they so desire.

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Natalie Weinstein
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Natalie Weinstein Former Senior Editor / News
I spent a decade as a reporter and editor before joining the CNET News staff as a copy editor in 2000, right before the dot-com bust.
Expertise Copy editing. Curating, editing and reading newsletters of all stripes. Playing any word-related game, specifically Scrabble, Wordle and Boggle. Credentials I've been a journalist for more than three decades. I was a finalist in the 2021 Digiday Media Award for Best Newsletter.
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Apple has made an unlocked version of the iPhone 3G available in Hong Kong, letting consumers pick whichever carrier they so choose.

This is in sharp contrast to Apple's policy for almost everywhere else on the planet. Illegally unlocked iPhones are rampant worldwide, but that obviously isn't something that Apple has sanctioned.

Freedom doesn't come cheap. The 8GB version is available for about $695 (5,400 Hong Kong dollars), while the 16GB iPhone costs about $798 (6,200 HK dollars), according to Apple's site.

The "iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier," the site states. "Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation."