iPhone taken off Sim Lim shelves after Apple threat - Singapore's Online Community

**Voodoo Vince** · 06-12-2007, 11:47 PM

iPhone taken off Sim Lim shelves after Apple threat
By Leung Wai-Leng

NEXT Christmas for sure, but not this one - if you hanker for a 'legit' iPhone, and have been checking out Sim Lim Square for it.

That is because Apple, the maker of the cellphone popular in the United States and Europe, will only release it in Asia next year.

According to retailers, Apple theatened in an e-mail to go after them for illegally 'unlocking' parallel imported iPhones. The phones are unlocked by hacking into their software so that local SIM cards can be used.

Sim Lim Square retailers and even some online local sellers have stopped selling the gadget.

A retailer in Sim Lim Square said shops there, including his, received a warning e-mail from Apple about a month ago.

It threatened legal action should they continue to sell 'hacked' iPhones, which could make them liable for $1,000 per iPhone sold.

A Straits Times check with 12 electronics shops and cellphone sellers in Sim Lim Square found none openly selling the gadget.

But one retailer on the fourth floor said the sought-after phone could be 'brought in' for interested buyers.

Four online cellphone retailers which sold iPhones previously have removed the product from their websites.

The Straits Times spoke to two of them. They confirmed that the e-mail was a factor in their decision to stop importing and reselling the product.

Said one: 'For a couple of tens of dollars, it's not worth breaching the law for.'

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_184135.html

**restless** · 07-12-2007, 02:57 AM

some times, i do admire the underworld for having talents..

**Miss QQ** · 07-12-2007, 07:48 AM

iPhone sale illegal but just visit Lucky Plaza
http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Sto...ry_184219.html

	Quote:
	iPhone sale illegal but just visit Lucky Plaza By Leung Wai-Leng SEVERAL electronic retailers in Lucky Plaza openly display the iPhone, even as stores in Sim Lim Square and online sellers fret about possible lawsuits from Apple, the cellphone's maker. NOT JUST FOR EXPORT: The iPhone, which is not for sale here, is clearly displayed in this electronic shop located in Lucky Plaza. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM The iPhone, now the rage in the United States, is not meant for sale here yet. Also, it has to be 'hacked into' so that a local SIM card can be used with it. A Straits Times check yesterday found at least eight retailers having iPhones in their window displays - mostly marked 'For Export Only'. One salesman said anyone could buy an iPhone, already 'unlocked' and ready for local use, from his shop. Another retailer did not display it but said unlocked sets could be sold to buyers. The price for the cellphone at Lucky Plaza ranged from $750 to $1,100. It retails for US$399 (S$598) in the US. Several retailers in Sim Lim said they have stopped selling the iPhone after Apple sent e-mail warning them that selling the hacked gadget could land them with fines of $1,000 per unit sold. While most of the salesmen at Lucky Plaza were aware that Apple did not want them selling the iPhone, they put it down to the fact that it is not officially available here yet. Apple has said it will launch the phone in Asia next year. All iPhones currently sold here are 'parallel imports' not covered by a warranty. Said an Apple spokesman yesterday: 'Apple does not support hacked iPhones. We strongly discourage users from installing unauthorised unlocking programs on their iPhones. 'Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software licence agreement and void their warranty.'

**glamqueenie** · 07-12-2007, 09:06 AM

yeah i heard thru e radio... about this iphone thingy.... Those ppl who are using it now must stop using it... if not police will catch ... >.< pay money but cannot use...

**Casper26** · 07-12-2007, 10:31 AM

LOL, 2 of my colleagues had Iphone sia. Poor them. =x

**Yvonne_Lim** · 07-12-2007, 11:27 AM

I had seen some other forums selling iPhones too.

**KongMing** · 07-12-2007, 02:01 PM

There's also many fake iPhones from you know where.

[YOUTUBE]f_8wuVEYMZ8[/YOUTUBE]

**noti.** · 07-12-2007, 10:37 PM

oooh lucky plaza. I heard it's a land of // imports.. it seems not only the electronics are // imports.. other items there too =)

**Weiwei** · 07-12-2007, 10:52 PM

recently police ki siao de...they even raid sls mod

**Voodoo Vince** · 07-12-2007, 10:59 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by KongMing
	There's also many fake iPhones from you know where. [YOUTUBE]f_8wuVEYMZ8[/YOUTUBE]

Must be from China. Can't even spell iPhone. They spelled it tPhone.

But can use the same as iPhone? I doubt so.

	Quote:			Originally Posted by noti.
	oooh lucky plaza. I heard it's a land of // imports.. it seems not only the electronics are // imports.. other items there too =)

They even got perfume, lighter, and other stuff too.