can/should i buy an iphone in the u.s. or europe?

July 24, 2008 11:22 AM

can/should i buy an iphone in the u.s. or europe? i searched the old posts and they said buy it in europe. but i'm living in germany for only a year, so if i buy the phone in germany, will i be screwed when i come back to the states? what about other countries? who knows where i'll end up next, so what if i move to france? either way i'm annoyed. i'm loving this weak dollar and like buying stuff on the cheap! damn you, at&t.
posted by badish to Technology (3 answers total)

Yes. Best bet is to buy an unlocked 1st gen iPhone and take it wherever you want. The 1st gen gets all the new software, just slower internet and the dubiously useful GPS.
posted by wongcorgi at 12:19 PM on July 24, 2008

Or if you specifically want the 3G (the GPS is pretty damn nice, Wongcorgi), wait, and then when you're in Europe buy an unlocked one as soon as that hectic business settles down. There are unlocked ones floating around Mexico now... the US and Europe will normalize soon.
posted by rokusan at 4:57 PM on July 24, 2008

if you buy in the US your phone will be locked to a single provider. so don't.
posted by Xianny at 7:55 PM on July 24, 2008