iPhone 4 in Canada

Yes sports fans, it’s almost that time. On Friday the highly anticipated successor to the iPhone 3GS is released. My experience so far with Rogers wireless this last week, as well as on launch days in the past, seems to indicate that Friday is going to be a complete gong show for everyone involved.

Unlike the previous launches, we now have an interesting option in Canada: we can purchase an unlocked phone from the Apple store. Unless I’m mistaken, I don’t believe we’ve ever had that luxury in Canada, at least not with Rogers. I remember getting my first Motorola phone back in 2000 – the guy at the counter had to punch in the 6 digit subsidy code simply to activate it. Of course, without that code it is impossible to change carriers, which is one of the ways carriers try to keep you locked to their service.

My plan right now is to get an unlocked iPhone from the Apple store. The main reason I want to do that is because I’d like to slowly watch my Rogers contract expire, and hit a point where I am finally contract free. The other reason is that I’m planning on doing some international travel in the new year, and would like an unlocked phone so I can use local SIMs.

Speaking of SIMs – it took me several attempts, but I finally managed to get an iPhone micro-sim (μSIM) activated and tied to my account. The first time I tried, Rogers refused to sell me one, saying that they were all reserved for Rogers customers buying phones on the 30th. The second time I bought one from Future Shop, only to get home and realize it’s one specifically meant for the iPad (which won’t work on the iPhone 4). Today I called down to the Rogers Wireless store, and found a guy willing to sell me one. So I now have a μSIM in my iPhone 3GS (courtesy of a little plastic adapter), and will be ready to simply pop it in when the time comes.

If you’re planning on picking up the iPhone, drop a comment and let us know if you’re going locked or unlocked. Happy waiting in line this weekend!