So the Lumia 950 will be "LOCKED" to AT&T?

[RonnieJP]

The Lumia 950 is on the Microsoft US website now:

http://tinyurl.com/oy34vgq

 

[ajj3085]

I wouldn't trust any of the US carriers even if I was paid a zillion in gold.
You would be wise to do the same as there have been countless instances of carrier dodgyness with phones and this is not new either. For instance the FM radio in certain TP2s were locked in the firmware, FFC removed, button layout changed etc.

People are better of buying from Microsoft directly in the US and not to mention they will get better customer service as opposed trying to pry phones out off rep's hands - who is keen to sell what he or she wants, not what the customer wants.

What are you babbling about? All I said was that you could unlock it if you were off contract, and it will work on other carriers, where you were claiming it wouldn't. I didn't say which way would be best, as that's different for everyone.

 

[TechFreak1]

What are you babbling about? All I said was that you could unlock it if you were off contract, and it will work on other carriers, where you were claiming it wouldn't. I didn't say which way would be best, as that's different for everyone.

I'm not claiming it won't, read what I said again, I was talking about the trusting the US carriers specifically.

Furthermore you said

Once off contract it can be unlocked and used with anyone.

That is not correct at all, the phones have no CDMA bands hence they will not work with Sprint or Verizon ergo the phones can not be used with anyone once unlocked.

 

[jlangner]

Here is a slight clarification but it confirms what I have been saying. Initially the 950 will be on ATT only and then available unlocked through MSFT directly.
Just be patient guys. I would actually at this point wait a tad bit more and get the darn Surface phone in Q1 2016
Microsoft clarifies the Lumia 950/XL carrier situation

Wow if that is true, it sucks. I assumed the unlocked would be released at same time as AT&T. Talk about screwing yourself this holiday season. As far as surface phone, everything I have read is it is for enterprise, so why would I want that. Even Dan said probably would have less of a camera, etc.

 

[ajj3085]

I'm not claiming it won't, read what I said again, I was talking about the trusting the US carriers specifically.

Furthermore you said

That is not correct at all, the phones have no CDMA bands hence they will not work with Sprint or Verizon ergo the phones can not be used with anyone once unlocked.

Why do you need to trust the carriers? They MUST unlock your phone if you're off contract and you request it. The FCC forces them to do so.

And yes, I didn't know the phone was missing the hardware at the time I made that post. So Verizon and Sprint are SOL for these phones. That's what people get for being their customers, who Verizon never cared about anyway.

 

[TechFreak1]

Why do you need to trust the carriers? They MUST unlock your phone if you're off contract and you request it. The FCC forces them to do so.

And yes, I didn't know the phone was missing the hardware at the time I made that post. So Verizon and Sprint are SOL for these phones. That's what people get for being their customers, who Verizon never cared about anyway.

Let me explain:

Some people do completely trust the carriers to do right by them i.e not rip them off, this is more evident in the US than anywhere else. Why do you think they have been able to get away by not decreasing the monthly cost when you haven't upgraded or bought your own phone?

That is due to blind trust, oh they are spending money upgrading the infrastructure.. yes that is true to certain extent however some of that has been paid of years ago. But have the savings been passed down to the customer?

Also if that was completely true and they are in dire need of money to do the upgrades... yet how comes they are now starting to follow the contract plans that rest of the world was using for a loooooong time?

Pretty much it is the norm to decrease the contract to the base price when you don't upgrade, the base price being the SIM only contract price which is to be used when you've bought your own phone. For instance I only pay ?15 for mine and get Unlimited 4G LTE data, 600 minutes and unlimited data + use my own phone. How much is the comparable plan in the US?

Think about it.

Now put the above debate a side for a minute and step back - You will see everything has an element of trust.

When you buy groceries you're trusting your super market chain or grocer for not to be selling out of date, uncared for produce or produce that hasn't been tempered down the supply chain.

You respect them as people and their operating policies (refund, complaints etc) which all ties into a brand identity, which is why you keep shopping there.

You have faith in them that what you're buying isn't being overcharged i.e two for one sales thus not being misleading. For instance a pack of 12 eggs is ?1 and a pack of 15 eggs is 1.25 - which is cheaper?

In regards to the carriers in general, you are trusting them to keep your calls, texts, data connection secure and safe. Not to mention that the device you bought will not be mysteriously killed off despite being sold only for a few months, that you will get timely updates and that their cellular coverage won't let you down.

You have respect for their operating policies (refunds, updates, complaints process etc).

You have faith in them of not tempering with the device or operating system in any way and that you can use the device you bought full price without any form of hindrance on their network i.e AT&T gimped the 1520 by halving the storage, removing Qi, certain providers do not give you certain features because they haven't been bought from their network of resellers or direct through them despite the o/s supporting them out of the box (ring any bells?).

So with any transaction be it verbal or monetary there is always an element of trust.

In principle, the core foundations for any sort of relationship be it business or personal, is Trust, Respect and Faith.

 

[TheCudder]

The Lumia 950 is on the Microsoft US website now:

http://tinyurl.com/oy34vgq

The Lumia 950 has been on the Microsoft US site since Oct 6 --- where it has NOT been (and still isn't) is the Microsoft Store US site. So the real question is WHEN will the 950 be available unlocked directly from Microsoft, because it looks like AT&T wanted a 100% exclusive at launch. So many potential buyers will have gone else where if it's a 6+ month exclusive.

And please, don't start releasing Lumia 952's, 955's & 958's after 6 months. The next 900-Series Lumia better be a 960.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Exhibit 1: the Lumia 1020, model RM-877, unlocked MS store variant or Canadian such as Rogers, supports all frequencies used by T-Mobile and every other GSM carrier in North America. The AT&T variant is the same exact hardware but loaded with a firmware customized by AT&T to specifically not work on one of these frequencies. This firmware cannot be altered, even if the device is unlocked, so whether it "works" on another carrier is a matter of contention.

Exhibit 2: the ICON. While technically not in violation of FCC rules -- it is unlocked and may be used on a different carrier -- getting it to work correctly on a different carrier is a feat accomplished by only the most dedicated of tech geeks who can figure out how to make it work. As above, Verizon required a special version that excluded its competitors' LTE frequencies from working.

Exhibit 3. Carriers which disable the built-in Visual Voicemail, or other features, so that they can provide an app (and more importantly, a monthly additional fee) to access an equivalent or more likely less functional service.

By comparison, the 950 has a universal chipset which can, if Microsoft deems it appropriate, fully support any carrier on the planet (including Verizon). The Microsoft-provided OS and firmware include a full feature set. But I would expect AT&T to throw some monkey wrench into it. I certainly doubt that they will stop simply with their logo on the back cover and shipping it in an orange box. It is too tempting to change things because they can. Consider carefully what you give up to get that convenient purchase plan. That's why I recommend purchasing the unlocked version direct from MS.