Brand new iMacs for $1049; iPhone 5 in China by October; jailbreak-less iPhone unlock
By AppleInsider Staff
Published: 11:40 AM EST (08:40 AM PST)
AppleInsider sponsor MacMall on Tuesday again teamed with eBay to offer readers a killer deal on Apple's 3.06GHz 21.5-inch iMac, selling brand new units for $1,048.99 while supplies last. And one analyst has been told Apple's iPhone 5 is expected to launch in China by October. Finally, hackers have found an iPhone unlock method that apparently does not require a jailbreak and occurs through iTunes.
eBay, MacMall offer 21.5-inch iMac for $1049
The
promotion, which is part of eBay's ongoing Daily Deals blowout sale,
knocks $150 (or 12.5%) off the entry level iMac, bringing the cost down to
$1,048.99, which is the lowest price we've ever seen on this model.
These are brand new, unopened iMacs featuring an Intel Core i3 3.06GHz, 4GB (2x2GB) DD3 SDRAM, 500GB SATA HDD, 21.5" LED-backlit display, ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB GDDR3, SuperDrive, Gigabit Ethernet, Airport Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi, SDXC card slot, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse. There's a strict limit of one per customer.
Readers interested in this deal can compare it to prices from Apple's other authorized resellers in
AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide, the iMac segment of which is included below:
APPINSDRMWB32657
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MacMall is offering AI readers an addition 3% off all MacBooks when entering Promo Code APPINSDRMWB32657
MacMall is offering AppleInsider readers FREE FedEx Overnight Shipping on all Mac orders through March.
MacConnection is offering $50 rebates on MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, iMacs and Mac minis for a limited time. |
 MacBook Air
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Discount |
| 2.5GHz 21.5" iMac |
$1,199.00 |
$1,120.43 |
$1,120.43 |
$1,129.99 |
$1,120.44 |
$1,132.99 |
$1,159.88 |
$1,149.00 |
$78.57 |
| 2.7GHz 21.5" iMac |
$1,499.00 |
$1,419.99 |
$1,419.99 |
$1,429.99 |
$1,399.00 |
$1,419.99 |
$1,412.88 |
$1,399.00 |
$100.00 |
| 2.7GHz 27.0" iMac |
$1,699.00 |
$1,607.98 |
$1,607.98 |
$1,599.99 |
$1,598.00 |
$1,607.99 |
$1,610.88 |
$1,599.00 |
$101.00 |
| 3.1GHz 27.0" iMac |
$1,999.00 |
$1,894.95 |
$1,894.95 |
$1,879.99 |
$1,870.57 |
$1,894.99 |
$1,899.88 |
$1,899.00 |
$128.43 |
* + or • : Net prices after rebates and AppleInsider's exclsuive 3% discount. The 3% discount coupon is automatically embedded in the links above. It will show up as "Instant Discount(s)" during checkout, only affter you've added the Mac to your shopping cart. Full details via AppleInsider's complete Mac Price Guide.
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Analyst Brian White issued a note to investors Tuesday, in which he revealed he attended a China electronics trade show where certain information was relayed. Sources at the event were varied, suggesting the iPhone 5 will debut in June, while others said it won't be unveiled until September.
In late March, numerous reports indicated that Apple has
no plans to unveil new iPhone hardware at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has used the conference in years past to unveil the next version of the iPhone.
Sources at the event also reportedly told White that the iPhone 5 appears on track for an October launch in China. Reports have suggested that Apple does not plan to introduce its anticipated iPhone 5 until
after fiscal 2011, which concludes in late September.
For comparison, the iPhone 4 launched in China in
late September last year. White said it's possible that, if the iPhone 5 is released later than June, Apple could ramp up its international availability faster than the iPhone 4. That's the
same approach Apple used with the iPad 2, which debuted in 25 countries overseas just weeks after it went on sale in the U.S.
Finally, White was also told to expect the iPad 2 to launch in China during June, which would be much sooner than the late September 2010 launch for the first-generation iPad.
Jailbreak-less unlock for iPhone uses Apple's database
Various online services that offer to unlock customers' cellphones for a fee began this week selling an unlock for Apple's iPhone that works through iTunes. This is the first time that such services have been available without a jailbreak
iPhone jailbreak community member "MuscleNerd"
explained on Twitter that the unlock is accomplished by using access to Apple's database, which allows it to be activated through iTunes. The "illicit" hack costs $169 from the site
cutyoursim.com.
The site advertises that it can unlock an iPhone, allowing it to be used on any compatible carrier, with a turnaround time of 2 to 5 days. It also claims that the product is a "permanent" solution, but "MuscleNerd" indicated that Apple has the power to "revoke" an unlock if an iPhone were to be restored via iTunes.
