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Survey: 55% Will Unlock The 3G iPhone

Gizmodo has a running survey on its site today. The question: Will you unlock the 3G iPhone once you get one, even if the SDK apps are good? The answer tells us that even iPhone firmware 2.0, with its access to third-party apps, won't be enough to douse the temptations of unlocking.

Since this is a live and on-going poll, I would expect the results to shift a bit throughout the day. As of 10 a.m. this morning, 55% of respondents indicated they'd unlock the 3G iPhone, with 38% saying that wouldn't, and about 5.6% saying they aren't interested in the 3G iPhone.

We have to assume that a significant portion of the unlockers responding to this poll are people who want to use the iPhone on networks other than AT&T's. That is, after all, one reason why so many of the current generation iPhones have been unlocked. I think, however, that such reasoning is probably going to be moot come Monday. With all the distribution deals that Apple has struck with network operators around the globe to carry the device, the 3G iPhone should be available to most people in most countries with active 3G cellular networks. In other words, they can buy and use one locally, and won't need to buy one and unlock it to use it outside of the United States.

I unlocked my iPhone last summer for a while, but once the firmware version 1.1.3 rolled around, I left the iPhone locked and haven't unlocked it since. Do I want to use all the apps I've seen on unlocked iPhones? Sure, but I have access to other mobile platforms right now that give me access to similar apps. Right now, I would vote to keep the 3G iPhone locked, myself. I'll give Apple and software developers time to come forward with cool applications in a legitimate and vetted way, rather than risk bricking my device with the unlocking process.

What about you?

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