Item — HN Reader

Yeah. I am pretty sure Apple´s iPhone business would collapse the moment they decide to sell unlocked phones to anyone who wants them, anywhere in the world. It would also not resist if Apple decided to allow people to install software from any third party phone owners wanted to.

With all the demand for iPhones, the only reason to this closedness is maximizing profit at the expense of end-user flexibility.

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You seem to forget that AT&T had to create an entire new system for handling voice messages just to let Apple host their phone. You also forget that Apple refuses to compromise their design, which means that they needed AT& T specifically because Verizon's a dick about stuff like that.

Usually Apple isn't against making tons of money, so I think it makes sense that there's a logical reason behind their actions.

Does the same logic apply to T-Mobile? As Apple's exclusive iPhone provider in Germany, T-Mobile must already have both a sufficient voice message system and an adequate deference to Apple's sense of design. Why not allow them to be an iPhone provider in the U.S. as well?

The truth is that Apple feels it can make much more money from exclusive contracts with the carriers than it can selling the phones directly to consumers.