We told you yesterday that Orange would be the exclusive iPhone provider in France, but that's only half the story. The other half is that since French law prohibits the exclusive sale of phones locked to a provider, Orange will be selling both a locked and an unlocked version of the iPhone as a compromise. The unlocked version doesn't have a finalized price at this time, but we do know it will be more expensive than the €399 bundled version.
With all of the efforts all over the world to unlock iPhones, it's almost a slap in the face (or just a step in the right direction?) that Apple/Orange will be offering an unlocked version to France. Guess it's time to import if you don't like AT&T. [iht]
UPDATE: Apple's official response to our inquiry is that the IHT was only citing French law, not Orange's intentions, and that this matter, along with the particulars of pricing plans, etc., will be addressed before the French iPhone launch.