A report by the BBC cited Orange (the French iPhone carrier) as saying that 52% of iPhones sold in the first five days have been unlocked. Orange sold a total of 30,000 iPhones in those first five days. The price of the iPhone is 399 euros with a two year contact and 749 euros without a contact. It’s also highly likely that purchasing an unlocked phone does not give you access to the 30,000 Orange wifi hotspots that are included with the two year contact. While unlocked phones are a bit of a foreign concept here in the US, I find it amazing that people will pay nearly double the price just to use it on their current carrier. My guess is that since travel in Europe is so easy, having an unlocked phone does provide you the flexibility to travel around Europe and avoid roaming charges. All you need is a compatible pre-paid SIM card and you are set.