we buy the product because we want the phone. i didn't buy an iphone because i loved at&t and i wanted to support them. they were the only carrier that offered the phone at the time and i had no other choice. now they have me because i am grandfathered in to the unlimited plan.

but i digress. the point here, as it usually is in these threads is consumers want freedom over something they have purchased. this is not an unreasonable request. but many of you jump to the defense of at&t to the point that some might wonder if you are receiving compensation for the fervor with which you defend them. i understand the terms of service and all that jazz, but once you have fulfilled your contract and you decide to go with another provider, you are left with a perfectly good phone that is reduced to a music player. the only reason this argument hasn't caused more of an uproar is because the iphone does have a useful life other than a phone and i can only assume people are happy with using it as an ipod. that or they reach the point of frustration where jailbreaking and unlocking becomes the only option.

i will echo another claim in this thread, at&t employees have a good bit of freedom to alter contracts and terms of service as they see fit. what i was told could not be done regarding adding a line and switching the numbers can in fact be done in a matter of seconds. all a person must do is find an at&t employee willing to do it.