No, not convinced. I haven't taken a subsidy on the last 3 iPhones or Android phones and I've had no hoops at all to jump through, neither on AT&T nor on T-Mobile.
The iPhones, I simply demanded at the Apple store to pay full price (this is before the officially unlocked version was being marketed), and the first time I plugged the phone into iTunes, I got a dialog congratulating me on unlocking my phone. This was not widely reported, but always worked.
The Android phones, I can simply pull out the T-Mobile SIM and put in an AT&T one and I've never talked to anyone about it.
Both types work with pay as you go SIMs in Europe. I've never spoken to AT&T or T-Mobile about any of them.
"Requirements for prepaid wireless plans with AT&T branded phones:
You have had AT&T service for six months or longer
You can provide a receipt or other proof of purchase"
The last line illustrates how carriers are dictating policy in an effort to subvert the secondary phone market.
Even more frustrating in the same link you will see that certain AT&T phones are "ineligible" for unlocking presumably due to some arbitrary restriction.
The iPhones, I simply demanded at the Apple store to pay full price (this is before the officially unlocked version was being marketed), and the first time I plugged the phone into iTunes, I got a dialog congratulating me on unlocking my phone. This was not widely reported, but always worked.
The Android phones, I can simply pull out the T-Mobile SIM and put in an AT&T one and I've never talked to anyone about it.
Both types work with pay as you go SIMs in Europe. I've never spoken to AT&T or T-Mobile about any of them.
Convinced?