Apple Puts Limits on iPhone Sales

In a move aimed squarely at reining in the growing "unlocking" market, Apple last week placed new restrictions on the sales of its popular iPhone.

The company estimates about 250,000 of the 1.4 million Phones it has sold since its launch in June have been sold to people who intend to unlock the device. Apparently, the company has some concerns that these sales could hurt availability for legitimate buyers.

Only two phones will now be allowed to be purchased per person, and the company now no longer takes payments of cash for the device. A debit or credit card is required to purchase the phone.

Apple is also reportedly tracking the histories of purchasers of the phone to ensure that customers do not break the new two-per-customer rule. The new policy went into effect on Thursday, according to spokesperson Natalie Kerris.

While the move may make sense considering Apple loses a continual revenue stream once the devices are unlocked, the new regulations open up a host of potential problems this holiday season.

Some families may have been planning to buy multiple phones for members of their family this Christmas: now these people need to find another person to buy the device if they required more than two iPhones.

Unlockers have very much seemed to become a headache for Apple, and a majority of its recent moves and updates surrounding the iPhone have been aimed at controlling this growing segment of the device's market.