draver .. the OP asked about buying the phone from the Apple store.

If you look at the wording in the reply in post #2, all iPhone models bought from the Apple store are unlocked with the one exception of purchasing with an AT&T installment plan. You'll see that wording if you do a dummy purchase at the apple store web site when you select either no carrier or a carrier.

That's all they were talking about. Not about buying it from a carrier or a third party where all bets are off.

-David