Apple Limits iPhones Sales to Two per Person, No Cash

The iPhone will be a hot item this holiday season, but if you plan to buy an iPhone for every member of your family, you're going to face some obstacles if you need more than two. According to the Associated Foreign Press, Apple plans to limit the number of iPhone sales per customer to two in order to prevent illegal trafficking. On top of that, the company will not accept cash as payment for iPhones, so you'll need to break out the plastic to help Apple track iPhone sales.

The reports have been confirmed by Apple, who already has this policy in place. So why the sudden limitations? Apparently, Apple wants to "ensure enough iPhones will be in stock this Christmas for people shopping for gifts or themselves," said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. But the truth is the company estimates that of the 1.4 million units sold, over 250,000 iPhones may have been unlocked to work on unauthorized networks, so this is just another way to restrict resellers and unlocking activity.

Since the price on the iPhone dropped back in September, the number of unlocked iPhones has increased. It's been reported that some people had been buying up to five phones at a time, modifying them with unlocking software, then reselling them to folks overseas. Apple released an iPhone update last month that rendered unlocked iPhones unusable, but hackers found a way to restore some of its functions—and so the battle rages on.

What do you think? Should Apple be taking such extreme measures against unlockers?