After it was discovered that the bootloader on HTC’s new One X phone is now unlockable, a lot of smartphone enthusiasts had a sour taste in their mouths, especially since HTC had been one of the champions of unlockable bootloaders. So why, all of the sudden, is this latest mobile device going against the grain? Apparently HTC had its hands tied in this instance, and it’s because of the mobile carrier AT&T.

@Yungjohnnybravo @TatWZA

Yes, apparently the executives at AT&T felt that the company wasn’t getting enough bad press, so it decided to be the one major carrier that completely spit on HTC’s hopes of having a strong series of unlockable devices.
HTC has released an official statement about the One X issue, saying in part, “In some cases … restrictions prevent certain devices from participating in our bootloader unlocking program.” Restrictions, in this instance, we can only assume means AT&T.

“HTC is committed to listening to users and delivering customer satisfaction. Since announcing our commitment to unlockable bootloaders, HTC has worked to enable our customers to unlock the bootloader on more than 45 devices over the past six months,” HTC wrote. “Rest assured, HTC is committed to assisting developers in unlocking bootloaders for HTC devices and we’ll continue to unlock additional devices in the future.”

[slashgear]