Today, this no longer appears to be the case–at least in Japan. There, the models will be SIM-locked to Softbank Mobile, which has evidently negotiated an exclusivity deal for the device. Softbank is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Japan, so I suppose this shouldn’t come as shock. Still, it is a bit of surprise, since NTT DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada said in an earnings call last month that the company would sell iPad-compatible micro-SIM cards in time for the device’s launch in the country.

Evidently, Apple (AAPL) has been pleased enough with Softbank’s support for the iPhone to tweak the multiple-carrier distribution plan it had intended for the iPad outside the U.S. Either that or the company has always been open to international SIM-lock exclusivity deals for the device, given the right terms.

I’ve asked Apple for comment and will update here if I’m offered one.

In New Zealand, where the deck chairs and sleeping bags began appearing Tuesday night outside the Auckland shop of Vodafone, the line included a customer who traveled to New Zealand from San Luis Obispo, Calif., simply to purchase the phone before it went on sale in any other country. Also in line: some folks with more nefarious purposes.

Back in the states, the sustainable-agriculture activists who dominated the queue outside Apple’s (AAPL) Fifth Avenue store earlier this week were quickly overwhelmed by less altruistic iPhone activators. No reason to break out the iPod white riot gear yet, though.

And, then there were the profiteers. For those not willing to spend the night squatting on the sidewalk outside an Apple store, the rate for a decent spot in line at many of Apple’s US retail stores was $50 or more. “I will have the rest of the family stay in line. I will have FOUR (4) extra spots so you don’t have to camp out,” read one ad on craigslist. “You give me $75 cash and you will have a spot in line.”

And, if you still happen to be waiting in line, describing exactly MacRumors has graciously posted an Apple Retail document what you have to look forward to.