(actual) iPhone Prices

Qion · #1 June 16th, 2007, 05:30 PM

I stopped by a local Cingular store today and asked about iPhone plans.

One of the guys working there told me that on top of a basic account with minimum minutes (about 30 or 40 dollars a month), you have to have a data package, which in itself will be around 40 dollars.

We're looking at a minimum cell phone bill of 80 dollars a month on top of fees and the phone itself.

Ouch.

**fryke** · #2 June 16th, 2007, 05:55 PM

I thought this was about (actual) iPhone prices. But I guess those 499/599 figures are not in question here. I still wonder whether they're really unsubsidized - and why then not just sell the phones without contract. What interest _does_ Apple have in locking themselves to one network if the network doesn't subsidize the phone which would in turn sell much more phones? ... :/

Qion · #3 June 16th, 2007, 06:13 PM

I was seriously considering signing up today, but 599 (or even 499) plus everything else was way too much to justify. If I have to get a two-year contract with a $80/month data plan, at least subsidize the phone.

As far as Apple's choice goes, Steve said Apple picked Cingular for their popularity.

**fryke** · #4 June 16th, 2007, 08:06 PM

Well... I don't think this was about popularity. It was about which GSM providers were available, since they _wanted_ to go with GSM. And then, they had to find one which actually wanted to partner with them without telling them what not to enable. I guess cingular/at&t were the one that agreed.

I still don't get, though, why Apple didn't just release the phone at a decent price (499/599) _without_ contract. Just for the nice voicemail feature? It's nice, yeah, but not _the_ killer feature. (Plus: If this really was created by at&t, then other phones will get that feature. Other networks might add such a feature as well. It's basically easy. Save the messages as MP3s or another digital file and make a client get the messages over GPRS/EDGE/UMTS...) Ah well... I'll just wait to see how the European market entry goes and when Switzerland is going to get its iPhones...

icemanjc · #5 June 17th, 2007, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qion

I was seriously considering signing up today, but 599 (or even 499) plus everything else was way too much to justify. If I have to get a two-year contract with a $80/month data plan, at least subsidize the phone.

As far as Apple's choice goes, Steve said Apple picked Cingular for their popularity.

Cingular might be popular, but there know for being sucky, Verizon is probably the bst cell phone provider out there.

FlashMac · #6 June 18th, 2007, 08:31 AM

Don't US Providers not cover the whole country? Does that mean you get charged extra from calling from end of the US to another? Just curious.
No indication which providers will offer it in Europe, but they can't stick to an exclusive provider, the others would just practically give away Nokia N95s and other recent smart-phones in response.

**ScottW** · #7 June 18th, 2007, 10:49 AM

My bet is that Apple/AT&T are looking to kill the "buy and ebay" option many will want to take, to make a nice profit on their waiting in line, that is my guess. If you have to go in and sign up for a 1-2 year contract at purchase time, then buying more than one phone, might seem silly, unless the ebay payout is just too good and offsets any of those costs.

FlashMac - Typically, through wireless providers, you can call anywhere in the USA and you just use standard minutes on your phone plan. If you exceed those phone plan minutes, a long-distance call is still treated like a local call.

It could be possible to live in an area without Cingular/AT&T wireless coverage, but this would be a small percentage of possible market. Also, some cities have better coverage by a given carrier than others. I was a long time Sprint user in Kansas City, and switched to Cingular in 2006, solely because of rumors that the rumored iPhone would come out on Cingular only. I have been with happy with the Cingular service in this area.

FlashMac · #8 June 19th, 2007, 07:39 AM

Thanks for explaining that Scott. Yes I think they'll kill any Ebay action as I don't think all of the iPhone's functionality will work on Providers that aren't offering it as a device, I'm thinking about network services and stuff.