An iPhone article on NYT

umm....
if you take a look at "real" cell phone prices, (not the subsidized prices that you pay at your carrier's dealership), phones cost a minimum of $150-200 up to $800-900.

It wouldnt be uncommon for apple to sell a cell phone for 500 or slightly more depending on features. An entry level phone would cost about 150-200 in real market terms. An advanced phone, like a sonyericsson p800 like phone could conceivably cost 600-700
 
True, phones are expensive if they don't come with the plan. I wonder what their margins are? Maybe at 30% (or less) they won't have to be so expensive.

Anyway, I hope apple builds them. I'd like a fun gadget. :)

Vanguard
 
Apple normally keeps a profit margin of something like 27%, as I remember.

I too hope this phone isn't too expensive. I can't think of any reasons why it would be cheap, but I really do hope.:D
 
iPhone was an old os9 program used to create small voice-over-ip networks. You could even send video, if I remember correctly.

Hopefully (imo) iphone will be a similar product - not so much hardware (fancy headset, etc), but a neat telecomunications product for connecting people over long distances over an ip network.

On the other hand, with 3G launching in the USA (mLife, PCS Clear Vision, etc), if Apple did go the wireless phone route, you can bet it would be one sweet phone!
 
actually neither mLife nor PCS Vision are true 3G.
mLife is more like 2.5G and vision is more like 2.75G :)

voice/video through IP is a nice idea, however its been done (take a look at yahoo messenger for voice chat options)... it would be nice to have a free IP-to-phone voice option...free long distance and international lol ;)


Admiral
 
http://www.dialpad.com/

pc required - I can't find DialpadX anymore (had a beta of the osx version).

Basically, you get 5 mins of free intra-usa phone calls, and very low rates after that for international and usa calls.
 
...is the next thinksecret.com. I suppose when this product actually appears I'll be duly chastened, until then WTF? 'The paper of record' publishing this gee-whiz rumor?

Must be mid-August. Gotta make that news.
 
If I believe (!!) an article on the irumors website (http://www.rumortracker.com/framesets/irumors/index.html), that iPhone will be released late September at a price of ... $800 !!!

Either this is the most unbelievable phone ever created by mankind, or they are out of their mind! That would be a few $100 shy of the price of an iBook...

Either way, at that price, they would be sinking the company in no time....

A phone, regardless of what else it does, should be no more than $200-300

In the PDA area, the most expensive ones are the Pocket PCs, but they come with color screen, a lot of memory, etc. Those price for about $700. And they run Windows, which give them access to quite a few applications that most people are most familiar with.

Both the PDA and the phone markets are ultra crowded. There have already been quite a few PDA/Phone attempts. There will be even more in 6 months. So this is a highly competitive market. In addition, there are companies that are hurting in both markets: Palm and Handspring are not doing too well. None of the Telecom/handset companies are doing well either. From the Phone or PDA market perspective, both markets are saturated.

So, not only would Apple have to differentiate themselves drastically from the competition, they will also have to compete agressively on price to persuade people to throw out both their existing PDA and phone to get an iPhone, i.e. yet another PDA format, etc...

So what would it take for that iPhone to be worth that much?

First of all they have to blow a PocketPC's spec away:
Storage: way more than 64 MB of RAM/ space out of the box, with expandibility to over 1 GB range. iRumors seems to indicate 200 MB of storage space. That would do it.
Speed: A Pocket PC runs on a 400 MHz Intel chip and feels ultra fast and responsive. the iPhone would have to be the same in terms of speed. The chip is irrelevant (an embededded Motorola PPC chip?)
OS: It has to be a standard OS, so that a LOT of applications are available out of the box. In Apple's case I only see one solution: make Mac OSX run on that beast.
Screen: Color is an absolute must. The resolution needs to be at least as good as the Pocket PC's (240x320). There is no way you'll buy a $800 without a color screen.
Apps: You'll need all these handy MacOSX apps, + movie playing capabilities (QuickTime). In particular you need e-mail capabilities, calendar, addresses, office apps, quicktime, web browser, etc.
Developers: you have to attract developers to that platform. The only way to that is to make it as easy as possible to port their apps to it. Again that means Mac OS X.

You see where I 'm going with this. Basically, you're better off buying a low end Powerbook and keeping your existing phone!

And at least you do not have to switch phone carriers...
 
The machine you just described would be *really* tempting for me. It's the $800 that makes it tough.

For $800 I could get:

a low end PC
two plane tickets to Greece
6 palm pilots
a storage device from snapserver.com
a new wardrobe
or restaurant lunches for 9 months.

Still, it might be worth it to me. I would love to have this fabled iPhone and I could sell me palm and cell phone to make up for some of the cost.

Vanguard
 
Originally posted by vanguard
The machine you just described would be *really* tempting for me. It's the $800 that makes it tough.

For $800 I could get:

a low end PC
two plane tickets to Greece
6 palm pilots
a storage device from snapserver.com
a new wardrobe
or restaurant lunches for 9 months.

Still, it might be worth it to me. I would love to have this fabled iPhone and I could sell me palm and cell phone to make up for some of the cost.

Vanguard
Click to expand...

I completely agree. That would be expensive, wouldn't it?

One more thing: it needs to run native Java applications!. Java geeks and developers, technology enthusiasts are still looking for the next best Java-enabled cell phone. That would be an awesome way of 1. attracting new customers to the Mac platform, 2. be able to leverage other apps than just MacOSX apps, 3. get credibility in terms of compatibility with where the industry is going.

Just that would make it a winner.

And if they could do it for $400-600, it would sell like hotcakes.
 
A phone, regardless of what else it does, should be no more than $200-300
Click to expand...
typical american.... (I am an american too, but atypical :p). I suppose you think that components, manufacturing and so on grows on trees and we can get phones for 200-300 USD ? -- SUbsidized perhaps yes, but unsibsidiezed NO WAY. Take a look at nokia's 8890. A 3 year old design, but STILL sells for about 800 euro without a contract. -- even subsidized when voicestream sold it it cost $500!!!!!


For $800 I could get:

a low end PC
two plane tickets to Greece
6 palm pilots
Click to expand...

a low end PC --- yep
2 plane tickets to greece ? in yoru dreams. I fly there and I can tell you best case scenarion, off season, 1 person = 800
6 palm pilots ? but we all know palm pilots are undepowered, too minimalistic and they suk.


And if they could do it for $400-600, it would sell like hotcakes.
Click to expand...

In general, a new phone, that is unsibsidized will cost anywhere between 200 and 800 USD. depending on its capabilities

You CANNOT expect a "pocketpc phone" like product from apple, or a p800 like product from apple that has everything AND the kitchen sync for a small price.



Here are some examples (quoted from online stores):
sonyEricsson T68i unlocked retail price: 430 USD
SonyEriccson T68i SUBSIDIZED BY CARRIER: 250 USD with new activation (1 or 2 year)

Nokia 3390 retail: 160 USD
Nokia 3390 SUBSIDIZED: FREE with new activation

Motorola v60 retail: 500USD
Motorola v60 subsidized: 200 USD with new activation

Motorola T193 retail: 110 USD
Motorola T193 susidized: FREE with new activation

These are but a few examples of phones, as you can see the phones cost more than 100, EVEN for entry level models. Entry level models are free with new activations, but you have to remember that subsidized prices dont reflect real world prices. Subsidized phones are
1) Cheaper because the carriers are trying to sweaten you into subscribing to their service so they are cutting you deals
2) They are locked so if you want to use your phone on another network (provided that they use the same technology) you cannot unless x-amount of time goes by and then you have to REQUEST that you phone be unlocked.


Admiral
 
2 plane tickets to greece ? in yoru dreams. I fly there and I can tell you best case scenarion, off season, 1 person = 800
Click to expand...

I have Greece on my list of my.yahoo.com best fares. Tickets are going for $418 right now.

Vanguard
 
which carrier ? for how long ? any restrictions ? can u fly when u want to fly or do you have to pick form preselected dates ?
 
800$ sounds like a very normal price for a smartphone (price without a contract).

Of course, Apple's phone would have more features, but those are the prices (more or less) here in Switzerland (without contracts):

Nokia 9210i Communicator: ~1'000$
Nokia 7650: ~660$
Handspring tréo 270: ~800$

Basically, anything between 660 and 1'000 bucks would make a good iPhone price, if the feature set, design and UI is right...

iWhiners can, if they want, say: "Yes but I want it for less!" :)
 
Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) to Athens, Greece (ATH)
Lowest Economy/Coach Fares valid for travel through December 2002
* Fares shown are for one adult. Any applicable discounts will be added after you choose your flights. These fares include airline-imposed fuel surcharges and some but not all taxes. Additional taxes, airport facility charges (ranging from USD 2.00-18.00) and federal segment fees (USD 3.00 per segment, defined as a takeoff and landing) will be shown after your flights are selected. Fares do not include September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 for each enplanement that originates at a U.S. airport, up to a maximum of $5 per one way or $10 per round trip. The above fares may not be available on all flights and are subject to change without notice. Additional taxes/fees may be associated with international itineraries of up to USD 113 or local currency equivalent. Total fare per passenger, including all charges, will always be displayed to you prior to final ticket purchase. Please note that fares are subject to restrictions, may not be available on all flights, and may change without notice. For detailed descriptions of the fare rules, click on the corresponding rules link.
Click to expand...

It said (and says) $418 on my home page but then as I click through the price goes to $518. The airline in british airways.

Vanguard
 
ah british :p

British and virgin are probably the cheapest for greece.
I usually fly with Lufthansa or SwissAir which are about 750-800 for offseason.

I hate waiting long at heathrow though so I never fly with them :)
 
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