Comments on: Why the AT&T iPhone Deal is Bad, But Not That Bad

By: Corey

Corey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:18:42 +0000

This is ridiculous! Yes, compared to the other countries carrying the iPhone, AT&T’s pricing is great. But compared to all other cell providers in the U.S., its HORRIBLE! I understand noone else carries the iPhone, but Sprint carries VERY comparable products and they have a package that includes all services (i.e. Blackberry, Palm, Web, whateva), includes unlimited EVERYTHING(data, text, voice, email, picturemail, etc)
and allows it to be added to ANY phone they have. All for $99.99/month.

AT&T has setup specific packages for use with ONLY the iPhone that are $40-$50 more expensive than their own other plans and $30 more expensive than those of Sprint.

I think I’ll wait for the AT&T/Apple contract expiration before I buy an iPhone. Sucks, too cause I was planning to do it this week and saw all this while researching the right plans… oh well.

By: A week of bad (or UK) customer service @ Flog, by Adam Burmister

A week of bad (or UK) customer service @ Flog, by Adam Burmister — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:14:20 +0000

[...] 3 Network isn’t actually too badly priced (especially in the recent revelations of Vodafone NZ’s raping of its tech-savy iPhone customers); £50 for the modem on Pay-as-you-go, and £15 for 3GB of data (and no regular monthly [...]

By: youngcitya

youngcitya — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:15:25 +0000

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By: eLoka

eLoka — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:18:04 +0000

@ #44: yeah, right, take another blue pill.

@ #43: Wi-Fi? Not much happening in NZ – check back in another 10 years and maybe you can leave the auckland airport with your laptop.

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Weekly Podcast from Geekazine Episode 41 7-09-08 | www.Geekazine.com — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:41:28 +0000

[...] iPhone June 11 8 AM -Battery Replace? – TG Daily -iPhone Pricing – TechCrunch -Not in Canada – AppleInsider Punch In Via iPhone – TechCrunch Why Ubuntu is not at [...]

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:25:57 +0000

@Charles (#7)

Vodafone is the only GSM network in NZ. Our other carrier, Telecom, is on CDMA. It’s part of the reason why they can charge so much.

By: Button Masher » Vodafone’s iPhone pricing

Button Masher » Vodafone’s iPhone pricing — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:23:40 +0000

[...] Even overseas they’re taking notice [...]

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:10:49 +0000

Kiwi here. I’ve been ready to get an iPhone from the moment they announced an NZ release, going so far as selling my iPod touch. I was willing to fork out a lot more money than I’d normally spend on a phone, I think a lot of people were, but this was just… unbelieveable. I’d be spending $6200 (US$4636) over two years on a phone with 1GB of data a month!

http://www.yout...h?v=291gK1ikf1w

By: The Scred Blog » No Finnish outrage at iPhone packages?

The Scred Blog » No Finnish outrage at iPhone packages? — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:44:46 +0000

[...] posts and comments online about TeliaSonera’s iPhone packages in Finland and, considering the backlash some operators are getting, it’s been almost a surprise to have heard nothing but silent [...]

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:42:02 +0000

I wouldn’t worry about it, the free market forces will sort it out.

By: Amit

Amit — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:41:29 +0000

Who needs a data plan with iPhone anyway?
There is so much Wi-Fi out there, you can get all the iPhone internet you can eat and more by just connectng to your home wireles network or just any open Wi-Fi spot out there.
Go for the lowest possible plan, I say, and the heck with AT&T. Wi-Fi is for real Internet.

By: billy

billy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:40:11 +0000

geeez…you guys make it sound like it’s the first time in the history of cell phones that you need a new contract in order to get a phone cheaper.

By: Kunal

Kunal — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:46:06 +0000

iPhone is expected to be priced even higher in India. Here’s what a leading magazine rumours will be the cost of the handsets only – 8gb ranging from INR 16000 to 18000 (USD 400- 450) and 16gb from INR 24000 to 28000 (USD 600 to 700). No minutes, messages, data added in the plan – all that is additional! Read the article at – http://tinyurl.com/62eqsm

And yea, India has yet no 3G capabilities. The Telecom Regulator and Government are at loggerheads on the policy decisions, but hopefully by start of next year we will have 3G in India!

By: Glen Barnes

Glen Barnes — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:10:03 +0000

Still the first people in New Zealand have started queueing. I captured this earlier this evening. (Sorry for the poor quality). The security guards near the end were pretty funny. First video of iPhone queue in Auckland

By: Kristoffer Lawson

Kristoffer Lawson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:52:06 +0000

While the prices in Finland aren’t as bad as in some places, the really ridiculous thing is TeliaSonera’s limitations on data. Their cheapest 30 euro package gives you a grand total of 150MB/month which, on an iPhone, may as well be nothing at all. You have to go all the way up to the large package to get an almost reasonable 1000MB/month, but with that you are also paying a steep price for 1000 SMSes and 1000 minutes, which I’d never be able to use in a month. None of the basic packages have unlimited data, which is all I wanted in the first place!

They do offer a “build it as you want” package, but then you get to pay the full 500 euro price for the 16GB iPhone, and it’s still not unlocked. Plus the packages aren’t exactly bargains even then. I have yet to understand why Apple wouldn’t just sell the iPhone unlocked as-is, take it or leave it, direct from their own online store and retailers. Let me decide who I want to operate with.

By: 1up.in

1up.in — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:25:54 +0000

Why the AT&T iPhone Deal is Bad, But Not That Bad…

Over at CG we’ve been watching the iPhone pricing plans whiz by, from the onerous Rogers tariff to Vodafone New Zealand’s $200 per month for 1 GB data plan. A lot of folks have been complaining about these prices but in light of these international…

By: Charbax

Charbax — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:15:15 +0000

HSDPA data plans have unlimited bandwidth in Denmark and Sweden for around $40 per month. And by unlimited I really mean unlimited, I’ve heard about people using hundreds of gigabytes per month on HSDPA bandwidth on those plans.

The iPhone is stupidly expensive. People who buy it cause they think it is cheap are plainly stupid. The iPhone is not $199, it costs thousands of dollars over the two years you have to use it cause you sign a contract that you have to use it for two month no matter how limited it’s hardware is. The iPhone costs about the same as a 42″ HDTV LCD flatscreen. It is pure BS to feed the idiots.

By: Harish Agrawal

Harish Agrawal — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:34:00 +0000

iPhone is being launched in India in couple of months. Service providers have already started booking advanced orders. Something tells me we will have the lowest pricing in the world for iPhone. Somehow we have managed huge competition in telecom with Vodafone, Airtel and at least 6 more providers fighting for market share. My cell phone bill is less that $40 / month. Incoming calls are FREE everywhere in India.

By: vodafone NZ’s iphone prices

vodafone NZ’s iphone prices — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:54:14 +0000

[...] Oh dear. It’s even on TechCrunch. [...]

By: OnkelSchark

OnkelSchark — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:35:56 +0000

And here I thought T-Mobile Germany’s iPhone plans were the worst. NZ is getting screwed!

By: Moses

Moses — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:16:50 +0000

Here’s more fuel for the fire:

The vodafone iphone plan prices for Portugal https://loja.vo...Phone/tarifario … reasonable compared to US AT&T.

By: German Romance

German Romance — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:04:50 +0000

Ok, AT&T is not the worst plan, do anybody have a a list of all the best deals in town? Thanks.

By: gregory

gregory — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:54:14 +0000

beginning of the flattening of the vurve in the us market

By: Leon Breedt

Leon Breedt — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:15:29 +0000

Mothership, at the mercenary rates Vodafone are charging, you can be sure that is *exactly* what I will be doing.

They could have gotten up to $400 bucks from me, they now get zip from me or anyone who I give tech advice to (a *lot* of people).

By: Mothership

Mothership — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:52:03 +0000

Going by the comments we’re receiving on our blog, the ones we’ve seen on other blogs and forums, and what the mainstream press are saying, Vodafone are taking a hammering over this – as they should.

The prices are appalling – one can buy the unit from AT&T, pay the disconnect fee, and have an untethered iPhone for less than NZ$500. They’re retailing for ~$1000 here – I don’t believe that Vodafone’s buy price would be that much more than AT&T’s – especially considering Vodafone are purchasing for a large number of markets.

As one perceptive commentator stated on our blog – marketing is perception, and Vodafone are being seen as greedy, monopolistic thugs.