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Analyst Claims Apple May Release $349 iPhone for Prepaid Markets This Year

rmhop81 said:
it's not like there are many options in the USA to where people just flock to the contract for an iphone. There are ZERO options here unless you're tech savvy to figure out things on your own.

i agree, paying over $100/month for a cell phone is crazy, but sadly there aren't many options here in the US unless you go with Virgin Mobile etc.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of options, the problem is that most people are too dumb to get informed and prefer to shiny phone over one that would suit them just fine at a much reduced monthly rate. I love Virgin Mobile, $25 a month for unlimited text, data and 300 mins. which is enough for me since I use nettalk to make calls when I'm at home.

I would gladly trade in my ipod touch and optimus v to trade up to an iPhone, I've lived abroad so paying flat out for my phone is nothing new with a $300 price tag.
 
Upon looking at Virgin Mobile Canada which is a prepaid offering the iphone, it seems that you basically pay the 650 price but you can allocate a lot of the to stored credit. Essentially if you pay for the next year of service in advance, you get the phone for $150 or so.
 
I use pre-pay (cheaper for me in the UK) and to be fair I don't want a iPhone Nano or whatever, I want the 'real' thing, either way I'm buying the iPhone 5 sim free when it's released.
 
IF it is true indeed, well then it's RIM's funeral for sure. People in 3rd world countries loves BB so much, because they did this very same thing years ago.

At the beginning, BB was expensive as hell and quite dumb device (although quite smarty smarty at that time). If iPhone decide to jump into that market (which is the majority) .. well then you just know what would happen.

Android? .. hmm maybe wouldn't die .. but hurting indeed, they'd have to make cheaper and better device for around $200 or less.

Many people use android because they want iPhone sensation with much lower price range a.k.a knock off, although some hi-end Android (which priced on par w/ iPhone) offer very good experience. And many other use BB for their messenger.

Now if iPhone come in $350 version, with iMessage, well .. it's slaughtering, I guess :p

It's like displaying $599 Macbook Pro in front of $499 crappy Windows laptop
 
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It won't be an iPhone 4 - I think the tech is still a little new to sell at that price point. What I see happening is an update 3GS - give the internals a ramp up, stick a FaceTime camera, maybe a flash camera and the retina screen.

In australia you can also get decent prepaid plans. I just got out of a bad mobile deal - while I wait for whatever comes next, I myself bought a decent sim only plan for my 3gS .. Also at the moment here most telcos have to add extra to their deals for the iPhone 4, or buy it yourself outright. I can see them giving this cheap phone away like other models..
 
rmhop81 said:
3GS vs. IPHONE 4
Click to expand...

3GS vs. Iphone 4 is about one thing.

Customers who can't calculate the total cost of the phone for the entire contract.

Saving $150 for a lesser phone that you still have to pay the same contract for? Then there's the fact that you would be able to sell the Iphone 4 for a lot more than the 3GS when the contract is over. So, you're going to save a lot less than $150.
 
Its possible. I can see getting people into the apple world is a good way of getting more longterm owners (a bit like mcdonolds!)

But like the article says, what would the take out to lower the price? And at the moment you've got 2 series of phones still being sold by apple, with a third coming along soon. Would they move everything down a level, the iphone 4 shifted down to the 3gs, or would it be a totally new stripped down phone? For it to be a new phone wouldn't that make apples line up 3 phones? New stripped down model, the iphone 4 (as there is going to be a lot of stock around!) and then the 5.
 
osx11 said:
Americans just love paying $1000+ per year for their cell phones. And then they wonder why they are all in debt. Couple that with a daily $4-5 Starbucks drink and you have roughly $2.5K for an iphone and coffee for ONE YEAR. Over 40 years, that comes out to be $100,000 for a cell phone and a daily morning coffee. That's just stupid.
Click to expand...

So you buy coffee for 50 times more than what it costs when I make it?
And you live in another part of the world where taxes are not added to the cost of everything?
Before those 40 years have passed, people will not pay for a cellphone. It will be embedded into their bodies with a technology that has not been imagined yet.
BTW, have you priced that vehicle most people drive over 40 years?

bushido said:
just look at their college fees :eek: here people bitch bc they have to pay 300 €
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You aren't comparing oranges to oranges. Education is paid with taxes paid in European countries.

rmhop81 said:
it's not like there are many options in the USA to where people just flock to the contract for an iphone. There are ZERO options here unless you're tech savvy to figure out things on your own.

i agree, paying over $100/month for a cell phone is crazy, but sadly there aren't many options here in the US unless you go with Virgin Mobile etc.
Click to expand...

Options are present. Simple reduce your plan when your situation changes.

Ugg said:
It's time for some anti-trust action. If ATT is allowed to buy T-Mobile, the US wireless market is doomed.
Click to expand...

AT&T should NOT be allowed to absorb T-Mobile. That (merger) is just ridiculous.

Westside guy said:
We paid for a monthly "family plan" for several years before realizing none of us make many phone calls anymore - as a group, we were under 100 minutes pretty much every month. So a few months ago we switched to prepaid plans, and I got a smartphone - an LG Thrive (Android) phone - for $149. I put my own 32GB microSD card in there, so I guess you could say the price was about $210. And as far as the monthly fees go... even with my daughter's unlimited texting and my data plan (small, since I'm around wi-fi 95% of the time), we're well under $50 a month for the three of us.
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Our family plan provides peace of mind, so it is worth the monthly. The problem is that after being a loyal customer for 15 years, that 2-year contract should be eliminated. A useless, broken phone should NOT be something I am required to pay for every month remaining on the contract. That is just stupid.
 
actripxl said:
There are plenty of options, the problem is that most people are too dumb to get informed and prefer to shiny phone over one that would suit them just fine at a much reduced monthly rate. I love Virgin Mobile, $25 a month for unlimited text, data and 300 mins. which is enough for me since I use nettalk to make calls when I'm at home.

I would gladly trade in my ipod touch and optimus v to trade up to an iPhone, I've lived abroad so paying flat out for my phone is nothing new with a $300 price tag.
Click to expand...

I sold my iPod Touch when I bought my Optimus V thinking I wouldn't need it. I don't really need it but I do miss it. Apple just does things better. However, it's not worth an additional $900 a year. If Apple doesn't come out with a less expansive prepaid phone, then I'll be buying this year's new iPod Touch.
 
Seriously though, if Apple gonna make $350 iPhone, how much iPhone 4 (unlocked and no contract) would cost after iPhone 5 or 4s or whatever released later?

I think it'd be around $400? And iPhone 4 still an excellent machine, I bet it's still huge improvement from 3GS to 4 .. compared to 4 to 4S or 5
 
Um Hello

Apple can reach the sub $350 dollar phone.
Apple sells an ipod touch for $229 +$100 for 3G chips and stuff and you have a $329 phone they can do it but will they?

I dont think they will you have the late model that will sell for less like the 49.00 3GS with carrier support. if the carriers don't play nice they would do it until then why not the 3G iPod that cant make voice calls like the iPad 3G
 
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actripxl said:
There are plenty of options, the problem is that most people are too dumb to get informed and prefer to shiny phone over one that would suit them just fine at a much reduced monthly rate. I love Virgin Mobile, $25 a month for unlimited text, data and 300 mins. which is enough for me since I use nettalk to make calls when I'm at home.

I would gladly trade in my ipod touch and optimus v to trade up to an iPhone, I've lived abroad so paying flat out for my phone is nothing new with a $300 price tag.
Click to expand...

Virgin mobile is the only cheap option. Nothing else compares. What is the point of unlocked gsm phones if AT&T and tmobile join together? Options are very limited here. I'm on $2/day GoPhone plan as I rarely use the phone, yes it's pretty cheap bc I don't use it often. AT&T and tmobile are still around $50 month per phone.
 
ANALyst again.


The cheaper iPhone is the iPhone 4 when the iPhone 5 is available.
 
AaronEdwards said:
3GS vs. Iphone 4 is about one thing.

Customers who can't calculate the total cost of the phone for the entire contract.

Saving $150 for a lesser phone that you still have to pay the same contract for? Then there's the fact that you would be able to sell the Iphone 4 for a lot more than the 3GS when the contract is over. So, you're going to save a lot less than $150.
Click to expand...

Ur talking about a contract in a prepaid thread. Look at differences in the 3GS vs iPhone 4. They could do the same thing when iPhone 5 comes out and it won't hurt sales of the new phone.
 
Looks like it costs more

rmhop81 said:
Virgin mobile is the only cheap option. Nothing else compares. What is the point of unlocked gsm phones if AT&T and tmobile join together? Options are very limited here. I'm on $2/day GoPhone plan as I rarely use the phone, yes it's pretty cheap bc I don't use it often. AT&T and tmobile are still around $50 month per phone.
Click to expand...


Dosent $2 dollars a day = $50+ a month?
 
OK Then

rmhop81 said:
I don't use it daily as I'm around wifi and use talkatone for calls. And no $2x30 doesnt equal $50
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ok i stand corrected.

But i said "$50 +" (PLUSS) a month" its actually $60.82 a month is that better for you

Do you own an iPod? i know a bunch of folks that have both a prepaid and an iPod they use as a day planner etc.. would make perfect sense for those people don't you think.
 
k1121j said:
ok i stand corrected.

But i said "$50 +" (PLUSS) a month" its actually $60.82 a month is that better for you

Do you own an iPod? i know a bunch of folks that have both a prepaid and an iPod they use as a day planner etc.. would make perfect sense for those people don't you think.
Click to expand...

No I don't own an iPod and I'm not sure what your argument is??
 
iPod Touch prices goes cheaper
iPod touch 8GB - $149

No contract required - NO Mandatory data plan required
iPhone 5 Nano - 8GB - $299 Contract free - $0 with two year voice plan - data plan pay as you use
iPhone 5 Nano - 16GB - $399 Contract free - $99 with two year voice plan - data plan pay as you use

Usual two year contract phones with Mandatory data plans
iPhone 5 - 16GB - $599 Contract free - $199 with two year voice and data plan
iPhone 5 - 32GB - $699 Contract free - $299 with two year voice and data plan
 
Also, perhaps this "lower spec" phone will be sim free. This could slowly work in Apple's want to to go this way in production of the full spec phone.
 
the prepaid smartphone market is small because the big carriers dont offer it, this would open the iphone to those that otherwise cant get one from a carrier like those with terrible credit for example
 
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