Apple Begins Offering Unlocked iPhone 4S in U.S. Online Store

[Shanpdx]

I agree, but not just with Apple. Other smartphone manufacturers have ridiculous off contract prices as well (For example: Sprint Nexus S is $699.99 off contract...for a year old phone with a replacement coming out soon! AT&T version is a bit more reasonable at $529, but still hardware comparable to iPhone 4.)

iPhone 4S 16GB - $649
-3.5" IPS retina display
-3G/Wifi chip
-A5 processor
-512MB RAM

iPad Wifi/3G 16GB - $599
-9.7" IPS display, much lower PPI
-3G/Wifi chip
-A5 processor
-512MB RAM

Even though the retina display is higher PPI I imagine it is still cheaper than the iPad's 9.7" IPS display. Overall I think the 4S should be $549 off contract.

I think the carriers probably have something to do with off contract pricing for all devices though. Or maybe it is just industry wide price fixing.

price fixing or high margins! where do you think apple got 80 Billion dollar money

it is from us

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$299 iPhone 3GS 8GB
$399 iPhone 4 8GB
$499 iPhone 4S 16GB
$599 iPhone 4S 32GB
$699 iPhone 4S 64GB

would be nice, if apple willing take a bit of margin cut, oh well

 

[iRobby]

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I still don't get the advantage of unlocked phones here in the US unless you are a frequent traveller outside the country. You are gonna be paying same monthly recurring fees subsidized or not. And people keep on saying they don't want contract to justify the more expensive unlocked iPhone, seriously, you don't change carrier every 6 months or every year. Why would you do that? Unlocked phones will only work with AT&T anyways so might as well get subsidized by them and save yourself some money.

You can't even do that it's only for GSM Verizon and Sprint CDMA aren't compatible

 

[aziatiklover]

Do you really have no GSM Providers other than AT&T & T-Mobile in such a big country (Maybe because you're divided between GSM & CDMA, but still).
In a country as small as Belgium there are 3 real GSM-providers(and a forth one planne) plus dozens of virtual providers.(so it's really easy to choose a cheaper plan over here)

bigger country harder to get coverage! Belgium is a small country to build antenna in every corner. Its been over a decade att nor tmobile can even get 95% coverage!

 

[SeaFox]

You aren't seriously comparing cheap SD cards with on-boad flash memory, are you?

Ah, you're right.

When your on-board flash memory goes bad your phone is junk for the most part.

When your flash card goes bad you can just toss it and put a new one in.

 

[yeah]

I am also going to draw a comparison between the iPhone 4 of last year, and the iPod Touch which was released a few months later. The price of the 32GB iPhone 4 at release was $699 without a contract. The iPod Touch with the same storage was $299. So... it costs $400 for the design and the fact it's a phone? Smells fishy.

But, I will probably always own an iPhone. I love it, and don't mind paying for it. I'm just being an instigator.

No, it cost that much because that's the full price of it. You are getting a better battery, a sim card slot, Bluetooth 4.0, and a better front and rear camera!

(Not that I hate the iPod Touch )

 

[AppleMad98004]

Question?

So my brother has a foreclosure which messed up his credit. I really want to get one of these for him for his birthday but ATT wanted a $500 deposit to sign a contract because they said the phone was subsidized. If the phone is fully paid for will he be able to sign up with out the deposit?

 

[nebo1ss]

US Pricing of iPhone 4S 64GB Handset only is $849! Yet that is £530! it costs £500 to buy the 16GB Version here in the UK! I paid £700 for the 64GB iPhone 4S here. That is equivalent to $1,120.

Why so cheap over there? It's basically the same phone. Yet in the UK we pay £170/$270 more for exactly the same phone?

Your phone price included Vat at 20 Percent do the math. The basic price of the phone without tax is very much the same.

 

[KPOM]

Do you really have no GSM Providers other than AT&T & T-Mobile in such a big country (Maybe because you're divided between GSM & CDMA, but still).
In a country as small as Belgium there are 3 real GSM-providers(and a forth one planne) plus dozens of virtual providers.(so it's really easy to choose a cheaper plan over here)

Yes, those are our only 2 national GSM providers. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA. Most of the regional carriers (US Cellular, C-Spire, Virgin, MetroPCS) also use CDMA. Unfortunately, because the CDMA standard didn't require SIMs, carriers could regulate which phones went onto their networks.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

At those prices, buy a 3g ipad 2 with no contract.

price fixing or high margins! where do you think apple got 80 Billion dollar money

it is from us

Haha, you sure are right. Apple isn't in the business of making money. They are in the business of making obscene amounts of money!

 

[nebo1ss]

I don't see where you get a better deal by not having a contract. All other things being the same.

It makes absolutely no difference in the US but I can assure you it is a better deal outside the US. I have a SIM only plan with o2 in London which cost $22 per month, unlimited text 500M data, unlimited public WIFI and 300 minutes. The same plan on a subsidized phone would cost at least $60 per month for a two year contract.

It is only in the US that there you cannot bring a phone to the carrier and have then take out the subsidized part of the cost.

 

[firestarter]

It makes absolutely no difference in the US but I can assure you it is a better deal outside the US. I have a SIM only plan with o2 in London which cost $22 per month, unlimited text 500M data, unlimited public WIFI and 300 minutes. The same plan on a subsidized phone would cost at least $60 per month for a two year contract.

It is only in the US that there you cannot bring a phone to the carrier and have then take out the subsidized part of the cost.

Even cheaper on GiffGaff. £10/$16 for unlimited data, unlimited text and 250mins of voice (and GiffGaff is O2 behind the scenes anyway).

 

[thevofl]

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I still don't get the advantage of unlocked phones here in the US unless you are a frequent traveller outside the country. You are gonna be paying same monthly recurring fees subsidized or not. And people keep on saying they don't want contract to justify the more expensive unlocked iPhone, seriously, you don't change carrier every 6 months or every year. Why would you do that? Unlocked phones will only work with AT&T anyways so might as well get subsidized by them and save yourself some money.

Here's my reasoning. First, I enjoy being an early adopter of equipment. I have a number of non-tech savvy people use me as tech support. I skipped getting the 3Gs when it was new, decided to wait for the 4, and regretted it.

So if I want a 4S, I need to pay AT&T an additional $250 +$18 upgrade charge for an early upgrade (my date is March 2012), AND this will reset my 2-year contract and early upgrade cycle.

When the iPhone 5 comes out, I would need to shell out an additional $250 + $18 again.

So I would wind up paying $536 in premiums between these two phones. With the unlocked version of the 4S, I will have to pay the upgrade fee of $18 when the 5 comes out next year. So by paying the $450 premium once, I don't have to pay the $518 between the two phones.

ALSO, when I do buy the 5, I plan on selling the factory unlocked 4S on ebay and advertising that it is an official unlocked iPhone 4S. The official unlocked 4 are getting a premium of $100 over the jailbroken version on ebay. (I know these numbers fluctuate, but logically a premium of some sorts should still be there.)

Throw into the mix that I plan on visiting Thailand for a few days in December as a bonus savings.

To me, this makes complete sense.

 

[Westside guy]

I'd like to get one of these (not real crazy about my Android phone), but as a GoPhone customer... I will wait a few months until I've heard some 4S success stories from other GoPhone Guinea Pigs.

I'm aware there are a lot of 3GS GoPhoners; but I could see AT&T getting more worked up about 4S users than people on several-year-old phones.

 

[thevofl]

If you travel outside of the country 1-2 times per year, paying the extra $450 premium is a no-brainer. I purchased an unlocked iPhone 4 last year, and used it in 6 different countries:

1. In Canada, I spent $10, which included 125MB of data for a week, and unlimited evenings and weekend calls for 3 days. I live 30 miles from Canada and go there several times a year.

2. In Singapore, I spent about $20, which gave me unlimited incoming calls for 30 days and 50MB of data, which I used sparingly.

3. In Hong Kong, I spent about $12 and had unlimited data for about 3-4 days, including tethering.

4. In Macau, I spent about $12 and had unlimited data for about 4 days.

5. In Bali, Indonesia, I think I spent about $10, and I had plenty of data to use for the 3 days I was there.

6. In China, I think I paid $30 for 600MB and unlimited incoming calls that lasted me for almost a month.

With a locked iPhone, I would have had to subscribe to AT&T's international data roaming plan for $200 for 800MB (back then it was $200 for 100MB) and still pay $3 per minute for calls.

Is there a good website for travelers that will identify and compare the local carriers?

 

[KPOM]

Is there a good website for travelers that will identify and compare the local carriers?

I like this site:

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/

 

[tipp]

Why are these more than iPads?

Seems odd that the 3G iPad2 with comparable storage is $20 less.

Exactly this. Why doesn't anyone else in 5 pages of comments mention this? Isn't it really odd that a 9.7" device with a much larger screen and battery, but otherwise nearly identical hardware, is actually $20 cheaper than a 3.5" device? The only hardware the iPhone has that the 3G iPad doesn't is the proximity sensor, better camera, and possibly better microphone/noise cancellation. I'm pretty sure those components don't make up the same cost difference as the much larger screen and battery.

Any ideas?

 

[fingernagel]

Thank you Apple. I finally can buy me an iphone. But anyone knows what prepaid carrier is the best option in New York? Which ones can support the iPhone micro-sim-card? Thanks for your help.

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I like this site:

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/

But not all do support the iPhone. It depends on GSM and other stuff. Verizon or Sprint do not work, or do they?

 

[Luba]

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I still don't get the advantage of unlocked phones here in the US unless you are a frequent traveller outside the country. You are gonna be paying same monthly recurring fees subsidized or not. And people keep on saying they don't want contract to justify the more expensive unlocked iPhone, seriously, you don't change carrier every 6 months or every year. Why would you do that? Unlocked phones will only work with AT&T anyways so might as well get subsidized by them and save yourself some money.

No need to be a frequent traveler for the Unlocked to make sense . . . if you don't qualify for the full-subsidized price then you're probably can qualify to get a partially subsidized iPhone, but that iPhone is only around $100-$150 less than the Unlocked iPhone! Just one two-week trip to Europe and you could easily use $200 worth of International Data Roaming, plus you're still paying all the monthly fees as if you're in the US. With the Unlock you can shut off your US plan (since no contract) and buy a SIM in Europe/Asia/etc. which would be less than the monthly fees in the US (typically mobile service less in other countries than in US). Lastly, it's worth more when you want to sell you're Unlocked. So for infrequent international travelers who don't qualify for the full-subsidized price the Unlock is a better deal IMO.

 

[BeardedOrc]

No, you don't have to.

There are tens of thousands of iPhones right now with AT&T GoPhone SIMs.

If your telephone usage is minimal, it's a very viable option, but you have to calculate your own usage habits and do the math.

I think I can live with 250MB of 3G data per month. With AT&T's cheapest postpaid iPhone data plan, you get 250MB of data at $15 per month. With GoPhone, you can buy a 500GB data package for $25 which will last thirty days. However, if you buy a new data package before the expiration date, the unused data will rollover for thirty days. Hence, you can purchase a 10MB data package for $5. Total two month cost: $30 for 510MB of data, which is actually cheaper than the postpaid plan.

Calls are ten cents a minute. I average about 30 minutes of talk time on my current dumb phone (on a T-Mobile Pay As You Go SIM). I use Google Voice for my light texting on an iPod touch.

Thus, my monthly telecom expenses would average to $18. Despite the higher initial handset cost ($849 for a 64GB model), my monthly expenses are lower and the break even point is at eleven months, after which I am saving money compared to the AT&T subscriber who pays $399 for the same subsidized (and locked) handset (and ~$30 activation fee) plus another $55 per month for the cheapest call/data combo (450 min/250GB).

Over a two year period, I will have saved something like $450 and I am using ever single penny I paid for.

I will have an unlocked phone that can be easily used abroad, plus I have something that has a higher resell value on the used market.

Many if not most iPhone users with GoPhone SIMs have done similar analyses on their own usage patterns and have reached similar conclusions.

I know usage is very personalized and with this, I'd surely be missing my unlimited data and my talk minutes, unlimited text. Yes, I also do pay more unfortunately. I also don't own a Touch, and I don't think you can use ATT for data and T-Mobile for phone calls in same iPhone.

tmobile customers like my dad/brother/myself that like the iphone, but don't use/need a data plan and hate att. We use wifi most of the time. I've been using iphones with tmobile since 2007 first iphone 2g, 3g, 3gs, 4, and now 4s! It doesn't bother much now having 3g since I'm on wifi and plus I travel a lot.

I'm not sure if you can use officially unlocked iPhone without jailbreaking/unlocking in T-Mobile. If that is the case, might as well save some money and buy second hand jailbroken/unlocked iPhone.

You just your own question. The other reason is that some carriers are not nationwide and don't have roaming agreements. So even if you travel within the country, an unlocked phone can be advantageous.

If you're a frequent traveller, it's a no brainer. For average Joe who doesn't travel, I don't see the appeal of it. ATT, Verizon and Sprint, as far as I know, has nationwide roaming.

Do you really have no GSM Providers other than AT&T & T-Mobile in such a big country (Maybe because you're divided between GSM & CDMA, but still).
In a country as small as Belgium there are 3 real GSM-providers(and a forth one planne) plus dozens of virtual providers.(so it's really easy to choose a cheaper plan over here)

You know what sucks more, our only two GSM has different frequency from one another so GSM phones does not usually work seamlessly between them. Building two towers of different frequency to cover same area. Its sad.

Here's my reasoning. First, I enjoy being an early adopter of equipment. I have a number of non-tech savvy people use me as tech support. I skipped getting the 3Gs when it was new, decided to wait for the 4, and regretted it.

So if I want a 4S, I need to pay AT&T an additional $250 +$18 upgrade charge for an early upgrade (my date is March 2012), AND this will reset my 2-year contract and early upgrade cycle.

When the iPhone 5 comes out, I would need to shell out an additional $250 + $18 again.

So I would wind up paying $536 in premiums between these two phones. With the unlocked version of the 4S, I will have to pay the upgrade fee of $18 when the 5 comes out next year. So by paying the $450 premium once, I don't have to pay the $518 between the two phones.

ALSO, when I do buy the 5, I plan on selling the factory unlocked 4S on ebay and advertising that it is an official unlocked iPhone 4S. The official unlocked 4 are getting a premium of $100 over the jailbroken version on ebay. (I know these numbers fluctuate, but logically a premium of some sorts should still be there.)

Throw into the mix that I plan on visiting Thailand for a few days in December as a bonus savings.

To me, this makes complete sense.

You paid an extra $450 dollars to get the unlocked iPhone 4S 64GB iPhone. I assume that you would get the next iPhone 5 unlocked again for another extra $450 since you are an early adopter and don't want any contracts. Thats extra $900 dollars extra for the two officially unlocked phones. Paying $536 for early termination and upgrade fees I think is the better route. Traveling is always the best perk of unlocked phones as you can just buy local simcards to save money.

 

[rufwork]

So I can use this with my TracFone's old SIM? AWESOME.

 

[vartanarsen]

Exactly this. Why doesn't anyone else in 5 pages of comments mention this? Isn't it really odd that a 9.7" device with a much larger screen and battery, but otherwise nearly identical hardware, is actually $20 cheaper than a 3.5" device? The only hardware the iPhone has that the 3G iPad doesn't is the proximity sensor, better camera, and possibly better microphone/noise cancellation. I'm pretty sure those components don't make up the same cost difference as the much larger screen and battery.

Any ideas?

what about a phone?

 

[joxes]

Wrong answer

AT&T is really your only choice. Perhaps T-Mobile if you don't mind being stuck on EDGE.

You have the choice of using AT&T MVNO who really don't care about which device you're using.

I would recommend StraighTalk $45/month unlimited call, data, txt or H2Owireless...

You just have to leave the carrier bubble to realize cheaper options are available

 

[Westside guy]

I know usage is very personalized and with this, I'd surely be missing my unlimited data and my talk minutes, unlimited text. Yes, I also do pay more unfortunately.

Yeah, the GoPhone isn't for people who talk on their phones all the flippin' time. We, on the other hand, have three phone lines that we're paying less than $50/month for (total) - that's with a $20/month unlimited texting plan for my daughter, and 200 texts/month at $5 for both my wife and for me, plus a $5/month data plan for my smartphone (I paid for the $25 plan once, but just don't use that much 3G data thanks to wi-fi being ubiquitous). We simply don't make many voice calls.

 

[cvaldes]

I know usage is very personalized and with this, I'd surely be missing my unlimited data and my talk minutes, unlimited text. Yes, I also do pay more unfortunately. I also don't own a Touch, and I don't think you can use ATT for data and T-Mobile for phone calls in same iPhone.

I didn't say you could. Only one SIM card fits in the handset at any given time.

Currently, I am using a Motorola dumbphone with T-Mobile Pay As You Go which complements my WiFi-only iPod touch (which performs most smartphone functions when on the network). When I receive my unlocked iPhone 4S, I will drop in an AT&T GoPhone SIM that is already active.

I will keep the Motorola handset around as a backup. I still have T-Mobile credit, so I will probably use it at home for incoming calls until the credit runs out. T-Mobile unlocked the phone a long time ago (it's quad-band GSM) so I can still plop in another SIM, even overseas. I suppose I will sell the iPod touch; it's a 64GB fourth-generation model, so it should command a decent price in the used market.

Again, I need to reiterate that individual usage patterns vary widely and that the GoPhone prepaid SIM is not a viable solution for many people, particularly for those who talk a lot and need lots of cellular data. Westside_guy has clearly done the analysis for his situation and found that the GoPhone works.

I certainly wouldn't miss unlimited minutes since my voice time is so minimal. My WiFi connectivity both at work and home are far superior to cellular data reception, so unlimited cellular data is not a concern. I don't text much, but doing it with Google Voice is free unless I choose to forward SMS messages to a handset.

 

[Luba]

You paid an extra $450 dollars to get the unlocked iPhone 4S 64GB iPhone. I assume that you would get the next iPhone 5 unlocked again for another extra $450 since you are an early adopter and don't want any contracts. Thats extra $900 dollars extra for the two officially unlocked phones. Paying $536 for early termination and upgrade fees I think is the better route. Traveling is always the best perk of unlocked phones as you can just buy local simcards to save money.

I think what he means is that he'll alternate between Unlock/Lock in order to get a new iPhone every year. So this year Unlock iPhone 4S at at $450 premium, then next year he would get the Locked iPhone 5 at full-subsidized price, etc. AT&T allows you to early upgrade for an extra $250 BUT it also resets the fully-subsidized upgrade clock!