Apple to Cut iPhone 3GS Price to Free With Next Update?

[res1233]

Haha, same, America you're living in the past

If we're living in the past, then you must see no value in the internet, or Macrumors for that matter. Very little innovation comes out of Europe anymore. If you don't see that, you're just ignorant. Apple, Intel, AMD, Microsoft (when the copier isn't running), and Google (them too) are the main sources of innovation, at least in the tech world, and they're all American-based. Europe needs to get its act together. You guys lost John Ive all those many years ago, and for good reason.

 

[2 Replies]

Would be nice if it means all those whiny 3G owners have no excuse not to upgrade.
I'm pretty sure everyone is sick of listening to their bitching about apps not working on their old hardware, or iOS running slow.

This would also be a great way for Apple to prime the current user-base into having decent hardware for iOS5 upon release.

 

[shaynes]

In Europe, mainly countries like the UK (and even Canada ... yes I am aware that is not in Europe) get the iPhone 4 for dirt cheap or even free provided you sign a contract. Carriers in the US are very greedy.

Back to the article ... why would they keep the 3GS? It's going to be 2 generations behind...

Carriers in the US also have a lot more ground to cover than the European counterparts. The government has also basically mandated that they must cover rural areas as well as the more populated regions. This leads to the higher costs of maintaining and upgrading cell towers.

Not sure about Australia, but its my understanding large parts of your country are very sparsely populated. Are these areas covered by cell towers?

 

[7thMac]

This is not something that is going to move markets. Why do these reports make such a big deal about the contract price of the phone? That is only a small percentage of the overall plan obligation.

 

[jadot]

If we're living in the past, then you must see no value in the internet, or Macrumors for that matter. Very little innovation comes out of Europe anymore. If you don't see that, you're just ignorant. Apple, Intel, AMD, Microsoft (when the copier isn't running), and Google (them too) are the main sources of innovation, at least in the tech world, and they're all American-based. Europe needs to get its act together. You guys lost John Ive all those many years ago, and for good reason.

Oh man, that's some list. Yawn...
The truth is that innovation comes from inspired individuals who couldn't give a toss about borders or patriotism. I doubt "John" Ive moved to the states with the notion that Europe was lagging - if he did he at least managed to achieve a level of education that equipped him with the tools to spell his name correctly before doing so.
etc. etc.
blah blah,
argue argue,
my country's better than yours, and so on...

 

[Cloudsurfer]

If we're living in the past, then you must see no value in the internet, or Macrumors for that matter. Very little innovation comes out of Europe anymore. If you don't see that, you're just ignorant. Apple, Intel, AMD, Microsoft (when the copier isn't running), and Google (them too) are the main sources of innovation, at least in the tech world, and they're all American-based. Europe needs to get its act together. You guys lost John Ive all those many years ago, and for good reason.

Europe has BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford (the European branch), Fiat, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Ducati, KTM, Suzuki (European branch), Triumph, Airbus...

Europe is the biggest vehicle export region in the world. Most vehicle innovation in terms of tech and fuel economy originates in Europe. If you think America is the only innovative country left, you're.. well, to backfire just ignorant.

Fact of the matter is that Europe has a very different mobile phone culture than America, in part due more competition that drives companies to lower their prices. For the past decade, phones have been free or very cheap with contracts where I live. And you might not like to hear this, but that has had a significant contribution to the success of iPhone. Thanks to us humble Europeans

 

[trims]

i really miss my 3GS if that thing had a retina display and faster processor, i wouldn't have upgraded to the 4.

dont get me wrong.. the 4 is a great phone, but the 3GS feels way better in my hands.

So agree with this. My 3GS has a few cracks in its plasticky case, but it feels so much better in my hands the the ubiquitous 4.

Really hoping the 5 returns to a curvy case . . .

 

[mlmwalt]

I don't get why people are so hung up on my country is better than yours, blah, blah, blah. The economies are all so reliant on each other's that it doesn't matter. The US economy felt the ripples from the Japan disasters, and will feel the EU pain of propping up Greece et al. The US is awesome due to innovations from around the world, hence the melting pot stuff. Though, as an American, I do dig the beaches, grub and cheap tequila of Mexico. Knock on wood that I've never had to use the healthcare system down there though, or been around when the drug violence breaks out.

 

[bushido]

Laugh all you want now. We will be the ones laughing as the new iPhone gets released in the US first, probably several months before your country. Or as EVERY device/service Apple makes get released in the US before it makes it to your country - if it ever even does.

lol fail

 

[TEG]

A) You can already get the iPhone 3GS from at&t for 1¢ or $29 refurbished (the former with some cosmetic issues).
B) In the US, you are charged the same for the phone, regardless of the plan (or Tariff) you choose, whereas, I see that other countries (except Canada) adjust the prices based on the plan. In the US people are very concerned about changing their plans within their contract, which is why they don't adjust the phone cost based on plan. I'm not sure how it works in the EU if you want to change your Tariff mid-contract, or if it is even possible.
C) If anyone is in the past, it is Canada, since they have to have 3-year contracts.

TEG

 

[bushido]

A)I'm not sure how it works in the EU if you want to change your Tariff mid-contract, or if it is even possible.

TEG

u can change to a plan of the same or higher price at any time here and to a lower plan after 12 months or right away if ur really good at persuading the costumer hotline ^^

 

[Gasu E.]

Fact of the matter is that Europe has a very different mobile phone culture than America, in part due more competition that drives companies to lower their prices. For the past decade, phones have been free or very cheap with contracts where I live. And you might not like to hear this, but that has had a significant contribution to the success of iPhone. Thanks to us humble Europeans

Having a few years under my belt, and having traveled to Europe many, many times over the years I can tell you the basic reason Europe has a superior wireless carrier system to the US is: Europe needed it more. In the wired phone world, for me, going to Europe back in the day was like going to a third world country. The US had (and still has, if you want it) universal wired access to even the remotest areas at prices that even the poorest people could afford. Twenty years ago >99% of American households had wired phones. Contrast that with Europe, where service in many developed countries (England and France among them) was spotty, poor quality, and frequently missing even in urban working class homes.

In contrast to Europe, wireless in the US has historically been a convenience, not a necessity. Most people of my parents generation (over 80's) either don't bother with it or have a little-used phone they share solely "for emergencies". That's changing, of course, but I think that's been the core of the difference.

 

[ryan2714]

I paid $600 for my first iPhone and had to sign a 2yr contract.

 

[slu]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

Laugh all you want now. We will be the ones laughing as the new iPhone gets released in the US first, probably several months before your country. Or as EVERY device/service Apple makes get released in the US before it makes it to your country - if it ever even does.

lol fail

No "fail" at all. You missed the point of my post, which was that "bragging" about getting a phone "free" with contract is silly when people from other countries can just point to something else they have and you don't. And it is especially silly in the case of the US, which in most cases gets everything first. Your little picture doesn't change any of that.

 

[jacksonkeller]

Having a few years under my belt, and having traveled to Europe many, many times over the years I can tell you the basic reason Europe has a superior wireless carrier system to the US is: Europe needed it more. In the wired phone world, for me, going to Europe back in the day was like going to a third world country. The US had (and still has, if you want it) universal wired access to even the remotest areas at prices that even the poorest people could afford. Twenty years ago >99% of American households had wired phones. Contrast that with Europe, where service in many developed countries (England and France among them) was spotty, poor quality, and frequently missing even in urban working class homes.

In contrast to Europe, wireless in the US has historically been a convenience, not a necessity. Most people of my parents generation (over 80's) either don't bother with it or have a little-used phone they share solely "for emergencies". That's changing, of course, but I think that's been the core of the difference.

In the US more like 50 years ago.

 

[Drag'nGT]

My prediction a few months back after seeing a surge in 3GS phones at work and school got me thinking Apple might go with something like this:

3GS - $49
iPhone 4 - $99
iPhone 5 - $199-299

Most of the people with the 3GS have no clue what the difference between the 3GS and i4. Those people "just want an iPhone." Simple. Give them 3 levels to choose from. iOS5 runs on all three.

 

[jcuk]

3GS is an excellent phone and should continue to sell, post ip5.

I agree with the recent comments on the way ip4 feels in the hands compared to the curved shape of yesterphone. I previously owned an ip3G and chose to go with HTC's desire due to both price of the ip4 and also the rigid shape / feel.

Going back to comments previously on the iPhone being free in the UK and eurozone countries, it works out around the same.

At current exchange rates:

UK
iPhone 4 White 16Gb - 1Gb of Data / ~1000Mins / ~5000 Texts
$0 Up Front / $72.30 per month (This is £0.00 Up front & £45.00/month)
24 Month contract

US
iPhone 4 White 16Gb - Unlimited Data / ~450 Mins / ~5000 Texts
$199 Up Front / $89.98 / $35.00 Activation Fee
24 Month Contract

So to conclude...

UK - Total Cost of Ownership
£1080 ($1735)

US - Total Cost of Ownership
£1489 ($2393)

If my maths serves me well thats a £409 / $658 increase just for living in the US. Frankly even if you did get everything first, it's still not worth it.

Please dis-regard my last stated comment "it works out around the same."

I will however say thanks to the innovation in technology that the U.S has punted out over the last few years, even if it was all possible thanks to my fellow scot, Alex G Bell.

Have a nice day

 

[ESPN]

since day one

Image

wtf, .....At&t and their greediness

 

[MonkeySee....]

My prediction a few months back after seeing a surge in 3GS phones at work and school got me thinking Apple might go with something like this:

3GS - $49
iPhone 4 - $99
iPhone 5 - $199-299

Most of the people with the 3GS have no clue what the difference between the 3GS and i4. Those people "just want an iPhone." Simple. Give them 3 levels to choose from. iOS5 runs on all three.

Wait....Wut?

I'd say 80% of 3GS owners know the difference between the two but are tied into a 2 year contract and missed the boat on the iPhone4.

iPhone 5 will see a surge of users upgrading from the 3GS and of course new customers jumping on the iPhone bandwagon on its way to Awesomeness.

 

[Winni]

If we're living in the past, then you must see no value in the internet, or Macrumors for that matter. Very little innovation comes out of Europe anymore. If you don't see that, you're just ignorant. Apple, Intel, AMD, Microsoft (when the copier isn't running), and Google (them too) are the main sources of innovation, at least in the tech world, and they're all American-based. Europe needs to get its act together. You guys lost John Ive all those many years ago, and for good reason.

You conveniently forgot to mention that non only Mr Ive, but actually most of the innovative people working for those companies are not born Americans but imported foreigners - and that too for good reason.

You also conveniently ignored that while the USA might be leading in the computer industry, at least when we're talking about software, other nations are leading in other industries. Just to give two examples, Germany is still the leading nation when it comes to the automobile industry and when your money is in bioengineering, you will make sure that you spend it in Asia. Oh, and ARM Ltd, the guys who actually design the CPU architecture that is used in your precious Apple iGadgets, are a British company and Apple is just one of their many licensees. And when you remove the Motorola group from the picture, you will quickly discover that America is not a real player at all in the telecommunications arena at all - a certain Finnish and several Asian companies dominate that market and even manufacture the hardware components used in the iGadgets.

But you are right, the US of America still are a nation that pumps money into new products and new markets and new ideas while in Europe everybody is just too conservative for it or too scared to lose their investment. But when the bubble bursts and the American economy flushes down the drain, you get to understand why European money is invested more carefully.

 

[gaz81]

I was just about to say some of that!

You conveniently forgot to mention that non only Mr Ive, but actually most of the innovative people working for those companies are not born Americans but imported foreigners - and that too for good reason.

You also conveniently ignored that while the USA might be leading in the computer industry, at least when we're talking about software, other nations are leading in other industries. Just to give two examples, Germany is still the leading nation when it comes to the automobile industry and when your money is in bioengineering, you will make sure that you spend it in Asia. Oh, and ARM Ltd, the guys who actually design the CPU architecture that is used in your precious Apple iGadgets, are a British company and Apple is just one of their many licensees. And when you remove the Motorola group from the picture, you will quickly discover that America is not a real player at all in the telecommunications arena at all - a certain Finnish and several Asian companies dominate that market and even manufacture the hardware components used in the iGadgets.

But you are right, the US of America still are a nation that pumps money into new products and new markets and new ideas while in Europe everybody is just too conservative for it or too scared to lose their investment. But when the bubble bursts and the American economy flushes down the drain, you get to understand why European money is invested more carefully.

 

[zipster]

Laugh all you want now. We will be the ones laughing as the new iPhone gets released in the US first, probably several months before your country. Or as EVERY device/service Apple makes get released in the US before it makes it to your country - if it ever even does.

Or you could not be all smug about it....

Also, I would buy one of these for my wife. She is still on a 3G and doesn't really mind it, but she is not eligible for an upgrade as I used her's when I lost my first iPhone 4. So if I could get a $349 or $399 no committment 3GS for her I would. The wireless syncing and OTA software updates are the features she really needs from iOS 5.

WOW @ this Americano bravado.

 

[slu]

wow @ this americano bravado.

the point of my post was that being smug about tech is silly!!!

 

[winston1236]

Haha, same, America your living in the past



Source? Me and Australia
Link? optus.com.au telstra.com.au vodafone.com.au three.com.au and any other australian telecom company. we are always able to get the iphone free with 2 year contract even from day 1.

iPhone 4 32GB White &
$59 Freedom Connect Plan for 24 Months
See all plans
iPhone 4 32GB White
Faster performance
Revolutionary mobile phone
Great widescreen iPod
Breakthrough Internet device
Maps with GPS + digital compass1
HD Video recording
5 megapixel camera with LED flash
Voice Control
Messages with MMS support
Thousands of apps on the App Store
32GB

See all phones
$59 Freedom Connect Plan
'I want great value with the flexibility to call any Australian network, anytime'
Contract: 24 months
Monthly Cost: $59.00 per month
Member Credit: $15.00 per month
Upfront Cost: $0.00
Repayment Cost: $35.00 per month
Min. Total Cost: $2256.00


You call that free???

 

[zumajoe]

Haha, same, America your living in the past



Source? Me and Australia
Link? optus.com.au telstra.com.au vodafone.com.au three.com.au and any other australian telecom company. we are always able to get the iphone free with 2 year contract even from day 1.

Last time I went to Australia a t-shirt from a surfshop costed $50.00 AU. I guess that's considered living in the future?