NT1440
macrumors P6
one final time. THE PLAN IS NOT THE PHONE. the actual thing you hold in your friggin hand IS cheaper. apple did not lie or bait and switch anyone there.
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FoxNews says Iphone "Bait & Switch" !!!!
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one final time. THE PLAN IS NOT THE PHONE. the actual thing you hold in your friggin hand IS cheaper. apple did not lie or bait and switch anyone there.
NAG
macrumors 68030
This is the standard 3g rate plan for every phone AT&T sells. This is not a special rate plan. This is not some sort of conspiracy. If anything the conspiracy happened with the first gen iphone where Apple was getting revenue sharing and put the iphone on a nonstandard plan in an effort to sell more expensive phones.
Or maybe the 1st gen iPhone actually had a plan that was discounted from AT&T's normal rates, and now they are simply making the iPhone like any other phone and charging their normal rates.
Surely
Guest
One final time:
It is a subsidized phone, which means you pay for it over time. Like financing.
Get it now?
Virgil-TB2
macrumors 65816
No offence to you personally, but I am getting so sick of this comment. I have read it literally 30 or more times on many many threads.
The point is ...
that they are advertising the phone as "half the price." We all know that the carriers want to soak people more for 3G (not really a reason why but we all knew the carriers would probably be at least trying to do that.)
That's not relevant.
What is relevant is that they are advertising the phone as ha;f the price when in fact it costs more. It's the immorality of the lie and the unfairness of the deceptive nature of the lie that is pissing people off.
NAG
macrumors 68030
And whats getting other people annoyed is that this $10 price increase pre discount (that AT&T is now going to allow to be applied to the iphone plan) is being treated like some sort of Apple conspiracy to screw everyone when it was really just a change in the relationship between Apple and AT&T (aka: Apple and the US carrier, aka: not the entire world).
NT1440
macrumors P6
u amaze me u really do, u do realize that the plan is basically the same as most other 3G phones, and taht your paying AT&T not apple. So, by paying the cell provider, the money isnt going to apple, apple is a one stop shop in this case, where u give them 199 and thats it.
Apples statement that the phone is cheaper is still 100% true, USEAGE of the phone, however, now costs more.
boo hoo
this type of advertising isnt new. Your talking about a complete revamp of modern advertising and marketing as we know it. The iphone is cheaper, The service however isnt.
On general, consumers are aware of how the cell phone market works.. You get a cheap, or sometimes even free, phone for agreeing to sign stay with the company for x amount of years. It ALWAYS factors out that the cell phone company makes more money off you, thats the freaking point. In this case ATT gave it normal smartphone prices because instead of paying Apple monthly percentage of your bill, they are just subsidizing the phone.
Asking them to brand and market the fact that ATT is charging more than before is silly.Thats like saying car salesmen have to be honest.. never happen 😀
with Apple taking NO profits (apparently in excess to 80%) from the monthly service of the iPhone, I would expect that AT&T could keep the prices low...
3G definitely does not cost THAT much
NAG
macrumors 68030
Huh? Do you honestly think 80% of the iPhone plan was going to Apple?
And yes, 3G does cost THAT much. Just look at every other 3g plan. Here is a hint for AT&T, the iphone plan is the 3G plan.
NT1440
macrumors P6
dont tell them that, next theyll be demanding an end to company making a profit!
for some reason they cant see that the phone is a phone and subject to the prices of the service, non negotiable. Complaining about the price of service wen its the NORMAL price for that service seems a little absurd to me.
By much of the logic seen here, every mortgage is a bait and switch. Every car loan is a bait and switch.
Sure, you can have this house for $200,000. Or we can loan you the money, and you can pay it off over time. Never mind that over time you are paying like $450,000 for the house.
The concept of spreading costs out over time is nothing new. Really, you get to pay a smaller amount up front, and pay a little more out over time...to a whopping $6.67 a month grand total extra spread over 2 years. This hardly qualifies as some huge conspiracy or scandal in my book. The previous data deal was a STEAL.
If they gave the phone away for free, but data cost $43.30 a month including 200 texts, what would be anyone's response to that?
Sure, you can have this house for $200,000. Or we can loan you the money, and you can pay it off over time. Never mind that over time you are paying like $450,000 for the house.
The concept of spreading costs out over time is nothing new. Really, you get to pay a smaller amount up front, and pay a little more out over time...to a whopping $6.67 a month grand total extra spread over 2 years. This hardly qualifies as some huge conspiracy or scandal in my book. The previous data deal was a STEAL.
If they gave the phone away for free, but data cost $43.30 a month including 200 texts, what would be anyone's response to that?
Surely
Guest
No, a mortgage wouldn't be a bait and switch according to the logic here. Here's a mortgage: You buy a house for, let's say, $400,000, and make an initial down-payment of, let's say, $50,000. You then owe $350,000 plus interest, which you pay over time. They don't advertise the price of the house as $50,000.
If Apple and AT&T made it clear that the initial $199/$299 was simply a down-payment and that you pay the rest over time through your monthly fees, then it would be like a mortgage, and it would be honest. The problem I have is that they are advertising it as being half the price of the 1st generation phone, which it is not.
You can't pretend that Apple and AT&T have nothing to do with each other- in order to buy an iPhone you are forced into a contract with AT&T. They are connected, and are one and the same when it comes to the purchase of this item and service.
But whatever, it doesn't matter. Think what you'd like. Fool yourself if that makes you feel better.
NAG
macrumors 68030
Contact your senator and tell them you want them to require all phones have an unlocked option then.
No, in that case, they advertise the house at $400,000. And by the end you will have paid close to, if not more than, $1 million. Sorry, I stick to my idea. You can have yours.
The new deal is not a huge rip-off. It's not a conspiracy. It's not a scandal. In my opinion, it's a perfectly good way of doing things. You pay much less in the beginning, but pay a little more over time. This, to me, is more affordable. One may not be able to plop down the larger initial amount, but can easily handle the monthly fee. In the end, it's a win-win for a large segment of the population. You can say that Steve should have said something about the new data cost. Maybe he should have.
What it boils down to is that it's now a device with much higher data speeds than its predecessor, and a device that uses that data a lot more than many other phones. But people are crying that it costs just a little more.
People want more for the same price, and it doesn't always work that way.
Oh well, this is another argument that will always have two sides, and those two sides are fully entrenched in their beliefs. The two sides will more than likely never come to an agreement, so I guess there's just really no reason to argue.
Surely
Guest
Um, what? No.
Whoever structured your mortgage sure fleeced the crap out of you.
Not a conspiracy. But they did structure the pricing like this on purpose. It's no accident.
He should have said something, sure, but that would have taken the zing out of his presentation. They shouldn't mislead people by saying the cost is half.
My argument isn't that it's a little bit more, my argument is that they aren't being honest about the price.
Except it always does when it comes to Apple products. The new, updated product is always priced at the same price-point as it's predecessor. See the history of iMacs, MacBooks, MBPs, iPods, etc......
Fair enough. I've had enough of this thread anyway. Peace.
Well, America elected Bush twice, so I'm not convinced that is a good thing.
on topic:
ooohhh 40 dollars, I'm going to cry. Not. I can't people are complaining, sure it kinda sucks but if you really think about it it is not bad considering what you are getting. It's not like you are paying 40$ extra for nothing.
I didnt read the article, but are people really bitching about having to pay more when they are getting a better phone AND better service? Edge to 3g is worth way more than $10 a month. Also, they have not said if iPhone 1 users will see an increase or not. If not, than just get an iPhone 1 with the 2.0 software and call it a day.
Oh wait, thats right, you dont get GPS. Well go buy a GPS unit, oh wait, thats about 200 bucks.
So lets see. Iphone 1 saves you $240 a year, but you need to get a GPS unit if you want that feature. Or get the new iPhone WITH faster service AND GPS and in reality it only costs you $40 more and $40 is definatly worth the cost of not having to have 2 devices.
You people bitch and complaing to much. What a bunch of whiney ass people. Get a better job if you cant afford it or dont get the phone. But shut the hell up already.
Oh wait, thats right, you dont get GPS. Well go buy a GPS unit, oh wait, thats about 200 bucks.
So lets see. Iphone 1 saves you $240 a year, but you need to get a GPS unit if you want that feature. Or get the new iPhone WITH faster service AND GPS and in reality it only costs you $40 more and $40 is definatly worth the cost of not having to have 2 devices.
You people bitch and complaing to much. What a bunch of whiney ass people. Get a better job if you cant afford it or dont get the phone. But shut the hell up already.
The phone is cheaper. That is a savings. Straight up and down any way you slice it. Now if you choose to get the service that is on you and the way you use the phone. that his another deal all together. You guys just cry about every nickle and dime.
The bottom line is that a cell phone, ESPECIALLY the iPhone is a luxury. NOONE NEEDS IT EVER IN ANY SITUATION. You gott pay to play and that is the cost. Get over it and quit crying like a little girl.
There is some serious abuse of logic going on in this thread.
"Surely" is right. It is a shame that they are advertising the phone as being half the price, knowing full well that compared to the current iphone rate plan you will be paying $15 more per month for the exact same service. The phone and the service should be considered as a package deal, since one is useless without the other.
Also, the argument that it's okay they are charging more because of the increased capabilities of the phone does not hold water.
Currently, if I own a Nokia 6085 (non-3g flip phone) on ATT, I will be paying $15/month for data, and if I upgrade to a Nokia 6555 (3g phone), I will still be paying $15/month for data. In this case they don't charge you more because your phone has a more advanced cellular radio in it and a better camera, etc.
"Surely" is right. It is a shame that they are advertising the phone as being half the price, knowing full well that compared to the current iphone rate plan you will be paying $15 more per month for the exact same service. The phone and the service should be considered as a package deal, since one is useless without the other.
Also, the argument that it's okay they are charging more because of the increased capabilities of the phone does not hold water.
Currently, if I own a Nokia 6085 (non-3g flip phone) on ATT, I will be paying $15/month for data, and if I upgrade to a Nokia 6555 (3g phone), I will still be paying $15/month for data. In this case they don't charge you more because your phone has a more advanced cellular radio in it and a better camera, etc.
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