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gkarris

macrumors G3
Original poster
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Whoa, everyone just take a deep breath... yes, breathe...

You don't actually think that cellular plans are going to be going DOWN in price?

They did for a while back, and I at least was able to lock into a very cheap T-Mobile plan (gosh, that was almost 6 years ago).

But with gas pushing $5/gal here in the US, you should expect that the price of EVERYTHING, including your cellular bill, to go up as well.

The only way they can now catch you is make you get a NEW PLAN when a new phone comes out.

This looks like a trend that the iPhone has set. Before, you can just get a new handset and keep your old plan.

Thanks, AT&T and Apple, for changing that.
 

Kajo

macrumors newbie
Feb 25, 2005
14
0
My cost has gone down.

When I first started with Sprint I paid 39.99, then 34.99. I'm now down to 30a month. The same plan from AT&T would be 90 plus tax. I would have to be insane to pay triple the price just to use an iPhone.

Sure the iPhone is slick as hell but I would rather use the extra $1440 over two years to go on vacation. Or invest. I would imagine that just like any other gadget I've owned the novelty of ownership wears off.
 

extraextra

macrumors 68000
Jun 29, 2006
1,758
0
California
What prices did AT&T raise? These prices look like they've been the same for a while now. If you're referring to the $20 -> $30 well that's the standard pricing for data for most carriers.

AT&T should've treated the iPhone like any other smartphone in the beginning - charging $30 for data and $5 for SMS's like the others. There would've been far less confusion and (later) outrage.

-
I too will actually be paying less for this new AT&T bill. I am currently paying $25 for 1500 texts and like $90 for 700 minutes. These are obviously not current prices, the newer prices are like $70 for 700* and $15 for 1500 texts.

*I'm just throwing those numbers out there and don't know the actual prices off the top of my head.
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Original poster
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
^^^ I was talking about the industry overall.

If I were to switch, it would be an extra $30/month for me compared to T-Mobile, for less than 1/2 the minutes. 3G vs. EDGE, and 1500 messages instead of 400, granted. But I really don't use more than 300 messages/month and EDGE is just fine for browsing iPhone/Mobile formatted websites.
 

Knolly

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2007
610
0
Kind of sort of. While a price of a consistent and unchanging good will go up whenever oil prices go up, technology based goods won't necessarily go up with it, because theoretically the technology behind it all should be improving and getting cheaper.

Ceteris paribus you are correct, but technology is improving, so the whole ceteris paribus thing doesn't work.
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
48
1123.6536.5321
gkarris said:
with gas pushing $5/gal here in the US, you should expect that the price of EVERYTHING, including your cellular bill, to go up as well.

Um, no, not everything...

By that rationale computer prices should continually increase as well, as the inflationary costs to manufacture and distribute them are increasing as well. I don't know about you, but I'm paying a lot less for a lot more than I was several years ago... especially compared to prices 20 years ago...



Why should the cost of cell plans increase as technology improves? Other sectors have seen inflationary increases to overhead costs and the like yet have not raised their prices...

As for gas prices, they've been much higher here in Canada for quite some time now and we cope just fine, so I'm sure Americans will find a way as well. It's not like this is some new crisis or that the US is getting the worst of it. :p ;)
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Original poster
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
^^^

Sorry, not everything - but mostly utilities. I think that technology is going to take a hit as well, as it takes energy to manufacture that stuff. We may not see prices go way, way, down. But our monthly bills for service definitely will be going up.
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
48
1123.6536.5321
^^^

Sorry, not everything - but mostly utilities. I think that technology is going to take a hit as well, as it takes energy to manufacture that stuff. We may not see prices go way, way, down. But our monthly bills for service definitely will be going up.

Fair enough, many service providers are marginally increasing their rates, however there are many more economic factors at play than just inflationary ones - throw in other factors such as competition as well.
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Original poster
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
^^^ here in the US, we are plagued with "exclusive" handsets, locked to specific carriers.

If you want an iPhone, it's AT&T, and you are stuck with their pricing.

So much for competition.
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
48
1123.6536.5321
^^^ here in the US, we are plagued with "exclusive" handsets, locked to specific carriers.

If you want an iPhone, it's AT&T, and you are stuck with their pricing.

So much for competition.

You don't have to tell me - we're stuck with Rogers, whom as you may have heard, is not any better... ;) :)
 

xploit

macrumors regular
Jul 2, 2007
199
0
The OP is wrong. If this new phone and plan were revolutionary then yes the price goes up for a bit and then drops continually until new technology is developed. However this is only 3G and it is NOT new. Apple and ATT know what we will pay and now that they have more markets to conquer Apple has hedged it's bet. The phone, after all, has gotten cheaper and not just in looks it now costs apple approx $100 to make. You are getting screwed with the new deal. I wouldn't of mind throwing down on a new iPhone but it needed to be truly new and not this budget repackaged mass market attempt.

X-
 
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