iPhone 3G Selling Twice as Fast as Original

[scoobydoo99]

$60/year x2 = $120. Isn't that $120 more than you would pay with the first gen, hence, higher TCO? I mean, I think I can certainly affored it but it is technically more. Actually, if you REALLY want to get technical, if I kept my current iPhone for 2 more yrs, then I would still pay $59.99/mo instead of $69.99/mo, hence I would save $240 + cost of new iPhone if I stay with my current one.

Well, my understanding of "Total Cost of Ownership" is that it includes the cost of the hardware AND the plan - so $120 MORE for the Plan, and $200-400 LESS for the hardware (based on $599 or $399 original iPhone price) is a NET savings over the original iPhone.

Also, don't forget that when you compare the cost of staying with your current iPhone vs. upgrading, you should allow for some recovery on the cost of your original hardware when you sell your old phone on eBay or Craigslist. i'm not saying it's a better deal, only that it's not as bad as some say.

 

[jamrob98]

I still don't have one.

I am Apple's ideal customer: a longtime Mac user with an AT&T account, eager to buy a 3G iPhone.

Unfortunately, I still don't have one.

I can't buy from Apple because I have a discount on my account, and AT&T doesn't have any stock. (I finally placed my direct fulfillment order on Saturday but haven't heard anything yet.)

I still contend the product roll-out has been a clusterf***. If they planned to do direct fulfillment anyway, they should have started before the on-sale date.

 

[marcre]

I bought the original iPhone right after Apple dropped the price down to $399 for the 8GB model. Fortunately, I was able to sale it on ebay for $450 to get my new black 16GB iPhone 3G model for $299 after standing in line for 3 hrs on its day of debut. Now, my phone is going for up to $2300 on ebay. Who is in a similar predicament as me, and is thinking of selling their new 3G on ebay, and just waiting for the supply/demand to stabilize?

If you cancel your iPhone contract you have to pay the early termination fee and return the iPhone. If you don't return the phone, you keep getting your monthly bill.

 

[avigalante]

If you cancel your iPhone contract you have to pay the early termination fee and return the iPhone. If you don't return the phone, you keep getting your monthly bill.

That's something I have yet to understand.

How are people selling iPhones on eBay and Craigslist?

 

[homerjfry]

I went to the apple store to see if the 3G phone was faster... I turned off wi-fi on the 3G phone and on my phone. Then I launched Safari on both. And typed in Yahoo on both phones and hit the Go button at the exact same time... and the Edge phone was faster... I was in shock. I had to pull my friend away to show him and bam ... the edge phone won a 2nd time to a brand new website he said to visit. I was VERY disappointed. Honestly I think the EDGE service has gotten faster since I first got my phone??? Go test it your self... (I'd love to see firefox for the iphone app lol)

My 3G has whooped the Edge every time, by probably 3 times how long it took the Edge phone to load up a screen. I've run comparisons with multiple people so it isn't by luck. 3G is faster, hands down. Perhaps you weren't in a 3G area when you were testing it? I dunno, but I thankfully haven't had that problem, although I have basically kept my phone on the Edge setting to keep it from draining the battery.

Also, I was scoffed at by many for getting to Apple at 4am on lauch day. Well whose scoffing now?? I am. *scoff, scoff*

 

[Snacks]

Twice as fast, and twice as many software issues. Firmware update please!

 

[cameronjpu]

From the stories I've heard its taking two weeks plus to get it delivered. I opted to try the store out but the line is too freaking long all the time. If I had the time to wait in line I would have it by now.

Who exactly has told you it has taken two weeks plus to get it delivered?

Since the phone has been out for 10 days, even someone who put themselves on the ATT list on day one would have had it in no more than 9 days, and no one has waited more than 9 days. Of course, my girlfriend put herself on the ATT list on day one and got it the next Tuesday, so I really don't find anyone claiming it took 2 weeks to get one to be credible in the least.

Now, how long it will take for people who are still holding out, one never knows, but at what point do you just put your name on the list? I did it last Friday and have not gotten my phone yet but you know how much time I have wasted in lines or checking lines? None.

 

[marcre]

That's something I have yet to understand.

How are people selling iPhones on eBay and Craigslist?

I'm not sure, I haven't even checked ebay or anything for the 3g. If people are selling them there, they either don't know about the clause in the contract because they didn't read it or it is a phone that was obtained some other way.

 

[happydude]

I want an iPhone like anyone else but I'm getting tired of thinking about it.

I'm tired of tracking the inventory to see if my local store has them. I'm tired of calling them to see if they have run out yet. My wife is tired of me talkiing about it. I'm tired of trying to find the time to go to the store. I'm tired of having to stand in line to get one. I don't have that kind of time on my hands right now. I stood in line for forty minutes one time and gave up because I had to go to a meeting. Plus, standing in line doesn't guarantee you'll get the model you want either.

I'm to the point that I could care less about it anymore. I'm just tired of talking about it. I'm a diehard Apple fan and I will get one eventually but I'm tired of the rat race just to get the phone. It's like a freakin' game.

i am of the exact same mindframe. i hate that even if there wasn't a line, it would still take me a good 20-30 minutes to get it set up. on top of that, the gamble of sitting in line for hours and you may or may not get the model you want . . . at first i was like "i'll just wait a week for the hubub to die down" now i'm at a point where i'm cool waiting as long as it takes. seems kinda like the last thing apple would want for their loyal fan base . . . "cool new gadget, man, . . . maybe i'll get one some day . . . "

 

[dagamer34]

If you cancel your iPhone contract you have to pay the early termination fee and return the iPhone. If you don't return the phone, you keep getting your monthly bill.

You only have to return your phone during the first 30 days of your contract, at which point, all you are going to pay is a 10% restocking fee. After the 30 days are up, you have to pay the ETF, but still get to keep the phone.

 

[nemaslov]

I was going to replace my original iPhone with the 3G but for now I think I'll wait. A friend I work with got one and he has to charge it every mid afternoon after fairly heavy use. We both talk, surf, mail about the same and my battery lasts all day into the night and I charge while I sleep.

Yes there is a trade off but most of the time email and wifi is pretty fast in San Francisco and though most of California for me.

I might wait even until the next gen when batteries may hold more juice.

 

[Rhosfelt]

My At&t store told us it would take 10 to 21 days to fulfill our order status, when I asked if there was a long queue they said no, it would just take that long.

Plus they wanted to charge us right then and there. I was thoroughly pissed, and left. You no can has my credit card without the product in hand.

 

[siurpeeman]

I was going to replace my original iPhone with the 3G but for now I think I'll wait. A friend I work with got one and he has to charge it every mid afternoon after fairly heavy use. We both talk, surf, mail about the same and my battery lasts all day into the night and I charge while I sleep.

i'm actually kind of torn. the decreased battery life is a bit of concern, but i'm thinking twice the speed and twice the storage might be enough for me. and playing with a friend's white 3g model was just too much fun. i'm helpless.

 

[dagamer34]

I was going to replace my original iPhone with the 3G but for now I think I'll wait. A friend I work with got one and he has to charge it every mid afternoon after fairly heavy use. We both talk, surf, mail about the same and my battery lasts all day into the night and I charge while I sleep.

Yes there is a trade off but most of the time email and wen is pretty fast in San Francisco and though most of California fir me.

I might wait even until the next gen when batteries may hold more juice.

Well, with all the apps, people just might be using their phones more often. Even when you turn off 3G, you get 2 more hours of battery life of 2G talk time on the iPhone 3G, signifying that the battery is actually better. So I'd say to just leave 3G turned off until you actually need it.

 

[maestro55]

Of course it is selling faster, it is simply a better product. It could have been even better but that is for the 3rd generation iPhone and it will probably sell twice as fast as the current models.

 

[Shasterball]

Out of curiosity, are people still noticing that the 3G network is slow?

 

[avigalante]

Out of curiosity, are people still noticing that the 3G network is slow?

Same here from NYC (although it acts up sporadically).

 

[brendanspah764]

What Apple need to do is maybe start selling them in Best Buy stores. They sell loads of cell phones, iPods, and Macs. You might as well add the iPhone to the stores. I could see the same iPhone displays that they have in At&t stores, in Best Buy stores. Well at least they should do this when they get iPhones back in stock.

 

[siurpeeman]

Out of curiosity, are people still noticing that the 3G network is slow?

it isn't as fast as i expected, but it's still certainly faster than my current first generation iphone (based on first person trials). i'm hoping, with better future coverage, speed will increase to speedy levels.

 

[AppleMojo]

All right, so why doesn't AT&T PAY people to get an iPhone, and then increase the cost even more?

I like your way of thinking. ;-)

We could get paid a large one time sum at purchase time to use the product and just pay this "loan" back plus a nice hefty interest rate over 2 years.

"Let's see here... 2 iMacs, 2 MacBook Pro's, 2 MacPro's a handful of iPods and 2 iPhones... we owe you $1,175.00 today Mr. AppleMojo. Are $100's and $20's alright?"

 

[digiguy23]

The iPhone 3G is NOT cheaper!

It is cheaper, most people do not add the extra cost when making a purchase. It's like saying a $35,000 is not cheaper because you have to add gas. A computer is not cheaper because you have to add the software. My Apple sales receipt says $299

 

[ditzy]

I think you ignore the fact that with ANY service industry, you end up paying more if you are paying for the cost of something over time instead of "up front". It's the same with credit cards as well or any loan for that matter. Don't have all the money now, then you eventually pay more in the long run. Though the only shady thing here is that if you buy the phone outright, you don't get a decrease price on your wireless bill.

However, to say that the phone+plan is more expensive over the two years totally ignores the fact that you are getting more service out of them. 3G is faster than EDGE, thus you'd expect 3G to cost more than EDGE. Anyone who assumes that the price should have stayed the same is now expecting special treatment from AT&T. They may be a horrible empire, but increasing price for increased service is shared by ALL companies, no matter how evil they are.

And also, in comparison to other 3G phones, they pay the exact same amount for a 3G data plan, $30. The only reason why the original iPhone had a data plan of $20 was because MediaNET access is $15/month and 200 SMS messages is $5. Again, AT&T is not shafting people here either. You were paying for these services already.

I dislike when people distort the facts, even if the company is evil. That makes you no better than them. But I didn't post this as an attack on you, but to inform everyone.

Not true that you can't expect data prices to remain the same, as they have in the UK. I think that this is just a difference in culture.

 

[Wolfpup]

Well, my understanding of "Total Cost of Ownership" is that it includes the cost of the hardware AND the plan - so $120 MORE for the Plan, and $200-400 LESS for the hardware (based on $599 or $399 original iPhone price) is a NET savings over the original iPhone.

Except the iPhone cost $200 more for most of it's life, which makes it cost more over the 2 year plan (and then more still if you keep using it beyond that).

If you cancel your iPhone contract you have to pay the early termination fee and return the iPhone. If you don't return the phone, you keep getting your monthly bill.

You only have to return your phone during the first 30 days of your contract, at which point, all you are going to pay is a 10% restocking fee. After the 30 days are up, you have to pay the ETF, but still get to keep the phone.

Yup...just like basically any cell phone provider.

I HAVE actually considered doing that. It would basically be $300 + $175 or whatever + $84 or so for a month of service... problem is I don't know how well you can deactivate all the "phone" stuff. Whether you can just permanently shut if off and have a super iPod Touch or not, or if it turns the phone stuff back on whenever it wakes up.

Well, with all the apps, people just might be using their phones more often. Even when you turn off 3G, you get 2 more hours of battery life of 2G talk time on the iPhone 3G, signifying that the battery is actually better. So I'd say to just leave 3G turned off until you actually need it.

Question-I've heard people refer to 2G talk time, but you're not referring to an actual difference when it comes to VOICE are you? They don't have a different voice service/quality/codec/whatever do they?

 

[nemaslov]

Well, with all the apps, people just might be using their phones more often. Even when you turn off 3G, you get 2 more hours of battery life of 2G talk time on the iPhone 3G, signifying that the battery is actually better. So I'd say to just leave 3G turned off until you actually need it.

This is true. I am using 2.0 and more apps on my original and we both use our phones about the same but mine lasts much much longer. Yes he does not turn off 3G and I know it would help, but that is a pain to do. The on and off thingy.

 

[BryanLyle]

I think you ignore the fact that with ANY service industry, you end up paying more if you are paying for the cost of something over time instead of "up front". It's the same with credit cards as well or any loan for that matter. Don't have all the money now, then you eventually pay more in the long run. Though the only shady thing here is that if you buy the phone outright, you don't get a decrease price on your wireless bill.

However, to say that the phone+plan is more expensive over the two years totally ignores the fact that you are getting more service out of them. 3G is faster than EDGE, thus you'd expect 3G to cost more than EDGE. Anyone who assumes that the price should have stayed the same is now expecting special treatment from AT&T. They may be a horrible empire, but increasing price for increased service is shared by ALL companies, no matter how evil they are.

And also, in comparison to other 3G phones, they pay the exact same amount for a 3G data plan, $30. The only reason why the original iPhone had a data plan of $20 was because MediaNET access is $15/month and 200 SMS messages is $5. Again, AT&T is not shafting people here either. You were paying for these services already.

I dislike when people distort the facts, even if the company is evil. That makes you no better than them. But I didn't post this as an attack on you, but to inform everyone.

Oh, I wasn't busting on AT&T. I was just making the point that the overall cost of the phone over 2 years is more than it was with the original iPhone. AT&T can charge whatever they want.

What stinks is the people who live in 2G areas but are paying extra for 3G.