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More iPhone Details - $599 4GB and $649 8GB? [Updated]

Rebecca made me laugh so hard :) 3.5" screen and 650 bucks :D Apple really not that crazy :) They will release a middle range price phone under $350. There is really no point for them to make a cool smartphone for tons of bucks. IMHO.
 
Too much? Palm Treos currently go for $500-600, but ~$200 after a 1-year contract. This will probably fall under the same category.
 
A little steep, but not off the charts.

These seem like the full retail prices. $649 is quite expensive, but a Samsung Blackjack is listed at full retail price for $449 on Cingular's website. With contract and rebate, the Blackjack comes down to $199. So by extension I expect the iPhone will be available for $300-$400 with contract.

Is that expensive? Sure - but it's only a little bit more than the $250 price for an iPod nano. I think this is carefully thought out. Apple is betting that there will be plenty of people that will rationalize their purchase by saying: "Well, with a 2-year contract the iPhone costs only a little bit more than an iPod nano, and for that extra bit of money I'm also getting a great phone and the convenience of not having to carry around two separate devices.

Speaking for myself, if the 8 GB iPhone is available at $400 or less with a 2-year contract, I will buy it. Especially if it has the features that this analyst is indicating. I mean, hello, 3.5" screen!!! That's gigantic and probably meant for watching streaming video or surfing the web on Cingular's 3G network...
 
Um, Rebecca.. your speculations are worth crap to me. I'm highly doubting your reports.

While 249 and 449 seemed too cheap to me, 599-649 is RIDICULOUS. Jobs isn't that stupid to release a product out of the majority of consumer's price range, with the other alternatives available at much cheaper (albeit not as sexy)
 
Most of you are rather clueless

Everyone seems to be talking about the price point. But when you look at the product itself (beyond what each individual is willing to pull from their own pockets)... the price point is rather ambitious.

For example.. and what I consider will most likely be one of its primary competitors... compare the supposed iPhone to the Sony Ericsson W950. I just went to my local "major" store where it was selling for about $800. At the mphone site they list it at 379 sterling. The jest is... that phone with equal or supposed inferior quality and implementation is selling for more then the reported price points.

Also consider (as i hope apple does well) that the US market is a VERY tiny market for mobile phones. Why on earth would you really care what 5% (the size of the US market in 2006) of the world market thinks when over 50% of the market has already proven to be willing to pay for quality products.
 
The pricing does make sense..

You Americans are too spoiled :). In Europe a sim-free smartphone would cost much more than 649$. It would be a bargain if it had 8GB of storage, Apple design and would cost 649 bucks! I mean, the 2.0GHz white MacBook will cost me ~1750$ with taxes included.

BTW I think in one of the gazillion iPhone threads someone said that Apple would revolutionize the mobile industry in the USA by selling the iPhone without a contract. These kinds of prices would be normal, if that happened.
 
Actually

DTphonehome said:
There's no way Apple can release a standalone phone and expect to compete with SUBSIDIZED carrier phones. Carriers take a loss on the phones to tie you into a contract. That's the only way it's profitable for them to offer such inexpensive phones. If Apple were to attempt to compete with subsidized phones, they would take a loss on each unit, and not have the revenue of offering service to offset the loss.

I still think an MVNO for Apple makes the most sense. They can offer all the features they want, with no carrier restrictions. And you can bet the carriers will want to restrict this, as it directly competes with their pay services. Plus, if Apple can sign you into a contract, they can subsidize the phone themselves and offer it for far less than 599 or 649.
Click to expand...


Out of all the carries Cingular does the least to hobble phones with sweet options. Example: I got a Sony Ericsson Z525a from Cingular - I sync it with my bluetooth powerbook, I put full songs on there and I can use them as rings tones. I connected to a friend who was t-mobile and he can get the songs but he can't use them as ring tones (lame!) then I tried connecting with 2 different Verizon customers - NOTHING. they both had bluetooth but Verizon wouldn't let the phone connect to anything other than an audio device for handfree useage. THAT'S PATHETIC. Just so you know I had Verizon for 3 years, Sprint for 3 years and am now with Cingular. Their customer service, IMO, is equivalent to Sprint. I liked Verizon's customer service more but the roll-over with Cingular is flat out great for me. Also - no one other than Cingular gets reception where I work so that's a no brainer...
 
Dollars or People?

mjhamson said:
Also consider (as i hope apple does well) that the US market is a VERY tiny market for mobile phones. Why on earth would you really care what 5% (the size of the US market in 2006) of the world market thinks when over 50% of the market has already proven to be willing to pay for quality products.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the number of people with cellphones or the money generated by the US? I'm guessing you're talking #'s. If you look at the US there is TONS of cash to be had on a per user basis. I have nothing to back this up, but because of how companies work here people get brand new phones every 2 years - I wonder what the average is in Europe where you don't sign contracts - I'd bet it's considerably longer and thus #'s talking about "cell phone users" isn't exactly applicable to this particular situation.
 
If those prices are real, I am sticking with having my music separate from my phone.

I don't like the idea of having a phone / MP3 player, but hoped Apple could do it in a way that I would like. At those prices, I cannot afford to think about it!

Hmm, snazzy phone that costs me $649, or a Digital SLR that can make me some $$$ over time ?
 
 
On all accounts of revenue and user base, the US is a very small percentage. You can get this data from the industry... especially the reports coming out of the GSM camps. I did some heavy research 3 years back when I was working at M$ and lobbying for a bit of eduction [the windows mobile team had no idea that 20% of all revenue from the mobile market comes from text messaging].

I understand the mentality of Americans (being that I am one), but since I live and breathe international... I know that there is a much bigger world out there. Just things to think about when you look at the various decisions that are made... as well as the targeting.


bigmc6000 said:
Are you talking about the number of people with cellphones or the money generated by the US? I'm guessing you're talking #'s. If you look at the US there is TONS of cash to be had on a per user basis. I have nothing to back this up, but because of how companies work here people get brand new phones every 2 years - I wonder what the average is in Europe where you don't sign contracts - I'd bet it's considerably longer and thus #'s talking about "cell phone users" isn't exactly applicable to this particular situation.
Click to expand...
 
 
Per User?

mjhamson said:
On all accounts of revenue and user base, the US is a very small percentage. You can get this data from the industry... especially the reports coming out of the GSM camps. I did some heavy research 3 years back when I was working at M$ and lobbying for a bit of eduction [the windows mobile team had no idea that 20% of all revenue from the mobile market comes from text messaging].

I understand the mentality of Americans (being that I am one), but since I live and breathe international... I know that there is a much bigger world out there. Just things to think about when you look at the various decisions that are made... as well as the targeting.
Click to expand...

You still didn't address my point about per user. If apple is looking to test the waters and doesn't want to screw itself royally if this bombs what's better than delving into the pockets of Americans who will buy a new phone every 2 years whether they need it or not?
 
Okay, so I blanched at the price as well. Over the next several pages though it was pointed out that high-end smsart phones (Palm, WM5.0) go for that amount.

Now this is Apple so they mgiht consider pricing an iPod w/phone at around that. They make no bones about their prices.

But what I'm hoping is that the iPhone is a smart phone. Not just syncing contacts, but also allowing easy input.

How, you ask? 3.5" screen and smaller than a video iPod?

Anyone remember the touch-bezel patent? If Apple can make a UI that works well with that interface it'll be money in the bank. Maybe even mine. :cool:
 
cloudnine said:
You're kidding me... that would actually be a deal breaker for you? 4 or 8gb internal storage and you're upset that you can't replace it? Give me a break...
Click to expand...

All Nokias/Sony Ericssons I've used to date allows that.

And yes, it is a deal breaker for me. Having a non replaceable part in the phone that will wear out over writes? What if I am on a long flight and wish to pack more songs than what the phone could otherwise hold?

Sorry, I don't buy into this planned obsolence crap.

You on the other hand can embrace consumerism and feel free to buy into the same gadgets year after year and end up with a huge credit card debt at the end of it and a house full of obsolete gadgets not even eco-friendly enough to chuck into a landfill, I just don't see why this has to be the case.
 
Way out of my price range. You can buy a mac mini for $599. I really can't see why apple would make you pay $599 for the iphone wheen you can get a new computer for the same price. This seems a little fishy.
 
Regardless of whether the price is competitive with this or other phone, I cannot afford to pay that much.
 
Wait wait - wha???

iW00t said:
All Nokias/Sony Ericssons I've used to date allows that.

And yes, it is a deal breaker for me. Having a non replaceable part in the phone that will wear out over writes? What if I am on a long flight and wish to pack more songs than what the phone could otherwise hold?

Sorry, I don't buy into this planned obsolence crap.

You on the other hand can embrace consumerism and feel free to buy into the same gadgets year after year and end up with a huge credit card debt at the end of it and a house full of obsolete gadgets not even eco-friendly enough to chuck into a landfill, I just don't see why this has to be the case.
Click to expand...


This is too funny - really. "What if I am on a long flight and wish to pack more songs than what the phone could otherwise hold?" Umm - you'd be going to the Moon... 8gb (citing apple.com here) can hold 2,000 songs based on 4 mins per song soooo that means you'd have 8,000 mins of music which equals 133 hours and 20 mins. How exactly do you plan on a plane even flying for 133 hours? You really must tell us all where you are going on this flight - I'd like to know how you're getting to the moon!!!
 
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