[UK] Is a price drop inevitable?

Judging from the luke warm response in the UK and Germany, I think iPhone buzz and sales will continue to decline if Apple continues with this business model. It seems that everytime a new carrier is announced the plans get increasingly expensive. This is likely the carriers attempt to recoup the money from profit sharing and investment in EDGE:)confused:)

The market will eventually force either a price cut or tariff adjustment to maintain sales. Consider the premium and continuing demand for unlocked 1.1.1 phones and it is evident that at some point they will have to release a new model or abandon this present approach. Considering China's telco's responses so far I don't know if this is a scaleable repeatable model. Apple needs China more than they need Apple.

Apple's initial foray into this arena was a success domestically. But there are numerous other "smartphones" that sold really well in the same time period as well. With all of the buzz and satisfied customers, the phone should be flying off the shelves across the water as well. But Apple is against superior handsets (feature wise), competitive carriers and superior technology overseas. Despite their revolutionary UI, they will have to improve the specs and pricepoints quicker than they are accustomed. This may eventually become a hinderance.
 
CD3660 said:
They refused to pay claiming that they hadn't received my paperwork. Pure lies.
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I think we are on about different deals, this is a cashback deal with an external company that you have to send off for the money, and they are only available from non network stores like Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U. This deal is a cashback deal with the network. Like this one.
 
seedster2 said:
Judging from the luke warm response in the UK and Germany, I think iPhone buzz and sales will continue to decline if Apple continues with this business model. It seems that everytime a new carrier is announced the plans get increasingly expensive. This is likely the carriers attempt to recoup the money from profit sharing and investment in EDGE:)confused:)

The market will eventually force either a price cut or tariff adjustment to maintain sales. Consider the premium and continuing demand for unlocked 1.1.1 phones and it is evident that at some point they will have to release a new model or abandon this present approach. Considering China's telco's responses so far I don't know if this is a scaleable repeatable model. Apple needs China more than they need Apple.

Apple's initial foray into this arena was a success domestically. But there are numerous other "smartphones" that sold really well in the same time period as well. With all of the buzz and satisfied customers, the phone should be flying off the shelves across the water as well. But Apple is against superior handsets (feature wise), competitive carriers and superior technology overseas. Despite their revolutionary UI, they will have to improve the specs and pricepoints quicker than they are accustomed. This may eventually become a hinderance.
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Imagine Nokia copying Apple --- non-subsidized full-priced locked phones with revenue sharing from the carriers with a long contract.

Now, imagine Nokia updating it with a brand new generation of simlocking technology (i.e. a BB6) which no one will be able to unlock them for 2 years.
 
Eraserhead said:
I think we are on about different deals, this is a cashback deal with an external company that you have to send off for the money, and they are only available from non network stores like Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U. This deal is a cashback deal with the network. Like this one.
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Same thing in essence. Mine was with a very established company but it made no difference. They bend over backwards to avoid paying.
 
CD3660 said:
Same thing in essence. Mine was with a very established company but it made no difference. They bend over backwards to avoid paying.
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The network will be much less likely to screw you over.

If I get a free phone from Orange and they refused to pay the cashback the contract would null and void (as they have broken it), so they would get no line rental to repay the subsidy on the phone.

Its like if Apple have a mail in printer rebate and they don't pay its a third party at fault, but if Apple give you money off you will get it.
 
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no one needs an iPhone. But I like many others here had been waiting on this since January. This was something I've looked forward to for months and I don't regret the price I paid for it or the monthly plan. Its pretty simple-if your not prepared to pay put the money don't buy it. If you are then buy it and welcome to the club!
I really don't think of it as a phone and its name I think under mines what this device is capable of.
I can't wait till febuary to see what goodies will be on offer!!!!!
 
CD3660 said:
Pure conjecture then. Let's see after Christmas. You may be right.
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Link
It doesn't bode too well. Only 26,500 activations, or 1/8 of the US adoption rate at this stage. However I await real figures, and freely admit that more information is needed.
 
CD3660 said:
Any evidence of this or is it supposition based on the negative minority who are very vocal on this forum?
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This is macrumors - practically everything posted is supposition. But as people stated above:

lack of official numbers from apple
low reported activations
no stock shortages (not even store claiming to have sold out on iday or within the week)

There is even less evidence indicating it has sold well.
 
A price drop in the UK of say £50 on the handset itself will do nothing for sales, the lack of flexible contract options is what's killing sales in the UK.

Approaching my first full month of usage I've used less than 5Mb of EDGE data yet I am frighteningly close to hitting my 200 SMS / 200 Minute allowance. Of all the possible UK iPhone customers I would guess upwards of 80% will be likely to want to use the iPhone as a phone (SMS and Voice minutes) rather than a mobile internet device (EDGE data). I would also guess that for the vast majority of these possible customers the maximum they're willing to stretch to is a £35 a month contract. The balance of SMS/Voice minutes/EDGE data is all wrong with the £35 a month contract.

If I was Job's I'd have three types of £35 contract:

£35 SMS Bundle - 200 minutes Voice / 500 SMS / 20Mb EDGE
£35 Voice Bundle - 400 minutes Voice / 300 SMS / 20Mb EDGE
£35 Data Bundle - 200 minutes Voice / 200 SMS / Unlimited EDGE

I'd also improve the £45 and £55 contracts too:

£45 - 600 minutes Voice / 1000 SMS / Unlimited EDGE
£55 - 900 minutes Voice / 2000 SMS / Unlimited EDGE

In fact if I were Job's I'd go even further... allow totally custom contract allowances. During sign-up you'd move sliders to adjust the usage you require for each feature, increasing your allowance for one feature would limit how far the other sliders could move etc

I'd also slap a large Liverpool FC logo on the side of my Jet and invest in a new wardrobe... :rolleyes:

One thing is certain... they have to change something with the pricing in the UK.
 
"Unlimited data is worth a lot more than that"

It's worth a lot, but look at it this way, for a lot of people they would rather pay for what they use because it won't be all that much.
I think O2/Apple also overlooked the difference in phone habits beetween the US and Europe, we send a lot more texts than those across the pond.
I personally, don't own and won't do for the considerable future, because of a multitude of reasons.
  • Can't buy one under the age of 18
  • Price of the basic contract is far too much for me
  • Not enough bundled for the basic contract
  • 18 months! 12 would be a lot more tempting.
  • The ringtone fiasco
  • Flat-rate £900 over 18 months, at £35/month + £269

Some may say it's worth it, but, to me? I'd be using the internet for fun, wasting time etc., and I just can't afford it.
 
DogcowUK said:
... allow totally custom contract allowances. During sign-up you'd move sliders to adjust the usage you require for each feature, increasing your allowance for one feature would limit how far the other sliders could move etc
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Excellent idea if it could be implemented. I would swap a lot of my texts for talk time and retain unlimited data.
 
not another long discussion about the price of the iphone. how tedious.
there is nothing more boring than people moaning about the cost of this and that.

everyone wants something for nothing, the iphone is a market leading premium product at a premium price, apple knows it, o2 knows it. if you want a cheap phone, then get a payg plastic nokia and buy the vouchers!

i dont moan about how bmw 3 series cars are so much more expensive than a ford focus', because they are different products for different levels of the market.

why does a phone have to target everyone
 
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