about the only country that is worse is Canada.
They have 3 year contracts over there right?
I think that about qualifies as the biggest rip off of all time.
about the only country that is worse is Canada.
They have 3 year contracts over there right?
I think that about qualifies as the biggest rip off of all time.
true true true.
They have 3 year contracts over there right?
I think that about qualifies as the biggest rip off of all time.
All these Europeans are forgetting just how big America is. The cost of maintaining and putting up towers for the entire USA, Alaska and Hawaii as well as PR isn't cheap. England is smaller then the state of Oregon.
Large country. Most people do not want cell towers in their back yard. Carriers limits competition via regulation hurdles. Etc.
Don't worry. They more than make up for it with their ridiculously cheap gas and generally EVERYTHING else being cheaper than the UK as well. So funny to see all these Europeans come out of the woodwork to laugh at Americans for high prices.
Well -- not there now... what does that mean? I'm hoping it means that the prices were wrong or that there is going to be some packages offered. What about family plans? My wife and I are going to buying two of these things at the same time in June.
Right now, we pay about $120 a month for two lines/two iPhones -- granted we're on EDGE, but I don't really want to jump up a ton for new service.
Wow you Americans sure get ripped off.
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It's interesting to see people from Europe say how us Americans are getting ripped off and how much it must suck to have to pay X amount of dollars for the iPhone. Actually it doesn't suck. None of us have to have the iPhone, it is our choice. We also have a lot more after tax dollars (percentage-wise) to spend on things like iPhones, WiFi's, and GeeBee's. Our highest tax bracket is about 39%. What's yours? Please do not feel bad for us.
To everyone complaining about no choice because America is greedy, etc:
You do have a choice and that choice is to not use the iPhone. It's a luxury item and one nobody needs (to say you need one for business you can get a Blackberry or Android for email for about $50 a month with unlimited everything). Only in America will people whine and complain about the price of a luxury item being too high. Vote with your wallet, and buy a flip phone on a prepaid plan.
Yes we do. Phone plans are really expensive here. I lived in Japan for 5 years and my mobile bill was always half of what I pay for here in the states, even with international calling.
But wait, the US has a free market and embraces capitalism. Right.........
It's all about land mass and population density. Do the math. Japan should be about the cheapest place in the world to implement a wireless mobile network. There is a tiny piece of land and tons of potential customers living on the small bit of available land. The UK should be about the same. A relatively small area of land with a relatively large population of people.
If Verizon or AT&T just had to cover New York State or Florida, I'm sure their plans would be cheaper. But even California with its large population has a large area of land that is inland that is less densely populated than the areas closer to the coast. It only gets more difficult to provide coverage in the mid-west. More towers to cover a smaller group of customers translates into higher costs for everyone.
So the next time you are driving down a long highway with no major cities in site for miles and miles and your mobile phone shows 4 bars of service, then you need to tell yourself "ahhhh.... this is why I am paying so much."
EDIT: It is also why AT&T's stupid commercials saying they cover "98% of Americans" are really annoying. If they aren't going to cover those more remote areas, it should translate into savings for their customers, since that last 2% is the most expensive. Verizon's coverage map certainly covers more of the remote areas, that is one advantage I will give to them. Being an AT&T customer for 10 years though, I don't buy the "you can't make a phone call" crap. Every mobile phone service has dead spots, but where I live, AT&T coverage is fantastic and data speeds are great; I have been to parts of the country where AT&T coverage is horrible though (generally in the less populated regions).
Is anyone forcing you to buy a cell phone?
Right...
Is anyone forcing you to buy a cell phone?
Right...
Anyone who say that the USA is big and the network cost lots because of the size you look at a map of Canada. Bigger then the USA with 1/10 th the population.