Will iPhone Owners Have To Pay For iPhone OS 2.1?

[Starflyer]

Can Apple account for the iPhone 3G over a 2 year period?

 

[nickspohn]

No iPhone owner will ever pay for software updates.

 

[alexboy45]

I am sure i have read it somewhere that because the iPhone is a subscription service the software updates are free. this is why the same update for the touch is chargable.

 

[razorianfly]

No iPhone owner will ever pay for software updates.

Agreed.

The iPhone, as stated above, is accounted by Apple on a subscription-based business model. This means, because
iPhone users are throwing money to Apple & the carrier every month (paying for their phone service amongst other services),
they qualify to receive extra software-based functionality, without the extra fees.

The iPod touch on the other hand is not based on a subscription accounting model, as it is a one-off-purchase,
and this therefore requires these users to pay for extra software-based functionality (hence, why I'm currently selling mine).

This will never change.

R-Fly

 

[philgilder]

what i dont get is how apple can give apple tv owners a free update that gives many new features for free and there is no subscription service, and the ipod touch is also not a subscription service and you need to pay for upgrades...

 

[mavis]

what i dont get is how apple can give apple tv owners a free update that gives many new features for free and there is no subscription service, and the ipod touch is also not a subscription service and you need to pay for upgrades...

Apparently the AppleTV is accounted for like the iPhone - as a recurring source of income for Apple.

As an iPod Touch owner I find the whole thing annoying. Especially now that I'll be buying an iPhone 3G, which will likely get free updates.

 

[7on]

what i dont get is how apple can give apple tv owners a free update that gives many new features for free and there is no subscription service, and the ipod touch is also not a subscription service and you need to pay for upgrades...

I think it's not so much it's an upgrade as it's unadvertised features.

AppleTV plays content, videos and the like.

The iPod touch plays the same with a few extra doodads.

Atv gets an update for a menu change and renting movies. Not a feature set update.

iPod touch gets an update to send email - that was charged for.

It's kinda shady and I haven't heard of other companies doing this. Maybe Apple's trying to get this "law" known so the people can vote against it?