Let's see, $299 each for the new phones, hubby's company pays for his service, mine will only be $40/month which is only $10 more per month than it has been. Haven't decided yet if we'll sell one or both of the old phones, but if we sell one for more than $240 then that pays for the additional service on my newer phone and part of the upgrade phone cost. The poll is definitely flawed and we're still way ahead of where we were with Blackberry's.
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Will you pay $2011.00 for iPhone 3G (2yr cost of ownership) in this economy?
- Thread starter zub3qin
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i would pay 2011.00 but im in canada, on rogers, so its more like 3500 over 3 years with hardly any data..... not a chance in hell.
I will ;=)
I agree with much of what has been posted. IMO all cellphones are expensive
for just plain phones. This is so much more. I feel less guilty about spending on this multifunction device than I do for a plain Jane phone with crippled interfaces etc. in any economy.
I have a LG VX8300 and a Palm TX. I love both but clearly neither does everything I'd like in one device. My Verizon 2 yr ended in June so I am poised to change things.
I am willing to get the IPhone and pay for the data because it will do all the things I'd like. I've looked at BlackBerries and I really think the physical keyboard is a nice thing but I do not care for the UI overall as much.
I don't think the Bold or Thunder planned would change that so I'll not wait.
Any phone I want with a Data plan is going to almost double my bill so since that's the case, I think the IPhone is a great piece of equipment to transition to.
My Palm TX has me spoiled on having a lot of screen real estate as well as a touch screen. The Keynote also caught my eye as I am a nurse and hope to see some of the Epocrates/Medical stuff in action on the iPhone. I work very hard and this is a gift to me ;=)
If my contract had ended last year, I'd have one now. So all in all I guess
the year waiting and letting my contract play out worked for the best.
Last week I went to the Apple store and was a bit anxious using the keyboard on the First gen iPhone. It made me start to doubt myself. I was at the mall today and tried it again and it was much better. I think with use it probably gets a lot easier to type on if my observed improvement in 2 random tries was that obvious. When I first used my Palm TX and the stylus with its keyboard as I did not like grafitti, I struggled. Now it's just fine.
I have to say the browser is just amazing compared to anything else. I was never able to get Opera Mini to be stable on my Palm and while I don't mind cell formatted pages through Google, the desktop like browsing experince is really delightful.
I think all the many positives of this device will help get me through the learning curve of the keyboard. If not, I can always get a stylus made for it.
Dorothy
I agree with much of what has been posted. IMO all cellphones are expensive
for just plain phones. This is so much more. I feel less guilty about spending on this multifunction device than I do for a plain Jane phone with crippled interfaces etc. in any economy.
I have a LG VX8300 and a Palm TX. I love both but clearly neither does everything I'd like in one device. My Verizon 2 yr ended in June so I am poised to change things.
I am willing to get the IPhone and pay for the data because it will do all the things I'd like. I've looked at BlackBerries and I really think the physical keyboard is a nice thing but I do not care for the UI overall as much.
I don't think the Bold or Thunder planned would change that so I'll not wait.
Any phone I want with a Data plan is going to almost double my bill so since that's the case, I think the IPhone is a great piece of equipment to transition to.
My Palm TX has me spoiled on having a lot of screen real estate as well as a touch screen. The Keynote also caught my eye as I am a nurse and hope to see some of the Epocrates/Medical stuff in action on the iPhone. I work very hard and this is a gift to me ;=)
If my contract had ended last year, I'd have one now. So all in all I guess
the year waiting and letting my contract play out worked for the best.
Last week I went to the Apple store and was a bit anxious using the keyboard on the First gen iPhone. It made me start to doubt myself. I was at the mall today and tried it again and it was much better. I think with use it probably gets a lot easier to type on if my observed improvement in 2 random tries was that obvious. When I first used my Palm TX and the stylus with its keyboard as I did not like grafitti, I struggled. Now it's just fine.
I have to say the browser is just amazing compared to anything else. I was never able to get Opera Mini to be stable on my Palm and while I don't mind cell formatted pages through Google, the desktop like browsing experince is really delightful.
I think all the many positives of this device will help get me through the learning curve of the keyboard. If not, I can always get a stylus made for it.
Dorothy
Which approach is "best" depends on what expense you're trying to manage: short term or long term.
And being aware of these "cost over time" factors very much parallels classical Mac-vs-PC: the PC may have been cheaper upfront (initial purchase price) but its higher operating costs (think Anti-Virus updates) makes it more expensive in the long run...and not the best value.
Yes, we're all different in both how we manage our finances and how we then choose to distribute them. Being aware of the total cost is simply taking a long term perspective on your finances, which has longer term benefits that aren't as tangible to many, since it typically lacks that 'immediate gratification'.
Try doing a better job shopping around: a minimalist phone is <$300 for 2 years.
And then ask yourself if a fancy 'smartphone' really worth 7x-8x more?
This is the crux of the problem: all of the cellular companies are getting away with charging a very high service price (FWIW, ditto for Cable TV).
FWIW, I'm not singling out the iPhone too much here, but all of the smartphones: I have a hard time philosophically for effectively paying "several times" more, considering that much of that higher cost is for "Data", yet technologically, data slides around and fills into unused bandwidth, since it isn't time-perishable as voice is.
I've had a Blackberry for 3 years. The novelty of a smartphone wears off after awhile....for me, it was at around 1.5-2 years.
And insofar as GPS, my need for directionality is mostly for when exiting a subway at an unfamiliar stop. An electronic compass -- BTW, it works underground -- is all that's required to get the job done for me. When consumer-grade GPS can acquire in <5 seconds, I'll buy another GPS and consider it to be good enough for tasks such as subway-compatible urban navigation.
True, but what many people don't realize is that all of these "little things" very quickly add up. This cellphone can easily be roughly 5% of the take-home pay of an average US Household and the bills for {cableTV+phone+internet} is often another $100/month and thus, another quick 5% that has vanished.
YMMV, but anyone who is carrying any credit card debt is in deep financial trouble and should not only stop thinking about an iPhone, but should probably get rid of their cellphone altogether (or go get that AAA $10/month minimalist phone for emergencies)...and do whatever else to stop pouring money down the rathole of 29% interest.
What CC debtors don't realize is that they're actually worse off than the "poor folks" who are hocking stuff down at the local Pawn shop, since the poor know that they're poor, whereas credit card debt means you're in denial. It doesn't matter if the CC debt is $10,000 or $1,000, or if it has been temporarily rolled over into a "Zero percent" transfer-your-money-to-us gimmick: it is still debt that's invariably going to hit you with rates as high as a 'Loan Shark' ... it just appears more respectable since its coming from a supposedly legal enterprise.
-hh
What you're saying is quite right. If you're paying 29% interest on credit cards then you should really pay those off before thinking about new gadgets.
Luckily I'm only paying 15.95% interest, so I'll buy a new iPhone on Friday.
Well, depending on what the plan costs are - stupid Vodafone NZ hasn't released details yet and we're supposedly the first getting them.
Actually ---don't know if another poster addressed this as I didn't read the entire thread ---there should have been an option for current iPhone users who are happy with their phones/data plan and do not want to upgrade.
I did not vote, of course, for the reason mentioned above. However, my decision not to get 3G was not financially driven; I just did not like the aesthetics of the new phone and 3G provided no compelling reasons for me to switch.
Jude
I did not vote, of course, for the reason mentioned above. However, my decision not to get 3G was not financially driven; I just did not like the aesthetics of the new phone and 3G provided no compelling reasons for me to switch.
Jude
What cell phone plan do you have that only costs < $300 for 24 months? Edit: I see below.
Cable, like cell phone plans, are optional. They are a luxury, not a right. If people want to avoid cable companies and cell phone carriers "ripping them off", then don't order the service. A good number of people who have issues with the cost, are people who likely have financially obligated themselves beyond their means.
You may be right here, but I think the iPhone is so much more than a "smartphone." The UI and App Store, to name a few, put the iPhone in a completely new league. I have had several other smartphones and the iPhone is all together a different experience.
I am with you here. I really only use the current cell-tower based "locate me" feature to get an idea of where I am at if in an unfamiliar area. I have a Garmin for navigation purposes.
Amen! 10% of the population controls 90% of the wealth. The reality is, that anyone who has to take out debt to purchase anything, whether a house, car, etc.. is not much better off than the poor. We are simply given more to play with. Like you say, we fool ourselves with the source of the loans.
And I guess as long as it doesn't effect you, then the problems don't exist right?
The cost of ownership is a real issue and I will make the decision based on economic factors unique to myself. That isn't due to "this economy" but rather because I'm one cheap bastard and hardly ever splurge on luxuries. Currently my land line (including dial up) and cell phone cost me $60 bucks a month or so, the only way I would go the iPhone route is if I dropped both of those accounts and could be certain that my monthly bill would not grow excessively over that amount.
The fact of the matter is that if I tried to add on the iPhone, as an extra to what I currently have, that cost would add up to the cost of a vacation somewhere in the Caribbean every year. Well the start of a good vacation. The point is that a good vacation can be seen as less of a luxury than an iPhone. It is all about your priorities.
********************
On a side note: please understand something, this is an election year do not believe what you hear about the economy from the powers to be. They simply have a vested interest in making you believe in their point of view, to sway votes and consolidate power. Right now the local economy is pretty strong in upstate NY. It could be better but the reality is that things are on the up swing, especially if you have industries involved in exports. Could it be better - certainly - but things aren't getting worst at the moment.
At least not with respect to business issues related to the economy. There have been some significant retractions with respect to a couple of businesses but that is due to management screw ups or a technology running its course. If the world has grown to the point that it doesn't need your buggy whips any more you really can't blame the economy.
Dave
For me as an existing iPhone owner on a Family plan it will only cost me;
$18 - Waived
$30 for data pkg, I pay $20 already so thats only $10 more
$5 for text package, not happy about this but I will see what can be done....
Total $15 more a month for the new phone pkg
$299 phone Sold old iPhone for $400 so i have $ left over for new case/skin
So thats $360* more over a 2 year period then i'd pay as a v1 iPhone owner.
Yeah I can afford that
Yeah I know my taxs/fees will go up but I can't see more then $2 more there.
As others have said, if you can't afford it don't get it.
Really the 5 bucks extra can go away if you register with Teleflip all your outgoing texts will send as email and all your incoming will come as email. Sod I am not getting a Text add on to my plan. so I can emiminate the 5$ a month so that will save you 120.00$ over 2 years.
I want to make two things clear:
1. that the OP, zub3qin, was NOT stating a simple, legitimate concern; he was purposely trying to stir up FUD as is evident with just about every post he makes on this forum (constantly bashing the iPhone and/or Apple.)
and
2. If we all take the time to really look into our daily habits and routines I think most of us (maybe not all, but most) will find some sort of useless unnecessary habit that we spend way more money on than we will spend on the iPhone 3G and it's contract.
I'm sure some of you complainers (possibly including zub3qin) are smokers and you spend way more on that nasty habit that gives absolutely no benefit (certainly compared to any phone including the iPhone) other than it killing you.
And my own unnecessary habit I stated earlier in the thread that I KNOW many people do as well, going to Starbucks twice a day. In my case, I get the same thing each time, a Venti Chai Latte with extra Vanilla (which is literally warm milk with Chai syrup and Vanilla syrup which I can make at home for pennies a day, and I used to but I got lazy) which comes to $4.15 each time. That works out to roughly $3029.50 in just ONE YEAR! That's $6059 over two years! Three times as much as owning a high-tech and very useful iPhone 3G!
And zub3qin has the nerve to complain about $2011 over two years for ANY smartphone let alone the iPhone 3G!? No, he's just spreading the FUD.
And those that also complained about the difference between the first iPhone/ AT&T cheapest contract and the iPhone 3G's new AT&T cheapest contract (which is now on par with all Smartphones) + the 200 text, that works out to an additional .50 cents a day. 50 CENTS! You mean to tell me you whining, complaining people really can't come up with 50 cents a day!? I get at least that much change back twice a day when I go to Starbucks! And I am by no means rich (as stated previously, a starving artist pretty much.)
We all need to get some perspective here...
Ok, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, didn't mean to rant so much...
1. that the OP, zub3qin, was NOT stating a simple, legitimate concern; he was purposely trying to stir up FUD as is evident with just about every post he makes on this forum (constantly bashing the iPhone and/or Apple.)
and
2. If we all take the time to really look into our daily habits and routines I think most of us (maybe not all, but most) will find some sort of useless unnecessary habit that we spend way more money on than we will spend on the iPhone 3G and it's contract.
I'm sure some of you complainers (possibly including zub3qin) are smokers and you spend way more on that nasty habit that gives absolutely no benefit (certainly compared to any phone including the iPhone) other than it killing you.
And my own unnecessary habit I stated earlier in the thread that I KNOW many people do as well, going to Starbucks twice a day. In my case, I get the same thing each time, a Venti Chai Latte with extra Vanilla (which is literally warm milk with Chai syrup and Vanilla syrup which I can make at home for pennies a day, and I used to but I got lazy) which comes to $4.15 each time. That works out to roughly $3029.50 in just ONE YEAR! That's $6059 over two years! Three times as much as owning a high-tech and very useful iPhone 3G!
And zub3qin has the nerve to complain about $2011 over two years for ANY smartphone let alone the iPhone 3G!? No, he's just spreading the FUD.
And those that also complained about the difference between the first iPhone/ AT&T cheapest contract and the iPhone 3G's new AT&T cheapest contract (which is now on par with all Smartphones) + the 200 text, that works out to an additional .50 cents a day. 50 CENTS! You mean to tell me you whining, complaining people really can't come up with 50 cents a day!? I get at least that much change back twice a day when I go to Starbucks! And I am by no means rich (as stated previously, a starving artist pretty much.)
We all need to get some perspective here...
Ok, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, didn't mean to rant so much...
Wow, did you not just read my little dissertation 3 posts above yours? You didn't realize it was that much compared to what? Just curious what is considered expensive to you. I'm sure you are spending money on a daily basis on something you don't need that is much more than what you'd pay for the iPhone 3G. Let's see, you are a 23 year old college student, yep, you probably spend more than that on beer in 6 months than you would on the iPhone in two years. Just saying...
I am already committed to spending £35/month for a phone for the next ten months anyway, and would wind up spending about that per month beyond anyway, so the question is really misleading in my opinion. Obviously, you are trying to suggest that the iPhone is a rip-off and costs $2,000. Data and voice will cost you something regardless of what phone you use.
not even that high
Total cost is not that high if you are relacing another phone with the iphone
3g. I am just upgrading from a nokia smartphone to the iphone and can't wait.
Total cost is not that high if you are relacing another phone with the iphone
3g. I am just upgrading from a nokia smartphone to the iphone and can't wait.
I want to make two things clear:
edit...
Ok, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, didn't mean to rant so much...
Slapmonkey- Angry much?
I don't want to engage in name-calling and I don't plan on responding after this post. It doesn't advance the dialogue or help anyone. Other forums and websites are filled with these types of people, and welcome those types of posts, if you are so inclined. Macrumors hasn't traditionally been bogged down with flame wars, which is why most of here like it so much. I hope we can discuss the pros AND cons of Apple, like civil adults.
At first I was annoyed at the names you have called me and others on this thread. I am certainly not an agenda driven "troll" or trying to stir anything up. And I don't think that others who feel differently than you or me are "whiners and complainers" as you called them. Anyone who looks at the over 400 posts I have made on this site would realize I am an Apple fan-- and have converted many many people to iPhones and Macs.
Then I looked at your profile and realized out of the entire twenty whole posts you have ever made on Macrumors, almost all are negative or inflammatory. So now I don't take it personally!
By the way, nearly 2500 people have read this "ridiculous" thread, and over 200 have voted.... Clearly there is some interest in what I posted.
Anyway, best of luck on this site. I know it is unsolicited advice, but if I can be so bold, being a little less confrontational in your posts will go a long way.
If you can't afford one, don't buy one, but don't whine on here. I'm tired of the cost posts... "suck it up"!
So you're telling me that if I buy a 3G iPhone, I'll be able to give up smoking, coffee and all my other bad habits?
I guess you can think about it the way portrayed in this post. Or think about it that your only paying 10.00/mo more than what you pay now (current iphone customers only of course). Anyway the pricing is worth it for what your getting IMO. I guess it depends on where your located on ATT's network.
What you're saying is quite right. If you're paying 29% interest on credit cards then you should really pay those off before thinking about new gadgets.
Luckily I'm only paying 15.95% interest, so I'll buy a new iPhone on Friday.
I really hope you're joking.
Even at 15%, that still means that you're still paying 3x the Prime (USA Federal Prime Interest Rate). That might not quite be 'Usury' (aka 'exorbitant') by everyone's definitions, but the bottom line is that you're paying a pretty penny for the convenience of 'easy credit'.
FWIW, we just had to settle the finances of a family member who had gotten caught up in the revolving credit door: they were paying ~$400/month for $15K that was being rolled over, which was nearly ~15% of their Gross Income. It all snowballed on them very fast.
-hh