Will you pay $2011.00 for iPhone 3G (2yr cost of ownership) in this economy?

[-hh]

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"!

Then consider this a value rant

YMMV, but its not about the cost, but the question of if it represents a good value. They're not the same concept.

YMMV, but an iPhone doesn't rank particularly high on my personal list. Part of the reason why is because I've had a Blackberry 7100g for the past 3 years and I have seen the novelty of the smart phone features run its course.

Sure, some aspects of the BB are, admittedly, nice-to-have, but if my work stopped paying for it tomorrow, I'd probably not be willing to pay for it on my own: technolgically, I've found that it is "Interesting, but not particularly compelling", in no small part due to the relatively high cost premium that celluar Service providers are demanding. The situation reminds me of automakers who for years have insisted that you buy a useless option (remember vinyl roofs?) to get an option that you really want (today: want HID headlights? Must buy the optional leather interior + "convenience package" + etc).

What it ultimately comes down to is that no matter how much money we make, our financial resources are still finite, and thus our discretionary spending budget is finite too.

There's always a list of "wants" competing for these discretionary resources (YMMV....my personal list includes a new Mac Pro and a new underwater dSLR camera system), so the iPhone has to compete against these other items in terms of its overall personal desirability & priority, which I personally do by their "bang for the buck" value, not their mere cost.

If you wish to buy based on just cost, be my guest, but it has been my experience that this approach invariably results in lots of 'cheap' stuff, and you never get the money together to buy any of the big ticket items.


-hh

 

[jrbdmb]

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.

As Bugs Bunny used to say, I resemble that remark. I think that it is unwise to write off debt altogether, even the 10% who own most of the wealth know that there are times when it makes more sense to use someone else's money than one's own money. In many cases a mortgage can be a good thing. I agree however that someone who has to put an iPhone on a 21.99% credit card probably should not be getting an iPhone.

 

[marksman]

I am going to have to turn out a few more girls to pay my bills.

 

[Manatee]

Of course. The rate plan for any other phone/data device is going to cost around the same, so why not?

 

[Tom B.]

I'm paying £709 ($1,109) over 18 months and at £1.31 per day I think that's great value.

 

[MacPossum]

I don't see what the big fuss about paying $2,000 over two years really is for a phone. Most of us that buy cell phones sign two year contracts either way.. it's not like the iPhone is some golden jewel only a select few can afford.