Monday, June 9, 2008

Affordable iPhone My A$%

So I got all excited today. The iPhone price dropped from $399 to $199.


Then I looked into it some more...


The first thing I found was that the $199 price was with a new contract. Okay -- I expected that. Still though -- keeping the $399 price and adding a GPS and 3G is not so bad. I might be able to swing that.


Then I found out the second detail (which they are not as "open" about). The price of the data plan that AT&T requires for the iPhone is increasing from $20/month to $30/month [source]. So, over the coarse of two years -- that means $240 in additional cost.


Now I understand that Apple (deservedly) should get a good margin here. And AT&T needs to cover the costs of their 3G infrastructure and I am fine with that. However, it shameful how Apple and Steve Jobs presented this to their loyal customers. Preaching about making it more affordable. What a load of crap.

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