8 comments

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  jcieplinski

  2 months ago

  Great points. You also have to keep reminding people, as no one else seems to be doing, that 3G service costs more than 2G service. Period. Why people expected the iPhone 3G data plan to be the same cost as the EDGE plan, I'll never know. It's a classic example of the impossible, impractical, standard that everyone holds Apple to, but no one else to. No one complains that 3G Blackberries cost more to operate than 2G Blackberries, for example.
  
  Personally, I would have been happier if Apple had not subsidized the 3G, just because the in-store activation is draconian compared to the original iPhone's innovative iTunes activation process. But up-front costs were a major factor in people's reluctance to buy the iPhone, so Apple had to make a compromise. Now the same idiots who complained that the iPhone was too expensive (even though it was cheaper over the course of the contract than a Motorola Q) are complaining that the long-term costs have increased. You can't have it both ways, people.
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• 

  webomatica

  2 months ago

  Yeah... 3G better than Edge, so you pay for it... what's the surprise?
  
  The subsidy is a smart move as it puts the iPhone in the realm of the
  "impulse buy" and many people won't even notice the higher fees since
  they're spread out over time.
  
  Anyhow - the complaining bugs me - I think I saw another post somewhere,
  suggesting Apple owed early adopters money for this new iPhone. Wha?
  
  Just lends more evidence to the impression there's a whole generation of
  "digital cheapskates" who are increasingly reluctant to pay for real
  products / services.
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  MG Siegler

  2 months ago

  1500% agree. Is that enough?
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• 

  webomatica

  2 months ago

  Heh sounds good to me....!
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• 

  DaFerret

  2 months ago

  One of the big pros for me when I bought the 1.0 iPhone was that the plan was cheaper than what I was currently paying AT&T. I had an HTC 8525 and was paying $80 a month. With the iPhone, I began paying $60. I bumped that up recently to $70 for unlimited text messages to take advantage of many web services. With the launch of the 3G iPhone, I expect to go back to the $80 a month ('cause I still want unlimited messaging).
  
  Moral of the story? The iPhone plan becomes just a standard data/voice plan instead of the steal it was back in the days of 1.0. I feel pretty certain that when Android equipped phones come out, people will still need to sign up for a 2 year contract and have to pay a cellular carrier $60 - $80 a month. And that's different from the iPhone, how?
  
  For the record, I'm no longer leaning towards buying a 3G iPhone. I'm interested but might very well be content with my first gen or might even be tempted to get a HTC Touch Diamond.
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• 

  webomatica

  2 months ago

  Yeah I do agree with you that the pendulum has swung back to the AT&T
  side - the deal now looks more similar to the familiar cell contracts
  we may have hoped Apple could have done away with (subsidized phone,
  higher prices for the plan to make up the difference).
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• 

  DaFerret

  1 month ago

  Perhaps Steve Jobs should create a MacBell carrier? >_>
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• 

  corporatenarc.com

  3 weeks ago

  3G lol....what next!
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