How is the O2/iPhone thing even legal?

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Soldato
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I thought about getting an iPhone as my O2 contract runs out in 2 months. I realised that for the 16GB model, by the time the contract was up I'd have shelled out around £800!!

£34.26 x 18 = £616.68
16GB handset = £155.61

I mean that is just OBSCENE. To think you can pick up an iPod touch for about £150 which is essentially the same thing bar the phone function. The profit on these must be disgustingly huge. I bet you any money most iPhone owners don't even know how much it adds up to.

Back to my point though. If other networks were allowed to sell the iPhone then O2 would be forced to put the prices down, but at present they can sell it for whatever they want.

Fair enough, £35 a month doesn't sound that much but £780 or whatever it is can buy you some nice luxuries. Doesn't seem worth it for the sake of having a sheep phone. I guess a lot of people buy it for form/fashion over function though.
 
On another matter, my dad has the old non-3G iPhone and he is upgrading to the new one. Is there any chance I can unlock his old iPhone or something (is that legal?) and put whatever sim card in it I please? If I can do this I'll leave O2 and go for a really good value PAYG service.

Cheers,
 
Not wanting to point out the obvious but you're not just paying for the phone, you're paying for airtime etc. I do'nt think it's much more expensive than a lot of high spec phones out there, and it's not as if providers having exclusive deals for certain handsets is rare.
 
Don't quote me on this, but ... I THINK you have to pay monthly on other monthly contracts? I'm sure I read this somewhere...
 
Zap said:
Not wanting to point out the obvious but you're not just paying for the phone, you're paying for airtime etc. I do'nt think it's much more expensive than a lot of high spec phones out there, and it's not as if providers having exclusive deals for certain handsets is rare.
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that may be the case if you're getting the 8gb version(on the £35+ plans, you have to pay for the handset as well if you get the £30/month), not so with the 16gb(think its free on the £75/month but you have to pay for it on the £45/month and under).

ethos what do you mean by having to pay monthly on other montly contracts? I thought you paid monthly on all montly plans(thus the name, montly contract) :)
 
fowler002 said:
that may be the case if you're getting the 8gb version(on the £35+ plans, you have to pay for the handset as well if you get the £30/month), not so with the 16gb(think its free on the £75/month but you have to pay for it on the £45/month and under).

ethos what do you mean by having to pay monthly on other montly contracts? I thought you paid monthly on all montly plans(thus the name, montly contract) :)
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Sarcasm ;)

The only extra cost with the iPhone compared to other similar spec'd phones is the cost of the handset. I payed £100 for mine and sold my XDA Orbit for £120 which was old and slow.

All phones are rip offs :o
 
scott212 said:
I thought about getting an iPhone as my O2 contract runs out in 2 months. I realised that for the 16GB model, by the time the contract was up I'd have shelled out around £800!!

£34.26 x 18 = £616.68
16GB handset = £155.61

I mean that is just OBSCENE. To think you can pick up an iPod touch for about £150 which is essentially the same thing bar the phone function. The profit on these must be disgustingly huge. I bet you any money most iPhone owners don't even know how much it adds up to.

Back to my point though. If other networks were allowed to sell the iPhone then O2 would be forced to put the prices down, but at present they can sell it for whatever they want.

Fair enough, £35 a month doesn't sound that much but £780 or whatever it is can buy you some nice luxuries. Doesn't seem worth it for the sake of having a sheep phone. I guess a lot of people buy it for form/fashion over function though.
Click to expand...
You're pretty new to this game, aren't you?...
 
I don't think you get my point.

My last phone cost £450 total by the end of the contract. Is an iPhone really worth £350 more?
 
Just buy the iPhone for £400. You get a hell of a lot more than the iPod, the main thing being 3g internet access, which completely turns it into a different device to the iPod being able to access the internet anywhere, as half the features are dependant on internet access.

You also get GPS and of course a phone.
 
scott212 said:
I don't think you get my point.

My last phone cost £450 total by the end of the contract. Is an iPhone really worth £350 more?
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No

I'm on a £25 a month contract on orange (via various discounts and threatening to leave) and my next phone which is going to be a Touch HD or SE X1 is going to be free when my upgrade comes up.
 
Janesy B said:
LOL

All contract phones are like this, don't like it? Get a pay as you go phone :)
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No they are not. My HD costs the same/more than the iPhone sim free, but on contract I can get far more minutes and texts and only pay £502 through the duration of the contract...

THe iPhone is hugely overpriced on contract in comparison to other similar phones, due to apple and O2 setting the tarriffs. Sim free on the other hand is perhaps a little over priced for what is essentially a year or two old phone but not that bad.
 
Janesy B said:
What makes you say that :s
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Because they are lesser phones than the iphone? :p

and i agree the contracts are bang outta order.

im paying 20 a month for 600/600 unlimited internet, wifi hotspots i get free anyway and visual voicemail is useless.

Tried to get them to budge but no, so I walked out with my 2G straight into T-Mobile across the street!

Back to O2 now tho, Simplicity ***.
 
The tariffs for the iphone are appalling value. I already have an ipod classic so i don't need to music functionality. I get 600 mins, unlimited texts and internet for 25 a month with orange. I also happen to like the touch hd a lot as you don't have to jailbreak it to use the applications you want. I don't like how apple do things, i should be able to get an iphone and do what i want with it but apple have other ideas.
 
Don't like the price don't buy one. Thats your choice.

Why would there phone be any different on the pricing structure to the rest of the Apple product range.

It's still selling well so why would Apple/O2 change the pricing if it sells at the price that they are asking.
 
That's not the point, the point is it's a ridiculous price for what it actually is.

Demand and supply. If the willingness to pay is high, of course firms will maximize profit.
 
scott212 said:
That's not the point, the point is it's a ridiculous price for what it actually is.

Demand and supply. If the willingness to pay is high, of course firms will maximize profit.
Click to expand...

You must be new to Apple products. People *are* willing to pay a premium, no matter whether you or I think it is right or wrong...
 
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