Abhas
Retired Administrator
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2004
- Location
- New Delhi, India
Sorry for being a lil off topic, but how much does the iPhone 3GS cost without contract in US?
iPhone 4
- Thread starter Simbazz
- Start date
Abhas
Retired Administrator
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2004
- Location
- New Delhi, India
That's it?! 
It costs close to A$700 here. What a farce :sarcasm
Abhas added 8 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...
Actually, just checked.. according to this site, Apple now offering no-contract iPhone option | Phones | iPhone Central | Macworld
The 8GB iPhone 3G = $499,
16GB iPhone 3GS = $599,
32GB iPhone 3GS = $699.
Sanity Prevails.
It costs close to A$700 here. What a farce :sarcasm
Abhas added 8 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...
Actually, just checked.. according to this site, Apple now offering no-contract iPhone option | Phones | iPhone Central | Macworld
The 8GB iPhone 3G = $499,
16GB iPhone 3GS = $599,
32GB iPhone 3GS = $699.
Sanity Prevails.
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
Nobody really buys off contract phones though.
I used to buy 'contract phones' but I am more inclined to buy phones that are not under any contract. It will give me the freedom to buy just a SIM card in India and use the phone on Indian mobile providers. Also having a 'no contract' phone allows you to switch providers within US easily and if you want, you can immediately switch to a 'prepaid' plan.
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
I buy phones on contract. Just cannot justify paying upwards of $500 on a phone. $200 is ideal, and I am going to be on contract anyways. Plus it gives me some sort of control, or else I would be upgrading devices every year and wasting money!
Whenever I go to India I just call up my service provider and tell them that I am going overseas. They unlock it for me. But, T-Mobile is known for its customer service, it is probably horrid on AT&T and they probably won't unlock it for you. That is where the jailbreak comes in handy
.
Whenever I go to India I just call up my service provider and tell them that I am going overseas. They unlock it for me. But, T-Mobile is known for its customer service, it is probably horrid on AT&T and they probably won't unlock it for you. That is where the jailbreak comes in handy
.
sohum
Executive member
You spend so much more being on contract it's not even funny. For example, when I bought my iPhone 3GS on contract from AT&T (I got a refurb 16GB for $50) I signed a 2-year contract. The terms of that contract were that I have to pay for the iPhone data plan, which clocks in at $30 a month. In addition, the cheapest AT&T voice plan is $40. After taxes, that's $80 a month. For 2 years, this adds up to $1920. Breaking contract costs about the same.
Comparatively, T-Mobile's cheapest plan is $29.99 and with an unlocked phone, you don't have to go for a data plan. The iPhone itself is equipped to connect to any 3G network, which means when you go overseas, you can buy a data plan without having to pay AT&T's abnormally expensive data roaming.
There's no contest--contract-based plans are much more expensive and restrictive. This is why almost every country in the world does not employ contract-based systems.
Comparatively, T-Mobile's cheapest plan is $29.99 and with an unlocked phone, you don't have to go for a data plan. The iPhone itself is equipped to connect to any 3G network, which means when you go overseas, you can buy a data plan without having to pay AT&T's abnormally expensive data roaming.
There's no contest--contract-based plans are much more expensive and restrictive. This is why almost every country in the world does not employ contract-based systems.
Nope I'm going to pass. I have a 3GS and it works fine. Video calling is a feature I will never ever use. A retina display is not a huge thing for me. Besides I'm not even a year into my contract so I'm stuck with my 3GS for the time being. I'm happy with it and with iOS4 coming out, I'll have basically the same functionality. iPhone4 is impressive; I like the design, but it's not so amazing that I'm going to spend my monies to get it.
Kshitiz_Indian
Executive member
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Location
- New Delhi, India
Err, but iPhone 4 doesn't have Flash! Maybe you were referring to something else?
Cricketman
ICC Chairman
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
- Location
- USA
Obviously, but I want to keep the same phone for at least 2 years so I'm going to be on contract anyways.
Plus i'm a superficial American who only thinks short term rather than long term
sohum
Executive member
The point of the contract being bad is not that it keeps you with the same phone but that it keeps you on the same service plan. In fact, the contract doesn't even require that you use the phone you purchased at a discount when you signed the contract. You just won't be eligible for a discounted phone during the contract period.Obviously, but I want to keep the same phone for at least 2 years so I'm going to be on contract anyways.
Plus i'm a superficial American who only thinks short term rather than long term
Basically, the contract keeps you tied to a repeating cost, not a fixed cost. If tomorrow Verizon was to roll out a superior, faster and cheaper network than AT&T, you would have no option to switch. There's no issues transferring the phone number, either.
Oh yea forgot about that. Would be nice to have I admit, but I suppose I'll have to do without.
