Apple iPhone Ping!
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Posted on 04/06/2008 7:02:07 PM PDT by RS
Thanks to either crappy sales figures, the introduction of the 16GB iPhone or the looming shadow that is the 3G iPhone (or more likely than not a combo of the lot) T-Mobile Germany is, from this Monday, offering up the 8GB iPhone at the bargain price of 99 euros - around £78 at the current exchange rate.
(Excerpt) Read more at t3.com ...
Any thoughts on the price cuts ?
http://www.macworld.com/article/132838/2008/04/iphoneprice.html
BTW apples website also just annouced the release of version 3 of the Beta SDK
My thought is that T-Mobile is setting the price and subsidizing the iPhone in Gernany. Apple has only one Apple Store in Germany (IIRC) and therefore T-Mobile is almost the sole source... and the sole service provider. The only way you get the €99 price is by signing up for a two year contract with their highest priced package... which is €89 or $140 US per month. You get a lesser package and the iPhone is still €339 or $525 US. T-Mobile is top feeding to get people who desire the iPhone who have the where-with-all to pay for the highest package.
I think, also, that we are probably seeing a movement to close off the low end 8G iPhone and suspect we will see a 16G/32G product line-up in the near future. The Wall Street Journal thinks that Apple will intro a G3 version in the next 60 days as well. That will sell much better in Europe than in the US because the Europeans have about a 40% G3 coverage compared to about a 4-5% G3 coverage in the US.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
T-Mobile is setting the price and subsidizing the iPhone in Gernany. Apple has only one Apple Store in Germany (IIRC) and therefore T-Mobile is almost the sole source... and the sole service provider. The only way you get the €99 price is by signing up for a two year contract with their highest priced package... which is €89 or $140 US per month. You get a lesser package and the iPhone is still €339 or $525 US. T-Mobile is top feeding to get people who desire the iPhone who have the where-with-all to pay for the highest package.Any thoughts on the price cuts ?
IMHO it's silly to focus of a first cost of $400, or $100, when the thing is a brick if you're not paying over $100 per month for wireless access. The access charge is really the whole game.The cable companies don't charge for set top boxes. Are they free? Not on your life - you pay plenty for them, month after month.
I think it’s pretty interesting ... isn’t apple notorious for telling stores exactly what they can sell their products for ?
I don’t understand top-feeding your lowest quality product with the possibility that these big monthly spenders might see their 2-year commitment turn out badly if 3G arrives ?
Strange move ...
“IMHO it’s silly to focus of a first cost of $400, or $100, when the thing is a brick if you’re not paying over $100 per month for wireless access. The access charge is really the whole game. “
Very true and the other cellphone providers have known that since the beginning.
Seems like something must be afoot if apple has broken their “only sell at full price” philosophy.
An interesting point is that the German t-mobile stores must be forcing buyers to activate them in the store at purchase, another major change.
looks like the Engish followed the lead - cutting the price by about $200
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