Forget refurbs--now you can get a new iPhone 3G for just $99.(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
Posted on 06/10/2009 3:18:09 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
Well, here's hoping you waited on that $99 refurbished iPhone 3G, because as of Monday you can get a new one for the same price. Apple just announced at WWDC 2009 that the 8GB iPhone 3G will stay on the market for $99.
Forget refurbs--now you can get a new iPhone 3G for just $99.(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
So what do you think? Now that you can finally get a shiny new iPhone with a full warranty (one year) for less than a hundred bucks, will you pull the trigger?
Based on the comments in last week's aforementioned refurb post, I'm guessing no. For most of you, it's not the price of the hardware that's objectionable, but rather the service.
AT&T still charges a minimum of $70 per month for minutes and data. In these craptacular economic times, that's just too much. Me, I'd love to give the missus my current iPhone and snag myself a 3G S, but then I'd be looking at nearly $150 per month. She'd kill me, and I'd probably let her.
Thoughts? Is the iPhone 3G (and/or 3G S) just that good that you'll pay whatever extortion Apple and AT&T want? I'll admit I'd be lost without mine; I use it all day every day, for countless purposes. Damnit.
Update: AT&T dropped the price of refurbished 8GB iPhones to $79.99. My advice: steer clear. It's well worth the extra $20 to get a full one-year warranty. But the 16GB model is down to $129.99 (though currently out of stock). That's pretty tempting.
That's what I was thinking. However, the first hurdle is to see if I can buy an iPhone sans an AT&T contract.
My MetroPCS has the Samsung Essence which is also a touch screen phone. However the price tag is $370. Kind of steep considering the iPhone price.
If I had any money, I’d buy one to use as an RPN calculator!
I believe you are correct. The phone is quite expensive to make and the contract is where they make the money.
>>I’d shoot myself if I had to wait eighteen months to buy that if it pans out.<<
Why? If your device gives you sufficient capabilities, why should it matter that something “better” is released?
If you try to stay on top all the time you will have a closet full of perfectly good, if a tiny bit dated, devices (let’s face it, even if you sell them on eBay you’ll get a dime on the dollar). Sounds like a big waste of time and money to me...
Go to an AT+T store. Pay $99 plus the $175 contract cancellation fee. ...or you can buy an iPod Touch for $229.
Or you can get a Nokia N810 Portable Internet Tablet for $199.
It can connect to the internet via WiFi or Bluetooth with your Cell Phone. You can Bluetooth to a GPS device and then use one of the free mapping and navigation applications. There are many other, free, open source applications that run on this Linux device. It has a real keyboard. It has removable memory cards.
This little device has many more features than the iPhone. It just does not have the recognized "coolness" factor.
I’m wondering if this low price will force a big price drop on other touch screen phones like the Samsung Essence which MetroPCS now sells for $370. The beautiful thing about MetroPCS is that there are NO contracts and the price is at a flat rate of about $50 per month. About half of South Florida uses MetroPCS.
A friend of mine has new iTouch clones for just $80 but I'm worried about both the quality and how long it would last at that price.
I picked up my Samsung i900 for about $160 and extended the contract I already am on and like.
It isn’t as slick as an iTouch (I got my wife one of those), but it does the job for me and is reasonably leading edge-ish.
“Which reminds me. How is the quality of the iPhone photos and videos? And how much record time can you do with the video? “
Video - I don’t know. The pictures are low rex - 1 mp. They look good (except in low light) but they are small.
How is the camera and video of the Nokia N810 portable internet tablet? Both in quality and video record time.
An article... FWIW...
I think you have to pay for a multi-year data plan when you buy an I-phone.
Does the clone run apps? Without apps, the platform is only worth $80.
IMHO, the apps make the iphone/Touch such a great platform. I’ve got multiple GPS apps, games, police scanner, internet radio, voice recorders.
You said — And isn’t this something that you have to ship back to Apple to change the battery once it dies?
—
Two years and the battery is still going strong... don’t know how long it’s supposed to last, though.
Some people only keep a phone for about a year and get rid of it and get a newer model. LOL... As for me, I still like it after two years, but may consider these new ones, though. They do have a few additional features now (in hardware).
Of course, the “software” is updated over the net, so any new software features will be included without needing to get a new iPhone...
Why? If your device gives you sufficient capabilities, why should it matter that something “better” is released?
If you try to stay on top all the time you will have a closet full of perfectly good, if a tiny bit dated, devices (let’s face it, even if you sell them on eBay you’ll get a dime on the dollar). Sounds like a big waste of time and money to me...
I'm not necessarily opposed to this view. I don't necessarily go out and purchase the latest technology. I just don't like taking away my ability to make future choices.
If I want to upgrade, then I want to be able to do so.
On top of that, when cell phones get to be two years old, they really are quite outdated. I don't think it's unreasonable to want to upgrade every year or so, IF you should find better products out there. If the new products aren't that much of an advance, then of course give them a pass.
I have held off purchasing an iphone for other reasons than the agreement issue. I don't like the idea you can't change the battery. I don't like the idea you can't insert a memory card. I believe there are several other issues, but I'm not able to remember them just now.
The iPhone is all about the relatively seamless user experience it provieds and the app store. People who say WinMo had this my LG does this forget what those competitors don’t do. My Treos and Sprint Mogul did lots of cool things but they constantly locked up and were not reliable as phones, especially if you tinkered with them.
You asked — Does the clone run apps? Without apps, the platform is only worth $80.
—
LOL! You don’t think the Apple iTunes App Store is going to connect and download Apps to a clone do you?!
And further, where do you think the “clone” is going to get the slimmed down OS X running as the operating system on their “fake phone”??
Some people just want to wear those fake knockoff Rolexes, too... LOL... I mean, if the difference between a Rolex and a fake-Rolex was only $55..., wouldn’t they be an idiot for buying the fake-Rolex? :-)
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