Contract-free iPhone price

HarryT · 12-05-2007, 08:30 AM

There was some speculation a while ago about how much the iPhone was being subsidized by its associated phone contract.

T-Mobile (who have the contract to sell the iPhone in Germany) have been forced by the German courts to sell the iPhone optionally without a contract and not SIM-locked, so it can be used on any network. The price, should you want to buy one? A cool €999 (US$1500).

I think that answers the question: Apple are obviously getting a hefty slice of the money that the customer is paying for the phone contract.

mores · 12-05-2007, 08:55 AM

That's the way it's been with nearly every Phone I've bought in Austria.
I bought my first Smartphone for EUR599 with Plan, if I had gotten it without SIM-lock, it would have cost me EUR999

tribble · 12-05-2007, 09:27 AM

The court has overruled the the accusition, and so its back to getting the iPhone only with a contract from T-Mobile in germany. (No more simlockfree iPhones for 999).

But France will sell simlockfree iPhones soon, and they are supposed to sell for somewhere around 700 Euros.

Azayzel · 12-05-2007, 03:55 PM

That price for an unlocked iPhone is just plain crazy-talk. Considering you can pick up a 16GB iPod Touch for much less and only lose the phone function. Apple probably set that figure to attempt to ward off people tempted to purchase one, and as mentioned earlier, they probably get a sizable kick-back from from the phone contracts. The iPhone cannot cost that much to manufacture, considering a top-rate PocketPC usually only runs $350-500 and they do almost the same thing (while not looking as pretty); though the SSD drive might be an expensive factor, I don't know.

I think it's just Apple's price fixing scheme trying dominate their closed market; e.g., iPod. I know for a fact that Apple pays each company who sells their products a set amount of PR funds for advertising and they also dictate what their product should be sold at. If a company was to sell it for less than the MSRP, Apple yanks their advertising funds and could pull the company's supply lines for Apple products as well. Guerrilla marketing at it's best!

mores · 12-07-2007, 05:42 AM

Azayzel ... it's not crazy, it's standard procedure.
A carrier "rewards" you for signing a plan with it. If you just want the hardware, you pay the standard price. It's not just Apple doing this.
So, only a few freaks actually buy phones without a plan. Some call them idiots

12-05-2007, 08:30 AM	#1
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Contract-free iPhone price There was some speculation a while ago about how much the iPhone was being subsidized by its associated phone contract. T-Mobile (who have the contract to sell the iPhone in Germany) have been forced by the German courts to sell the iPhone optionally without a contract and not SIM-locked, so it can be used on any network. The price, should you want to buy one? A cool €999 (US$1500). I think that answers the question: Apple are obviously getting a hefty slice of the money that the customer is paying for the phone contract.

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12-05-2007, 08:55 AM	#2
mores Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 102419 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vienna, Austria Device: iPhone	That's the way it's been with nearly every Phone I've bought in Austria. I bought my first Smartphone for EUR599 with Plan, if I had gotten it without SIM-lock, it would have cost me EUR999

12-05-2007, 09:27 AM	#3
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	The court has overruled the the accusition, and so its back to getting the iPhone only with a contract from T-Mobile in germany. (No more simlockfree iPhones for 999). But France will sell simlockfree iPhones soon, and they are supposed to sell for somewhere around 700 Euros.

12-05-2007, 03:55 PM	#4
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	That price for an unlocked iPhone is just plain crazy-talk. Considering you can pick up a 16GB iPod Touch for much less and only lose the phone function. Apple probably set that figure to attempt to ward off people tempted to purchase one, and as mentioned earlier, they probably get a sizable kick-back from from the phone contracts. The iPhone cannot cost that much to manufacture, considering a top-rate PocketPC usually only runs $350-500 and they do almost the same thing (while not looking as pretty); though the SSD drive might be an expensive factor, I don't know. I think it's just Apple's price fixing scheme trying dominate their closed market; e.g., iPod. I know for a fact that Apple pays each company who sells their products a set amount of PR funds for advertising and they also dictate what their product should be sold at. If a company was to sell it for less than the MSRP, Apple yanks their advertising funds and could pull the company's supply lines for Apple products as well. Guerrilla marketing at it's best!

12-07-2007, 05:42 AM	#5
mores Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 102419 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vienna, Austria Device: iPhone	Azayzel ... it's not crazy, it's standard procedure. A carrier "rewards" you for signing a plan with it. If you just want the hardware, you pay the standard price. It's not just Apple doing this. So, only a few freaks actually buy phones without a plan. Some call them idiots