Quote:
Originally Posted by robertc88
How does one get an iphone without a monthly charge?
|
For GSM, you can buy it off-contract either new or used. Of course, if you want brand-new, you have to pay full price for the phone which is:
iPhone 3GS 8GB: $375
iPhone 4 8GB: $549
iPhone 4S 16GB, 32GB, 64GB: $649, $749, $849
It's been reported that Apple gets a much higher subsidy compared to any other manufacturer. Heck, I wouldn't be at all surprised if carriers are paying the actual difference between MSRP and contract-pricing. That subsidy is what's keeping monthly charges high.
That's why when the iPhone 4S was released, I bought one, sold it and used the proceeds to buy myself a Samsung Nexus S
and a Samsung Galaxy S 4G (it's crazy what people are willing to pay to get the phone near release). If I'm to pay the same rates as current-gen iPhone owners who received huge subsidies for their phones, I'm going to make sure I receive the subsidy built-in to the monthly plan rates, too.
