|
|
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/94465
How the half-price iPhone 3G actually costs you more
Mon Jun 9, 2008 11:20PM EDT
Not mentioned in today's you-can't-get-away-from-it iPhone 3G announcement: AT&T's service plan jumps $10 a month. What's this? Did Apple finally figure out what the rest of the retail world did: That when you give away the razor you can charge through the nose for the blades?
Let's look at the math.
Old iPhone: $399 (for 8GB of storage), plus $60 per month for 450 voice minutes and unlimited data. Two-year total (since you'll be signing a two-year deal for either handset): $1,839.
New iPhone: $199 (for 8GB of storage), plus $70 per month for a basic voice plan (presumably the same 450 minutes) and unlimited data. Two-year total: $1,879.
That's $40 more over the course of your contract, which is really not that bad in the grand scheme of things. Had AT&T and Apple raised monthly fees just another $5 per month, the total cost of service would have hit almost $2,000 over two years (not including taxes and fees).
"Business users" get the shaft, big-time, with a minimum of $85 a month for service. That's $15 a month extra just so you can get email via Exchange. Boo. Other annoyances: iPhone 3G will have to be activated in stores instead of at home, like before, and the phone won't be available to purchase online at launch.
Still, like I say, this isn't too bad. Putting aside the business user issue, $40 extra over two years doesn't sound like much, considering all the extra features and services the new iPhone packs in.
In fact, on paper the iPhone 3G has addressed almost all of my complaints regarding the original model from a year ago. But then again, don't forget those accessories (a charging base, for example, is no longer included).
UPDATE: For those who've written regarding the time value of money, I did the math based on the present value of the iPhone to Apple at a 3% annual interest rate. The numbers: Original iPhone nets Apple/AT&T (and costs you) $1,795; new iPhone gets them $1,828. So the new phone still costs you $33 in the end if you invest that $200 you would have otherwise spent on the hardware.
UPDATE 2: Several readers write to mention that text messages are no longer included in the iPhone package, so add another $5 a month for 200 SMS messages. Upgrade to the 16GB iPhone and you're hitting $2,100! |
|
|Archiver|手机版|小黑屋|联系我们|[A.U.PEOPLE 澳群澳洲珀斯Perth华人网官方网站-AUPEOPLE -西澳大利亚Perth珀斯最大最有效率的华人社区网 -珀斯Perth论坛--7万多会员 - 每月流量15万多人次,会员年龄从18到50岁，50%为澳洲永久居民或公民，50%为学生或临时居民- Since 21/04/2006]Perth ,Western Australia Number 1 Most Popular Chinese Website-- [留学],[移民],[租房],[买卖车],[找工作],[交友],[体育] [黄页] [税务Tax Return] 珀斯 悉尼 墨尔本 布里斯班 阿德莱德 堪培拉
![[ A.U.PEOPLE 澳群澳洲珀斯Perth华人网官方网租房二手车招工二手买卖黄页退税税务Tax Return 珀斯 悉尼 墨尔本 布里斯班 阿德莱德 堪培拉]](static/image/common/logo.png){kind=logo}
.gif)
发表于 2008-6-13 12:41:41
收藏
转播
分享
淘帖
发表于 2008-6-13 12:51:51
楼主
.gif)
