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Some perspective needed. iPhone

#1
pathos3
2009-04-03 05:30:03Some perspective needed. iPhone Reply Topic

I hope it is appropriate to post this philosophical question to this forum. I would greatly like to have an iphone. I have no problem with the price, and if it was a one time price only involved, I probably would pay more than the current price to get the phone. However, when I went to ATT to explore service plans, I would need at least $90/month, to pay for the services that I have with my sidekick 2008 and tmobile, at a significantly less rate. That works out to over a $1000 per year to continually own and use the phone. I wish I could justify that financially to my family, but I cant. My question is therefore, Im not sure I understand how so many others seem to be able to afford an iphone, with the current service plan only being available from ATT. Is there some savings somewhere that I missed, or have folks who want the phone, just made it a priority, and have had to pull back elsewhere (assuming that a money source is not unlimited). This question is posted in the spirit of understanding the above issues (as I again, would really like to use the iphone over what I have now), and is not a rant/diss/etc. for apple or ATT. Thanks very much.
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#2
Ansuz82
2009-04-03 05:30:03

I think its really just a question of priorities. Its the same thing as asking why two people with the exact same job drive cars that differ $10,000 in price - one of them is willing to forgo other things in life in order to afford the nicer car, the other is not.
Mac Pro, 20 Cinema Display, iSight, MacBook Pro Unibody Mac OS X (10.5.6) iPhone 3G 8gb, iPod Video 60gb, Time Capsule, Apple TV

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#3
paulcb
2009-04-03 05:30:03

I pay around $130/month for three mobile phones in my family, one of which is my iPhone with the data plan. It is high but Ive canceled my landline service and we just use mobile phones, so that helps a lot. We also save by not paying for any cable or satellite tv (we dont watch much tv, except for dvds). Of course, I do pay $45/mo for cable broadband internet. I think the combination of convenience and necessity is worth the mobile phone price and it fits in our budget.
HP DV7 Laptop Windows Vista iPhone 3G 8GB

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#4
Craig Baron
2009-04-03 05:30:03

Its a valid question, but it probably makes more sense to look at the cost difference. A generic phone with the same service plan will cost about $50 per month, and the phone will be free. An iphone costs $2-300 with a minimum of about $90 per month. Assuming a two year life of the iphone, the cost difference is about $600 per year ($12 per week). Not to minimize the cost, but lots of folks spend more than that at their local starbucks. You have to decide if its worthwhile for you.
MacBook Pro, Powerbook, Mini, iphone, ipod Touch, Apple TV, etc. Mac OS X (10.5.6)

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#5
pathos3
2009-04-03 05:30:03

Thanks all for your input. Im going to have to think this one over for a while. Craig, Im interested in your comment about assuming a 2 year life for the iphone...is this referring to it becoming outdated tech wise in 2 years, or is it referring to life of the phone- ie, I can expect it to die after 2 years? Best regards, Dave, Fort Collins, CO
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RE:Some perspective needed. iPhone

#6
Craig Baron
2009-04-03 05:30:03

I assume the phone is good for more than two years of service, but the AT&T contract commitment is for two years so I used that for my basis. If you plan on keeping the phone for 3 years instead of two, the cost difference is less by about $1 per week. The major cost difference is the AT&T plan, not the cost of the hardware.
I really like my iphone and I use the data features enough to justify the cost difference. I travel about 30-40% of the time and depend on the iphone for email access when Im away from a computer. If you dont need the 3G data capability, consider buying an ipod touch in addition to a generic cell phone.
MacBook Pro, Powerbook, Mini, iphone, ipod Touch, Apple TV, etc. Mac OS X (10.5.6)

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