I wouldn't bet my life on it, but I am pretty sure there were no subsidies on the original iPhone at the $499/$599 price. They didn't start putting them in until they dropped the prices to $199
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Other Who else misses subsidies
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I wouldn't bet my life on it, but I am pretty sure there were no subsidies on the original iPhone at the $499/$599 price. They didn't start putting them in until they dropped the prices to $199
The situation with the original iPhone was different. There wasn't a straight up subsidy for the phone. What Apple was able to get AT&T to agree with was to offer a $20/month unlimited data plan.
If I recall, AT&T underestimated the amount of data that original iPhone users would consume and for the next round (iPhone3G), they upped the data charge to $30, still unlimited, and went with the typical subsidy at the time.
If you're locked into a contract, there's a cost to that, built into the contract fee structure. They used to hide it, package it in. But it's there. Only how much is debatable.
Sorry, but you are missing the point.
You were trying to say the original iPhone has a subsidy of $450, make it really $949. That is not true. There was no subsidy from AT&T in that price. That was the *real* MSRP from Apple.
It was baked it in that when AT&T starting going away from the subsidies, they introduced a two-tiered pricing structure. You could be on contract and pay one price, which includes the subsidy. Or, you could bring your own device or already be off contract and pay that one price, but get a bill credit which pulled out the subsidy amount such that you were only paying for service, not service plus subsidy.
I don't understand why this is confusing. Even if in the original pricing the service and subsidy weren't explicitly separated, everyone at the time who did the math saw what was going on. This is what pressured the two year upgrade cycle, otherwise you were paying extra for nothing. They later made explicit the implicit bundling that had been going on.
It's really, really straightforward.
Also for those subsidy plans, as others have mentioned, at the end of the two year contract if you didn't upgrade it should have gone down in price. If I remember correctly there was a big stink made about peoples plans not going down after that two year period. The subsidy plans are essentially the same as the "lease" plans now except that now you see the separate charge for the phone, whereas before it was all rolled into one charge.
As I said, after the 2 years were up your phone bill was supposed to have gone down. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure there was a huge uproar when people starting noticing that their bills weren't going down after the two year mark and they didn't upgrade their phone.
As I said, after the 2 years were up your phone bill was supposed to have gone down. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure there was a huge uproar when people starting noticing that their bills weren't going down after the two year mark and they didn't upgrade their phone.
What he's saying is he was paying the same (or less) years ago for a single line that included a subsidy as he does today for a single line that doesn't include a subsidy.
Now again it's important to factor in inflation as well as features (whether you use them or not) for a complete comparison.
I do miss the subsidized plan price, but at that time it was only one phone Apple was releasing a year, it had 2 to 3 price points depending on memory size. However, looking at the 3 new phones, I'm sure the subsidized price for the Xr would be around the $299 to mark for 64gb, the Xs probably at the $399 area for 64gb and the Xs Max would probably be $499 for 64gb, not to mention even higher prices for larger memory sized phones. With that said, I think the new systems allow one to get the top tier phone at a somewhat reasonable monthly rate vs shelling out $499 on up all at once. BUT I will say that the monthly cost of cell service, at least for me is higher, paying for my plan, and then paying an "access" fee of $20 to $40 a month on top of my bill is just crazy, but all companies do it, cause the know they can. During the subsidized days, I don't remember paying an access fee (someone correct me if Im wrong). When I was still paying my phone off on the Next with ATT my access fee, if I remember right was waived or at least cut in half, but now that its paid off, the access fee came back in full... It's a double edged sword here.
And I told him a couple of pages ago that upgrades in services and inflation are completely separate issues.
That prices went up doesn't mean there wasn't a subsidy before.
Again i would prefer the subsidies of the past. My phone plan that i pay has not gone down in price at all. But now i pay extra to do the IUP program through citizens. The only advantage is i can upgrade every year by doing this. But it also cost me 50-60 dollars extra per month for the privilege to upgrade annually. But i do not consider than better than what was available. Or cheaper for that matter.
I understand. I think he's just missing paying less overall for his device and service together. I actually remember when the phone came out people were making calculations on what the "true cost to own an iPhone was" and were conoamining because they couldn't find ways to use very much data, feeling like they're laying for service they aren't properly utilizing.
Honestly what I've seen in this thread is just a lot of splitting hairs in what a subsidy means, who is truly paying for what, and etc. what would really make sense is if the post read "does anyone miss paying much less for the same/similar service and phones a decade ago?" Even then I am paying less than I ever did today, so its very situational. I gave him an option to drop his plan by $20 butbhebstages 480p videos are garbage. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
People don't necessarily care what you call their payments. They just know how much they spent yesterday, how much they spend today, and make comparisons.
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AFAIK it's basically Verizon and att that's so the access fee thing. To me it seems like bad business. Why not do something like tmobile. $70 for first line and as you add line the per line costs drop and you have a flat per line cost on all lines over four.
Even T-Mobile complicates things needlessly with multiple unlimited options. I feel like lack of transparency is part of the way telcos do business.
I too miss the old plans. My bill hasn't changed much since they stopped offering them (and there are no better / cheaper plans available to me to switch to at the same time).
In the past, we only have to pay $199/$299/$399 for your iPhone every two years (and sell them afterwards, which usually get 50%+ of how much you paid). Now we pay the full price for the phone, on top of the same plan prices.
In the past, we only have to pay $199/$299/$399 for your iPhone every two years (and sell them afterwards, which usually get 50%+ of how much you paid). Now we pay the full price for the phone, on top of the same plan prices.
Can’t you pay 12 months in advance for your phone? Do that and just trade it in after 12 months for the new one the following year. You’ll basically just be buying a new phone every year for $500-$650
I miss the old plan because it was easier to understand. Someone else has been handling the bills and I was shocked to see how much we're paying: $340.50 total w/taxes. etc. for two iPhones, two old iPads we almost never use. Now $60 of that was for a study abroad package that should have been canceled in July, so it's really $280.50 total.
Breaking the rest of it down, $36.17 was the last iPhone 7 Plus installment monthly payment.
The ipad lines are $28.24 and $25.23 (which I'm dropping since they're old and we don't use them).
I always had the grandfathered plan from the first iPhone. I think at the point where they stopped subsidizing ATT said this Family/Talk Nation 700 with rollover was still the grandfathered plan. One phone (7Plus) is $60 plus 30 for family messaging unlimited, plus $45 data unlimited on 4G LTW with WM. The other phone (5s) is Family talk 700 $9.99 and $45 for unlimited data.
Taking off the $50 for the two iPads, it still has the bill at $194 for two fully-paid phones.
I'd like to get the new xs max. and it wouldn't hurt to upgrade that old 5s (I think att has a deal now). Is this plan really the grandfathered one and is it the best I can do?
Breaking the rest of it down, $36.17 was the last iPhone 7 Plus installment monthly payment.
The ipad lines are $28.24 and $25.23 (which I'm dropping since they're old and we don't use them).
I always had the grandfathered plan from the first iPhone. I think at the point where they stopped subsidizing ATT said this Family/Talk Nation 700 with rollover was still the grandfathered plan. One phone (7Plus) is $60 plus 30 for family messaging unlimited, plus $45 data unlimited on 4G LTW with WM. The other phone (5s) is Family talk 700 $9.99 and $45 for unlimited data.
Taking off the $50 for the two iPads, it still has the bill at $194 for two fully-paid phones.
I'd like to get the new xs max. and it wouldn't hurt to upgrade that old 5s (I think att has a deal now). Is this plan really the grandfathered one and is it the best I can do?
That’s a ridiculous amount of money do spend considering I wasn’t really spending anything on phones before.
Selling phones after two years paid for the subsidy of the new one.
It was awesome on family plans (where the primary fee was reimbursed by work)....as we had one of 3 lines always open to get an "upgrade" phone, and were able to sell the phone that fell off the hand-me-down train to cover that costs.
Nope.
I’ve always preferred paying only for the service. It made it easier to switch service providers.
I’ve always preferred paying only for the service. It made it easier to switch service providers.
Yes and no. I miss getting the phone for cheap and selling a year later for a profit.
I don’t miss being in contract. I’ve switched carriers a couple times until I figured out what worked best. If that changes I’ll move again.
True, the first model wasn't subsidized and required a two year contract. When the iPhone 3G was released, anyone who purchased the first iPhone without subsidy was able to purchase the 3G with the subsidized pricing one year into their contract, they just had to re-sign another two year contract. They never let you do that when you purchased a phone with a subsidy.
So is Verizon I’m probably switching and starting a family plan. Doesn’t make sense nowadays having a single line with the way phones are costing. The buy one get one deals are good I can get my mom a xr for 50$ more(700$ credit) and I pay on my phone. Broken down we’ll be spending the same we are now about 90$ each with new phones.
I don’t need a phone every year or two anymore. One thing Apple will notice over the next few years( and android) is that less people will be wanting to upgrade because of these prices and phones are plenty capable and should be upgrades as often as computers. 3-5 years.
I pay $8 a month for my phone plan, and buy all phones outright. Unlimited calls and texts, but only 2GB data a month... but I don't use all that much as there is Free Wifi pretty much everywhere here.
I was told the price with unlimited choice (free HBO)would be $145 plus $20 plus taxes. So ~ $180 for 3 lines