NZ iPhone prices disappoint fans

From
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4610626a28.html

LATEST: Many Kiwis are complaining that the eagerly awaited iPhone 3G, due
to go on sale on Friday, is too expensive.

Vodafone is selling Apple's 8 gigabyte iPhone 3G from $199, but to get this
price customers must sign up to a 24-month plan charging $250 per month. The
plan includes voice calls, SMS and 1GB of data per month.

Click here to see the plans.

Other plans charge $80 or $130 per month for 250MB and 500MB respectively,
with the 8GB handset costing $549 or $449 respectively.

The 16GB iPhone models cost $150 more in each case.

Vodafone isn't selling the iPhone on pre-pay in New Zealand.

An online petition has started up, asking Vodafone New Zealand to sell the
iPhone as a pre-pay device. It currently has more than 500 signatures.

Comments on Stuff.co.nz today were overwhelmingly critical of the prices.

"I was seriously considering buying an iPhone come Friday, but I would feel
like an idiot signing up for a $250 a month cellphone plan. Sorry, that is
ridiculous. I knew that Vodafone would aim high, but not that high," one
post read.

Another suggested an alternative to Vodafone's plans: "I'm just going to
unlock one from the States instead, should be much cheaper."

And another was more blunt: "One word - stupid"

The iPhone in New Zealand will cost from $2469 to $6199 over two years,
depending on the plan and how much is paid up front.

iPhone prices overseas are broadly comparable to this but often cheaper.
Direct comparisons are difficult because of varying plans and exchange
rates.

In Australia the 8GB iPhone will be free on a 24-month Optus plan, charging
A$79 (NZ$105) per month for 700MB of data. Over two years this works out to
$A1896 (NZ$2520).

Optus' 250MB plan costs A$49 per month, with a A$7 monthly charge for the
handset. This works out to A$1344 (NZ$1706) over two years, about NZ$800
less than Vodafone New Zealand's 250MB iPhone plan.

Optus will also sell the 8GB model pre-pay for A$729 (NZ$926), the 16GB
model for A$849 (NZ$1080), according to smh.com.au.

In the US AT&T will sell the iPhone for US$199 (NZ$264) on a US$70 (NZ$92)
per month contract, with unlimited data. Over two years this works out to
US$1879 (NZ$2494).

In the UK, carrier O2 sells the 8GB version for £99 (NZ$258), with an
18-month, £30 per month contract. This gives unlimited data again, and runs
at £819 (NZ$2137) over two years at current exchange rates.

In Canada, Rogers is offering a 400MB per month plan for C$60, selling the
8GB iPhone for C$199. This is a three year contract but works out to C$1639
($NZ2135) over two years.

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Alan Poxington <[email protected]> wrote

> From
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4610626a28.html

> LATEST: Many Kiwis are complaining that the eagerly awaited iPhone 3G, due to go on sale on Friday, is too expensive.

They might just be right.

> Vodafone is selling Apple's 8 gigabyte iPhone 3G from $199, but to get this price customers must sign up to a 24-month
> plan charging $250 per month.

Fark, talk about raping sheep ****ers...

Thats only $6,200

> The plan includes voice calls, SMS and 1GB of data per month.

Fark, talk about raping sheep ****ers...

> Click here to see the plans.

Go and **** yourself.

> Other plans charge $80 or $130 per month for 250MB and 500MB
> respectively, with the 8GB handset costing $549 or $449 respectively.

Fark, talk about raping sheep ****ers...

> The 16GB iPhone models cost $150 more in each case.

Fark, talk about raping sheep ****ers...

> Vodafone isn't selling the iPhone on pre-pay in New Zealand.

Hardly surprising at those prices.

> An online petition has started up, asking Vodafone New Zealand to sell the iPhone as a pre-pay device. It currently
> has more than 500 signatures.

Well whoopy ****ing do. Is this where we're supposed to cream our jeans or sumfin ?

> Comments on Stuff.co.nz today were overwhelmingly critical of the prices.

Wota surprise.

> "I was seriously considering buying an iPhone come Friday, but I
> would feel like an idiot signing up for a $250 a month cellphone plan.

It could be right.

> Sorry, that is ridiculous. I knew that Vodafone would aim high, but not that high," one post read.

> Another suggested an alternative to Vodafone's plans: "I'm just going
> to unlock one from the States instead, should be much cheaper."

Must be one of those rocket scientist sheep ****ers.

> And another was more blunt: "One word - stupid"

Must be another of those rocket scientist sheep ****ers.

> The iPhone in New Zealand will cost from $2469 to $6199 over two years, depending on the plan and how much is paid up
> front.

Must be one of those rocket scientist sheep ****ers.

> iPhone prices overseas are broadly comparable to this

Pig ignorant lie.

> but often cheaper.

Which is it, ****wit ?

> Direct comparisons are difficult because of varying plans and exchange rates.

Nope.

> In Australia the 8GB iPhone will be free on a 24-month Optus plan, charging A$79 (NZ$105) per month for 700MB of data.
> Over two years this works out to $A1896 (NZ$2520).

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?

> Optus' 250MB plan costs A$49 per month, with a A$7 monthly charge for the handset. This works out to A$1344 (NZ$1706)
> over two years, about NZ$800 less than Vodafone New Zealand's 250MB iPhone plan.

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?

> Optus will also sell the 8GB model pre-pay for A$729 (NZ$926), the 16GB model for A$849 (NZ$1080), according to
> smh.com.au.

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?

> In the US AT&T will sell the iPhone for US$199 (NZ$264) on a US$70 (NZ$92) per month contract, with unlimited data.
> Over two years this works out to US$1879 (NZ$2494).

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?

> In the UK, carrier O2 sells the 8GB version for £99 (NZ$258), with an 18-month, £30 per month contract. This gives
> unlimited data again,
> and runs at £819 (NZ$2137) over two years at current exchange rates.

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?

> In Canada, Rogers is offering a 400MB per month plan for C$60,
> selling the 8GB iPhone for C$199. This is a three year contract but
> works out to C$1639 ($NZ2135) over two years.

Whats so hard about that comparison, ****wit ?