Vodaphone have announced their charges for the iPhone:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8424199.stm

While the tesco option seems the best with a 12 month contract and you pay for the phone, the others all seem very similar.

24 month contracts, charges for tethering (£5 for 500MB on Voda), tarrifs start at about £30 (except tesco), there are bandwidth limits on orange and voda (O2 have a fair use limit in the T&C too) and on top of this you still have to pay for anything but the most basic phone. An extra £200+ for an iPhone 3Gs 32GB.

I'm sorry but somebody please explain to me why a 32GB iPhone 3Gs is worth the best part of £1000 over 2 years (Phone + £30/month tariff), plus all the extra charges for tethering or anything else not included in the bill.

Seriously, that can buy you a running car with an MOT and tax.

Aimed at the 'must have' brigade with too much money mate. I've still got my Samsung 500 and it's still got £17 credit out of the £50 I bought on pay as you go when I bought the phone 4 years ago Typical Scotsman, tight as a ducks butt.

Supply and demand though isnt it? Many people think its worth it as they sell millions of them.

I had my call from Vodafone yesterday (I registered a while ago). I have 2 x 32 GB 3GS handsets on order that are being sent FOC (18month contracts), £55/month each. They will be delivered on 15th Jan, I then have 7 days to decide if I prefer them to my current BB. Lets see........................

I don't buy Apple products on the basis I can't justify the additional expense for their utility. Their new pricing only confirms that.

There will always be a market for the latest status item

Price is so high to ensure peasants and the bitter and twisted can't have one

Edited 22 December, 200916 yr by Lance

Absolutely no surprise. Apple were never going to let their fabled status slip when the other networks were opened up.

As said, they're only worth what people are willing to pay. People are still buying them by the bucket load, so that tells Apple and the networks that the prices don't need to be any lower than they are at the moment, even with the supposed increased competition of multiple UK networks now selling them.

Steve

I run my business through my iPhone. It's not perfect (not come across any phone/smartphone that is) but it does the job, it makes my business easier because of the fantastic browsing experience and to top it all I can offset most of it against my tax bill. Other phones might do the job as well, but none integrate as well with my beautiful MacBook Pro & .me account, which is of course a business expense. My favourite piece of kit though is a humble printer, HP's H470............no wires, it is the gadget I get asked about the most!

Mike

Thats exactly what I will be doing, my 2 will of course be both for business use

PS hope you are wearing flame proof overalls, someone will be along to tell you how Cr*p Macs are in a minute

i have one on £45 contract, which is about what i was paying on my previous contract. I use 100 mins a month, 500 texts and tons of data. My data on my last contract worked out to be £200 alone, so a phone that i can connect to the internet and have my free mins and texts suits me. I dont have tethering, dont need it as what i cant do on the iphone can wait till i get home and Im sure those with an iphone who really want to tether can tether without having to pay the tethering rates if they look in the right places.

There will always be a market for the latest status item

the iPhone was first released mid 2007, that's hardly latest fad material

I have 16gb inbuilt, and can add an extra 32gb mem card if I need more.

The networks etc are following Apple and milking those who must have shiny shiny and fall instantly for some clever advertising. The 4th incarnation's due out next year, so I wouldnt bother right now if you must have the latest stuff. Hold off

My contract will be up just in time for the N98 which looks very tasty....