iPhone to run $300-400 after contract?

Everything we've been told with regard to the iPhone's pricing structure has suggested that the 4GB would hit at $499 and the 8GB at $599, and that this would be an on-contract price -- expensive, yes, but likely still in the right range to keep sales brisk. New advertising allegedly leaked out of a consumer survey suggests that the 2-year contract price could come in a full two hundie lower, though: $299 for 4GB, $399 for 8GB. This would sorta jibe with a Cingular exec's comment regarding the availability of units to folks outside coverage areas at a contract-free price, but perhaps more importantly, it's fabulous news for folks who will be able to take advantage of a contract re-upping. Of course, this is all coming out of a survey -- perhaps gauging reaction to pricing -- so we need to wait for some more clarification from the powers that be before declaring our wallets a little less burdened come June.

[Dave @ Feb 16th 2007 3:33PM]

GOD.... go away.... if you dont like these posts, why on Earth do you A: read them? and B: waste time by posting useless crap? Whiny little bitches... I swear.

[Brian @ Feb 16th 2007 6:07PM]

You guys are freakin' funny..everything has to be a photoshop these days right? WRONG...I took this exact survey this morning from Pinecone research to be exact, and it is REAL.

[Jonathan Keim @ Feb 16th 2007 2:19PM]

No digg link? I wanted to join the masses and dig everything :(

[Jonhimslf @ Feb 16th 2007 2:20PM]

So, now of this is true and that appears to be a really good price (even though I would still buy it at full price), how long until people just start going on about it still being to expensive? Especially since that was one of the biggest complaints.

[crzyjamaican46 @ Feb 16th 2007 2:20PM]

I'm a Cingular (now the new at&t) CSR and I can most definetly tell you that this ad is indeed fake. The dumbass listed 4.99 as a data paln when in fact that is just a basic text msging plan. The iPhone will use either a data connect plan or a smartphone connect plan depending on how the corporate big wigs want to classify the phone. You better hope they classify it as a smartphone b/c unlimited data on that is 19.99/ month while unlimited data on a traditional data/ pda connect plan will cost you 44.99/ a month. You can trick the phone though by getting pda connect enabled on another phone and switching out sim cards. That only works sometimes.

[Adrian Williams @ Feb 16th 2007 7:00PM]

@crazyjamacan
do you know if people can use thier corporate discount

[Ayle @ Feb 16th 2007 10:05PM]

How come I can use media max 1000 on my 8125 even tough its classified as a smartphone????

[crzyjamaican46 @ Feb 16th 2007 2:24PM]

Also, we call contracts "Service agreements". We avoid using th e trem contract when at all possible.

[v1m @ Feb 21st 2007 11:27AM]

>Also, we call contracts "Service agreements". We
>avoid using th e trem contract when at all possible.

Helps you snowjob the rubes, does it?

[Juice @ Feb 16th 2007 4:22PM]

299$ and they would fly off the shelves. $499 and people will be more reserved. I can't wait to see the debacle at the Cing brick and morter stores with keeping these in stock. But didn't Jobs say they were shipping 1 million at launch or something?

[todd @ Feb 16th 2007 4:28PM]

it is not an ad, it is a consumer survey put on by a 3rd party. it does not have to be official cingular promotional photos. The 3rd party generated this just to get feedback from participants. yes, most graphics ARE made in photoshop. yes, the survey company may have just modified a cingular graphic to use for their purposes! THIS IS NOT AN AD!! IT IS A GRAPHIC TO GET FEEDBACK FROM SURVEY PARTCIPANTS

[Andy @ Feb 16th 2007 2:31PM]

We'll see, too late now though. I already switched to another network with a 2 year contract because I got tired of waiting for the phones I want from ATT.

[Peter @ Feb 16th 2007 7:00PM]

you can pretty much guaruntee this is fake. The iPhone will have it's own data plan (iPhone Plan)... similar to the sidekick (sidekick plan). This is purely because of the Visual Voicemail feature, and any other features that required special network tweaking.

[akintz @ Feb 16th 2007 2:34PM]

I was planning on finding a way to get one anyways... but this would be fantastic news as it would allow me to leave a few pennies in the couch!

Now we'll just have to see if it's true or not. I'm on Cingular's mail list for it and maybe they'll confirm this at some point? Haha, ya, right. I know. :)

[Justin @ Feb 16th 2007 4:02PM]

OK, so let me get this straight...

Why is it okey dokey for apple to charge $599.00 for a 8GB CELL PHONE that will be obsolete within a year of release and have you guys hold it up as just right to keep the sales brisk... But the PS3 with a 60GB drive, Blu-Ray/DVD/CD/MP3/ect, game system, linux ready box, internet access, ect. is way too over priced in the eyes of every tech blog on the internet???

[Nick R @ Feb 17th 2007 12:37AM]

"Why is it okey dokey for apple to charge $599.00 for a 8GB CELL PHONE that will be obsolete within a year of release and have you guys hold it up as just right to keep the sales brisk... But the PS3 with a 60GB drive, Blu-Ray/DVD/CD/MP3/ect, game system, linux ready box, internet access, ect. is way too over priced in the eyes of every tech blog on the internet???"

one of the items you listed fits in my pocket.

[Rohit Kapur @ Feb 16th 2007 2:37PM]

So we're still no closer to finding out how expensive it'll be to buy it unlocked?

[ASTROBOT @ Feb 16th 2007 2:38PM]

Does the iphone come with wifi? Because here the internet plan for mobile is ridiculous like in the $100/month.

[uberfu @ Feb 16th 2007 2:41PM]

Fake Ad_

[Ohanes @ Feb 16th 2007 2:52PM]

FAKE

[David @ Feb 16th 2007 2:58PM]

Does anyway else think this graphic is SCREAMING Photoshop?
Considering that they used a Black background for the iPhone, when on Cingular's website they have a pic of it on a white background?

Also, the price looks really steep when they don't even tell you waht the iPhone Does!

Yes, this is made up folks!
-Baldwin

[Thomas Trautman @ Feb 16th 2007 3:04PM]

If this was a game system made by Sony, Everyone would be crapping on it.

Seriously $600 for a phone?

I understand it plays music and movies and all, but come on!

[Mark Fleser @ Feb 16th 2007 4:05PM]

That's a really bad fake.

[apeguero @ Feb 16th 2007 3:11PM]

If true then don't forget Soldiers among us, we get a %40 Military discount on Cingular equipment and accessories so do the math and don't forget to get your discount whether the real price is $499/$599 or $299/$399.

[shandy1948 @ Feb 16th 2007 4:12PM]

Whether or not this ad is fake, it all looks like a very good deal from Cingular's perspective - as they're not having to subsidise the handset. There's an intriguing article about the significance of the iPhone pricing structure here:
http://www.robinontech.com/2007/02/12/the-iphones-real-significance/

[warren @ Feb 16th 2007 3:23PM]

what a load of crap, a) any leaked advertising will have no mention of cingular cause the phone is scheduled to come out from what i can only assume is after they start (or even finish) rebranding. b) it says you will be able to use a the $20 unlimited smartphone plan, i dont even think tmobile has an unlimited data plan that cheep for a full featured pda. and c) they mention being able to use this on pay-as-you go... hahah have u ever seen a $700 pay as you go phone

i could have made a better fake ad in a microsoft word document

[African @ Feb 16th 2007 3:30PM]

That ad smells like Photoshop…
Few question:
What is the point of having a camera on the phone? Removing it would cut at least $25 from the price. I see the point of having phone capabilities such as e-mail, net, music because people use them everyday (if not every minute). But a camera!!? because I might need it or just in case there is an accident in the way to the office?
Are all engageters keen to pay extra for the camera?

[Dave @ Feb 16th 2007 3:45PM]

Yes... $25.00 for a 2 meg camera? Why on earth wouldn't I want that???? My regular camera is only 3 Megapixels and god knows I dont want to carry that around with me everyplace I go. Just because you dont want it, doesn't mean the majority agrees with you.

[tiuk @ Feb 16th 2007 3:53PM]

It's too bad Rogers is going to be the only one to carry it in Ontario. My contract is up in November and I'll die before I renew.

[pianoguy11 @ Feb 16th 2007 7:08PM]

Yep I definitely call a fake on this one. You can tell just by the font and the sloppy photoshop that this ad is a really bad fake!!

[Dave @ Feb 16th 2007 5:01PM]

I know you pretty much don't buy phones without a contract in the US, but in the rest of the world we do. The prices 499/599 would be what without a contract? 699/799? I would never pay that kind of money for a phone and it doesn't seem reasonable to do so. 499/599 seems like prices adjusted to the market without a contract.

[Hurricanes711[xbl] @ Feb 16th 2007 4:49PM]

look at your own pictures engadget!!

http://www.engadget.com/photos/macworld-2007-keynote-photo-gallery/131089/
http://www.engadget.com/photos/macworld-2007-keynote-photo-gallery/131056/

theres your price with 2 year contract!!

[jgreenwald @ Feb 16th 2007 7:34PM]

Everyone misses the point. This is allegedly an ad from a research company. Whether it is or not I have no way of knowing. However, if it is from a research company, the ad very well could be a mockup. In fact, the odds are good they would use a mockup. They would be testing the pricing. Two things to keep in mind here: one, whether or not it is a Photoshop mockup is irrelevant. Two, the prices listed are not necessarily reflective of the actual iPhone pricing. They may be testing consumer response to different pricing plans.

[brock @ Feb 16th 2007 6:40PM]

Fake or not, I expect this will be fairly accurate. It was reported the other day (could be misinformation) that Apple may make around $2-300 per phone for bringing new business to Cingular. If this has any truth to it at all, I would think Apple may have pricing that looks like this ad. If you could buy it without Cingular and a 2 year subscription, then the originally stated iPhone pricing is probably correct.

Who knows anyway. It is only February for crying out loud. In any case, I will be switching to Cingular. But I am going to wait just to make sure they don't have even better deals for those switching from another carrier when the iPhone comes out.

[nikster @ Feb 16th 2007 6:57PM]

bad fake indeed.

i just wish US carriers would come to their senses and offer cheap prepaid cards.

where i live you can pick up a new SIM card for a whopping $5 and then pay 3 ct/min in all networks, and that's before the numerous and ever-changing "promotions" for unlimited nights, first-24-h-free, etc.

while 3ct may be artificially low due to intense competition at the moment, the fact is that its very cheap to provide prepaid plans for the operators and much easier to manage cost.

my prepaid even has an optional unlimited GPRS data plan - they subtract $10/month from my prepaid account for that. if there isn't enough cash in the account, i get an alert and GPRS is suspended until I refill (or cancel the plan). it's just soooo simple.

[Bill @ Feb 16th 2007 8:29PM]

It is definitely wrong as I am at the Cingular website right now and it has an iPhone ad $499 for 4GB and $599 for 8GB. Just go to Cingular.com and see for yourself, then call it a day.

[patrick @ Feb 16th 2007 8:07PM]

Holey heck I am glad that I am not so anal as to analyze the fonts and background color of every picture that is posted in an article to see if it is fake. Every time there is a post about something that may or may not be true dozens of people say things like "oh the font is wrong" or " there is a slight color problem on top of the picture". Why can't people just comment on the content of the article? I guarantee that if there was no picture posted with this then there wouldn't be half the people yelling "fake". It doesn't matter in the slightest since I have no desire to get a iPhone regardless of the price I just don't need one. I will admit that it is rather pricey for a phone even if it does have an mp3 player. My current phone and 8gb Nano serves me well right now.

[Marc @ Feb 16th 2007 11:41PM]

Ayle.... What's your cell? Reps get paid on the features and you are getting out cheap. i can fix it for you. Also the stance is that if a device such as the iphone has a qwerty keyboard it will need the pda connect plan. This all came to light when the Blackjack hit the stores. Lets just wait till it comes out and we will all know the deal... plus if what is going on in my store plays out, we will never have any to sell due to the high demand.

[ScottytheMenace @ Feb 16th 2007 10:09PM]

I am a huge Apple fan and would love an iPhone, especially at this price point, but as long as it is restricted to the most hideous mobile carrier on the planet, you won't catch me dead with one. I used their service for 30 days and that was enough for a lifetime. They have utterly incompetent customer service.

Apple blew it royally on this exclusive deal.

[Ayle @ Feb 17th 2007 12:24PM]

My phone is a cingular 8125 aka HTC Wizard( pocket pc phone with a sliding full qwerty keyboard ) so its a pda but I able to use Media Max 1000( bundle with unlimited internet, 1000 msgs and unlimited media net ) for ...$19.99, heck I'm even using my phone as a gprs modem when I cant get any connection from the wifi on my laptop..... So I dont really understand why I would have to pay $40 for gprs/edge because the iphone is a pda... That doesnt make any sense to me.....

[jbelkin @ Feb 17th 2007 1:36AM]

If it is a survey, it's not an ad, the survey agency just threw together some graphics so you would have an idea of what it is versus just text. I'm NOT saying it's not a fake, I'm just saying as a survey, it's more plausible. If it's an ad, clearly, it's a fake but if you go to most cell phone places, they will hand you a lot of xerox sheets so it's not entirely out of the realm of reality - yes, ulikely but as a price point survey test, it's certainly plausible.

I like the question of how did you hear about the iphone - they didn't offer one:

D'UH, I was on Earth and not in a cave that weekend ...

[Adam the Great @ Feb 17th 2007 2:43AM]

Gee Justin, lemme think...

Maybe it's because in the video game console arena there is NOTHING approaching the cost/feature-set of the PS3. Maybe because when the maker of said device, which is clearly a video game console, says it's not for video games or for gamers, it rings of disingenuousness.

Gee, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the cost of many smartphones is in the realm of other smartphones in the same area?

Lambasting the PS3 for costing $600 would only be closely analogous to lambasting the iPhone if it cost $800, almost $200 more than the nearest competition.

If I have to come back here to explain common sense to you again, I'm going to turn the website right around, and take everyone home. Where will summer vacation be then huh? You'll ruin it for everyone.

[Andrew Paul Baisden @ Feb 17th 2007 9:34AM]

most companies use photoshop. so why is every yelling this is photoshoped?

[Bill @ Feb 17th 2007 9:52AM]

The prices at the Cingular site do not mention with or without a plan. Maybe the plan agreement brings the price closer to the price in this article. Verizon wanted $299 for the RAZR with a 2 year agreement when it first arrived, but you got a $100 rebate. The TREO 750 now costs $650 without an agreement or $400 with. Admittedly, the Q and Blackjack has the price beat, but the iPhone prices will decrease just like the first iPod, IMHO. Still, I would be reluctant to buy it for a kid at this price, as well as myself.
I have found Cingular to be just as good as Verizon, my old carrier last year.

[Shmoe @ Feb 18th 2007 4:04AM]

Try $199 for 80 gig and $299 with 100 gig and both with removable battery, HSDPA, user-uploadable programs and I'll might buy, otherwise, bring on the Meio or whatever.

[Diver Al @ Feb 19th 2007 9:23AM]

The cost is amazing whatever it will be. If you do get one keep it safe. I have lost 2 cell phones and a palm due to water damage. http://www.scubaology.com/archives/2007/01/15/keep-your-iphone-waterproof/

[cfkane @ Feb 28th 2007 11:22PM]

check out this ebay iphone scam: http://cgi.ebay.com/i-phone-papercraft-Apple-iPhone-in-box-REAL_W0QQitemZ290088305764QQihZ019QQcategoryZ88433QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem