AT&T's calling plans for the iPhone

by David Spark on June 26, 2007

So AT&T just released the calling plans for the iPhone. They’re $60 (450 minutes talk time), $80 (900 minutes talk time), and $100 (1350 minutes talk time). (BTW, I’m rounding up the penny) All have unlimited data plans (very wise), but critical levels may never be achieved with that slow EDGE network. If you figure people will be spending $500 to $600 on the iPhone (again, I’m rounding up the dollar), buyers of the iPhone will be committed for two years (that’s the contract requirement) to spending somewhere between $1940 and $3000 to use a first generation phone from a company that has no experience building phones. And that’s before you purchase any applications, monthly service fees for those applications, and after market products. Wow!

Actually, Engadget did a very exhaustive price breakdown of all the costs associated with purchasing an iPhone and in relation to the other smartphones it’s not as horrifically more expensive. Although I don’t think they factored in the discounted prices of the other phones in their cost analysis. Still, check it out. According to their price comparison, the BlackJack is the best deal. But from a productivity perspective, no one is going to gain any business productivity from the iPhone from that pointless keyboard.

I’d like to interview those iPhone buyers 1 year after the purchase of their phone and see if buyer’s remorse has set in.

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  • Peter

    Are you stupid? Buyer’s remorse has set in on every phone out there…that’s probably what prompted Apple to try to figure out how to make a phone people will actually enjoy using.

    Given how much R&D Apple does, that “pointless keyboard” will probably prove very productive once people adapt to it. Plus, where’s the damn music or video capability on the Treo or Blackberry?

    Don’t be a hater, just because you’re not a player!

  • admin

    I don’t believe I’m stupid. ;)

    Sorry if the post came off too negative. I do think the iPhone is a watershed device and in fact I’ll be saying just that on KQED’s “This Week in Northern California” tonight at 7:30pm in San Francisco.

    I do think though it’s a revolutionary device that’s severely flawed, but all the flaws are very fixable. That’s why I think people will have buyer’s remorse with this specific product.

    - David

  • david

    In all the iPhone hype I have to think it is more an indication of the sad state of affairs surrounding the mobile phone market in the U.S. than anything groundbreaking. Not one aspect of the iPhone is new – with exception of the GUI which is, indeed, splendid.

    All-touch screen was done by Moto 5 years or more ago (google Motorola A1000). Sony Ericsson’s M600 plays QVGA video at 30fps and mp3s. Their W950 (octbober 2006) had 4GB flash memory – a great walkman music player and also supported video playback. I have had a VGA DivX file at 30fps playing on that product. Now SE has release the P1i with FM radio, 3G, WiFi, 3.2mp camera, records and plays video, and has an M2 stick slot. Also Nokia N95 which has all of the above + GPS. And SE’s latest device – W960 which has optic glass, 8GB flash memory, walkman player, plays TV quality vids at 30fps, WiFi, 3G and Turbo-3G (HSDPA). This device is due in Q3-4.

    So as much as the US is hyped beyond reality over iPhone – please don’t compare it to “other smartphones” meaning Blackberry (purely a mail device and bulky at that)and Treao just because these are the only devices you have available in th US. Look beyond borders.

    Spread the word. (written on a MacBook Pro)

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