Anyone else think the Iphone is a ripoff?

Iphone sweet gadget huge ripoff you decide! I honestly think the biggest ripoff ever I love the thing I just can't see myself paying $600 bucks then a monthly fee on top of that just to use the damn thing. Whats all your opinions?

It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.

I sure hope so cause its redic at this point.

No, its not a ripoff

I don't think it's a rip-off at all, and was initially going to buy it at release until I discovered that it would be closed to 3rd party applications. As soon as they open it up and I can run whatever apps I choose on it, I'll probably buy one.

Take in mind the RAZR v3 was $500+ at the time of release and those sold a ridiculously large amount. I say stop complaining. You can certainly have your opinion but the fact that there is already a thread about the iPhone which you could have posted in categorizes this as just bitching. It certainly costs a lot but "if you build it, they will come".

It's not bitching I have my personal opinion and I wanted to know everyone else's thats why I made it a poll, ya jerk.

Also, they were made for people who can afford it. Not for your everyday person, or a bum living on the streets (no offense to anyone haha).

[quote6ace73bb2c="justinag06"]It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.[/quote6ace73bb2c]

how is that costly they make a profit on every phone sold?

[quote18d1a9e1d9="michae229"][quote18d1a9e1d9="justinag06"]It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.[/quote18d1a9e1d9]

how is that costly they make a profit on every phone sold?[/quote18d1a9e1d9]

do you expect them to sell them at their cost to make them or what?

[quote0869e55cd9="michae229"][quote0869e55cd9="justinag06"]It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.[/quote0869e55cd9]

how is that costly they make a profit on every phone sold?[/quote0869e55cd9]

Isn't that the point? shrug

[quote1bf8948dbd="tjwor"][quote1bf8948dbd="michae229"][quote1bf8948dbd="justinag06"]It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.[/quote1bf8948dbd]

how is that costly they make a profit on every phone sold?[/quote1bf8948dbd]

do you expect them to sell them at their cost to make them or what?[/quote1bf8948dbd]


no thats not what i am saying he just said they are costly to make but they are not having trouble selling them is all im saying and if they wanted to they can

I think Its Kinda Cheap For All The Things It Can Do.!
But I Think I will Wait For The 2nd Gen

How long is AT&T's exclusive deal with Apple?

5 years

Ugh.

Have one and love it. Personally, I think its worth it just for the full internet.

The razr was $500 and it has no feature to really write home about, just looks cool....

The iphone is good for the price.

[quote0003a91373="mcgrom"]It's not bitching I have my personal opinion and I wanted to know everyone else's thats why I made it a poll, ya jerk.[/quote0003a91373]

D love you too.

I don't think it's a ripoff at all. It can do a lot of shit. I'm sick of my RAZR. I have had it for two years and now my mom, dad, and brother have one. Even my fucking grandma and step-grandpa have one. That's how you know it's time to upgrade.

[quote970a787d5c="michae229"][quote970a787d5c="tjwor"][quote970a787d5c="michae229"][quote970a787d5c="justinag06"]It is very costly to make. I was looking at a trade magazine and the IC inside it add up to $220. The touch screen is $60. Over time the prices of these components should come down, and maybe apple can find a way to build it with less also.[/quote970a787d5c]

how is that costly they make a profit on every phone sold?[/quote970a787d5c]

do you expect them to sell them at their cost to make them or what?[/quote970a787d5c]


no thats not what i am saying he just said they are costly to make but they are not having trouble selling them is all im saying and if they wanted to they can[/quote970a787d5c]

It is expensive to make in the first place is what I meant, if it is really expensive to make then expect it to be expensive period. You can't compare an iphone to a fucking RAZR and get upset because one costs $600 more than the other.

Also compared to the other smart phones apple is making as much as them because their component cost is so much higher.

Keep in mind what I gave you was just an estimation of the cost of the IC components in the iphone. Not the cost of all materials, cost to assemble, etc.

[quote2fa41aab66="TryinToGetPaid"]5 years[/quote2fa41aab66]

cry

Verizon all the way.

Also keep in mind [bf8b789c6b0]other[/bf8b789c6b0] Apple budgets Salary, advertising, etc.

Bottom line The price is a GOOD DEAL for what the phone offers. If you are too poor to afford it (not saying you are)... then do not complain.

I don't think it's a ripoff, although they could sell it for a little less, but why should they? I was going to buy one, but just like dmorris, I read it's closed to all 3rd part applications, which I strongly dislike. Hopefully they will change this very soon, so I can go and buy one =]

[quote6f7a12f8ce="tylerc"]

cry

Verizon all the way.[/quote6f7a12f8ce]

I was with Verizon for the last 3.5 years. At first, I liked them, but recently, they've been dropping a lot of calls for me. Then I also hate the POS phones that they sell to their customers. I had a Razr and it was slow (5-10 second response time after pressing a button) and you couldn't do anything fun with it. Anyways, I paid the early termination just to get rid of them.

the iPhone itself is not a rip. AT&T's service is.

If it ever comes to Verizon, I will buy one.

I guess what I was trying to say is that you had to pay to use your phone so if you want to listen to your music on it then you can't unless you have AT&T's service which I tottally despise. Once the price drops and it comes to a different provider i'll deffinately think about getting one, on the other hand in 5 years something better will of came out. So really it's not a cost issue.

[quotea8a293a5b7="EatChex89"]the iPhone itself is not a rip. AT&T's service is.

[/quotea8a293a5b7]

I think $59.99 per month with unlimited data is very reasonable. Cheapest voice+data plan on Verizon is $79.99 per month.

I like Cingular. I have been with them for years and have had only a few dropped calls. Everyone I know uses Cingular so free mobile-to-mobile comes in handy quite a bit. The only people I know that use Verizon are in the Northeast.

Yeah, as I've said before, I've been very happy with AT&T/Cingular/BSM for about 11 years now and wouldn't dream of switching. And bigchan2k is right, $59.99 isn't bad for the voice + data plan. I already pay $59.99 now for just 850 minutes + 100 text msgs + unlimited mobile-to-mobile. No data plan. So with the iPhone I'd actually get more for my money. If only it weren't a closed platform...

Speaking of closed vs. open platforms, the OpenMoko Neo is the epitome of open platform phones. They even encourage you to hack it, going so far as to wire up debug I/O ports on the circuit board and available solder pads wired to various control signals.

http//www.openmoko.com/products-neo-base-00-stdkit.html

If it only had a beefier processor, it would make a seriously kick-ass platform. Being a Linux geek already, having a Linux phone running X would make me giddy. )

I think the price is not too bad either. The Razr was the biggest piece of shit probably ever made IMO and if it sold for $500 and it does nothing more than make calls/text, then why wouldnt a phone as advanced as the iPhone sell for around the same price....not only does every single person own a Razr these days, but these same people have not only owned 1. Almost everyone I know has been through at least 3 Razrs because they are constantly breaking and they still continue to purchase a new Razr for some reason. As for the 59.99 a month data plan, thats not bad at all. I am already paying that much because I have the Blackjack, so once I get enough money together I will definately get the iPhone. I am not very technical though, what do you guys mean by it is closed to 3rd party apps? Also, is it only available to Cingular/ATT because I personally have had nothing but problems with Cingular, I don't know if its just my area or what, but I always have shitty service. One thing I don't understand is I will have my phone right next to one of my buddies who has Cingular and they will be getting like 3-4 bars while mine will be completely out of service. At first I thought my phone was messed up but I have went through a couple different Cingular phones and I always have this problem...maybe I just have bad luck / I am considering T-Mobile because all my friends with them get great service everywhere.

[quote1e7d97735f="Jeremiah1218"]...I am not very technical though, what do you guys mean by it is closed to 3rd party apps? Also, is it only available to Cingular/ATT because I personally have had nothing but problems with Cingular, I don't know if its just my area or what, but I always have shitty service.[/quote1e7d97735f]
It means nobody can develop other applications for it, you only get what Apple gives you on the phone itself. With your Blackjack, by comparison, you can develop, buy, or download thousands of different applications just like you can for a PC. I have a Cingular 8125 and run numerous 3rd party apps on it that I would be lost without, therefore Apple will not get my business until they open the iPhone up. The only custom "apps" you can run on an iPhone currently are browser-based web apps, and pretty limited ones at that.

Yes it is exclusive to Cingular, no other carrier will support it. Somebody previously said the exclusivity contract was for 5 years, which is unusually long for a carrier exclusivity contract -- they usually run no more than a year -- but Apple is a unique company and the iPhone is a unique device, so I guess they made their own rules.

The problem with signal strength on your phone sounds like something model-specific. If another Cingular customer can stand next to you and receive significantly better signal, then that's confirmation that Cingular's signal is reaching you both at the same strength. Different makes & models of phones are entirely different in their signal processing abilities, so it's not unusual to see signal strength variances between different models side-by-side. Now if your friend has the exact same model with the same firmware as you, then I'd say you continue to get a lemon.

When I upgraded the firmware in my 8125, my signal sensitivity and responsiveness increased noticeably.

Could you tell me how to upgrade the firmware in my Blackjack? I also used to have the 8125 myself and I still received bad receptions. I have been through like 5 cingular phones and always get bad reception when others get it. Seems like a little black cloud just follows me everywhere.

Also, what are some of the cool 3rd party apps you can run? I'm sure theres so much I can do with my phone that I have no idea about.

[quoteffc58efe9d="Jeremiah1218"]Could you tell me how to upgrade the firmware in my Blackjack? I also used to have the 8125 myself and I still received bad receptions. I have been through like 5 cingular phones and always get bad reception when others get it. Seems like a little black cloud just follows me everywhere.[/quoteffc58efe9d]

http//www.wireless.att.com/support/deviceConfig.do?content=KB78241.html

(DISCLAIMER I just Googled that, I have no idea what it fixes/improves, and updating firmware always carries some risk -- if you screw it up, you can brick your phone. I assume no responsiblity!)

[quoteffc58efe9d="Jeremiah1218"]Also, what are some of the cool 3rd party apps you can run? I'm sure theres so much I can do with my phone that I have no idea about.[/quoteffc58efe9d]

Currently on my 8125 I'm running

- Pocket Quicken
- iGuidance (GPS navigation software, used with my BT GPS receiver)
- Sunnysoft Backup Manager
- PocketInformant (much better calendar/contacts than built in MS stuff)
- HiCalc (excellent calculator suite)
- Microsoft Voice Command (voice recognition, very sweet)
- OMAP (overclocking utility, I run my 8125 at 260Mhz instead of stock 195Mhz)
- Several utilities and games

All of which is additional, non-stock software.

Where would I download these from?

Most of those I listed are commercial. I bought them. Of course there are numerous ways to acquire them otherwise if you're into that sort of thing.

http//www.handango.com is a huge vendor of mobile applications.

Google is a good way to find all sorts of free and commercial mobile apps.

all right ill check it out. Thanks

I don't get how people can consider this a rip off, look at this price chart of the starting price of each generation ipod, so you are paying an extra $100 pretty much for the upgrade of the Phone, Internet, and everything other than music than any other generation ipod... i'd say that the iphone is a damn good deal...

http//i47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/tjwor1987/Picture1-3.png[" alt=""/imgcdf71ab3bf]