[USMC1833]

Here is some of my dealings with it...

1. The monthly bill was ridiculous. for 450 min, unlimtd texts and web = 114.00 per month. That included a LEO discount. (I was with sprint and was paying 70.00 per month for unlimtd everything except 450 min for landlines and insurance)

2. The battery life was HORRIFIC. 5 hrs at most. Whats the point of having a phone/web browser that only lasts 5 hrs.

3. The apps are so overpriced. I am glad I had some gift cards.

4. Internal battery sucks.

5. The fact that you can be on a call and browse the web at the same time is awesome. I loved that fact.

End result...

I ended up going back to sprint. The iPhone is a great device but with that being said... There are a lot of cons that made me switch back to my BB. When the 9650 arrives I will be able to do almost as much as I did with the iPhone. Apple and AT&T need to be more reasonable with their monthly charges. Its just so overpriced.

BB wins.

Just my opinion and my experience. Thanks for listening.

[anon(153966)]

...to everyone about to reply to this post, be nice, otherwise; well, you get the point.

[stuaw11]

Here is some of my dealings with it...

1. The monthly bill was ridiculous. for 450 min, unlimtd texts and web = 114.00 per month. That included a LEO discount. (I was with sprint and was paying 70.00 per month for unlimtd everything except 450 min for landlines and insurance)

2. The battery life was HORRIFIC. 5 hrs at most. Whats the point of having a phone/web browser that only lasts 5 hrs.

3. The apps are so overpriced. I am glad I had some gift cards.

4. Internal battery sucks.

5. The fact that you can be on a call and browse the web at the same time is awesome. I loved that fact.

End result...

I ended up going back to sprint. The iPhone is a great device but with that being said... There are a lot of cons that made me switch back to my BB. When the 9650 arrives I will be able to do almost as much as I did with the iPhone. Apple and AT&T need to be more reasonable with their monthly charges. Its just so overpriced.

BB wins.

Just my opinion and my experience. Thanks for listening.

Well first #2 and #4 are the same point

#1- thats the carrier not the phone. Sprint offers more for the money because they have to buy off customers to even use them considering they havent posted a net quarterly customer gain in over 2.5 years now.

#3 REALLY?!? I guess youve never bought a BB app then, theyre on average many times more expensive than their iphone counterparts

[sivan]

#1- thats the carrier not the phone. Sprint offers more for the money because they have to buy off customers to even use them considering they havent posted a net quarterly customer gain in over 2.5 years now.

You can't just love the device but ignore the carrier because it's how the device is being paid for. Locked down to a non-competitive carrier that's prepared to pay Apple and hike rates for customers. You want your high end phone, be prepared to pay for it one way or another.

[stuaw11]

You can't just love the device but ignore the carrier because it's how the device is being paid for. Locked down to a non-competitive carrier that's prepared to pay Apple and hike rates for customers. You want your high end phone, be prepared to pay for it one way or another.

You totally missed the ball there.

Its a moot point because VZW charges the SAME prices for their voice, data, and texts as ATT. Even if they iphone was on VZW itd be the same monthly cost as on ATT.

And ATT charges no more for the iPhone than any other smartphone, and VZW charges the same prices, so again its a poor attempt to bash on ATT. Paying Apple has nothing to do with the pricing

The only reason sprint and Tmo give more for the money is because theyre SO far behind ATT/VZW thats the only draw they offer to compete for customers is price.

[sivan]

You totally missed the ball there.

Its a moot point because VZW charges the SAME prices for their voice, data, and texts as ATT. Even if they iphone was on VZW itd be the same monthly cost as on ATT.

And ATT charges no more for the iPhone than any other smartphone, and VZW charges the same prices, so again its a poor attempt to bash on ATT. Paying Apple has nothing to do with the pricing

The only reason sprint and Tmo give more for the money is because theyre SO far behind ATT/VZW thats the only draw they offer to compete for customers is price.

No, you can still get a free 9700 from AT&T. I did that initially, but hated the service so went with T-Mobile. I had the choice between a free device with awful service or a moderately priced device and plan with a good carrier. I'm very happy.

There is not even a hypothetical VZW iPhone precisely because of cost. VZW would never kill its margin to pay Apple whereas AT&T has to.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[stuaw11]

The cost of the phone has zero to do with the topic, the price of plan/data is whats being discussed. (And anyways your point is again moot because the carrier contract price of a 9700 on Tmo is $20 less and the same on ATT than a 16gb 3GS. 3rd party retailers dont count towards the argument because they get incentives to sell these phones for $0.)


$30 on ATT, $30 on VZW. Period. Doesnt matter what smartphone you have, so paying Apple is moot or else VZW and all other ATT smartphone data would be cheaper.

Actually its $30 data on Tmo too for smartphones too (just checked Tmo's website). Its the same $39 for the same voice (you get 50 more min whoppee) and $30 for data. The only thing cheaper is the texts at $10 instead of $20. So youre taking a whole $10 savings.

So the only carrier much much cheaper is Sprint and thats because theyve lost millions of customers the past 2 years and need to beg borrow and deal to keep new ones coming in.

The reality is you pay more on the top 2 carriers and Tmo because they dont need to beg people to accumulate customers. They havent lost customers straight for the past 8-10 quarters. They come for whatever reason it may be- phones, network, etc.

[sivan]

The cost of the phone has zero to do with the topic, the price of plan/data is whats being discussed.

In the end what matters is how much money the customer will pay over the life of the contract, starting with the upfront purchase price. Part of that goes to the carrier, the rest to the manufacturer.

Exclusivity deals bring customers to the carrier, in return for higher revenue sharing with the manufacturer.

$30 on ATT, $30 on VZW. Period. Doesnt matter what smartphone you have, so paying Apple is moot or else VZW and all other ATT smartphone data would be cheaper.

The reality is you pay more on the top 2 carriers because they dont need to beg people to accumulate customers. They come for whatever reason it may be- phones, network, etc.

The reason you haven't seen an iPhone on VZW is because VZW won't share their revenue on Apple's terms. AT&T and VZW plans may cost the same, but AT&T is sharing much more of it with Apple.

So again, you can get a BlackBerry deal from AT&T, or you can get a BlackBerry from T-Mobile or Sprint. With the iPhone you don't have a choice but paying in full, and for mediocre service.

[stuaw11]

It doesnt matter who they share with, why are you so fixated on this?

This is about the cost to the consumer because the OP said it was too expensive ie. cost to the customer.

Smartphone with 450 min, data, unlim texts

VZW $90
ATT $90
Tmo $80 (500 min instead of 450)
Sprint $70

FACTS ^^

[sivan]

I think the point of all of this is, that the iPhone costs significantly more than a BlackBerry.

[stuaw11]

Phone prices FROM THE CARRIER

ATT 9700 $199
Tmo 9700 $179
16GB 3GS $199

MORE FACTS ^^^

[sivan]

Phone prices FROM THE CARRIER

ATT 9700 $199
Tmo 9700 $179
16GB 3GS $199

MORE FACTS ^^^

Again, tally up the full cost over the life of the contract, give or take some features. The iPhone costs $200-300 more to own.

[stuaw11]

Just because there are 3rd party retailers out there doesnt mean the majority of people dont still buy from the carrier direct.

Second, and more importantly, most 3rd party dealers have plan restrictions to get that phone free, that DO NOT include the 450 min plan. They begin at a minimum of the next plan up from 450.

So again, moot for OP's situation.

Check letstalk, Walmart, Amazon, etc if you dont believe me. The proof is right there.

[sivan]

Just because there are 3rd party retailers out there doesnt mean the majority of people dont still buy from the carrier direct.

Second, and more importantly, most 3rd party dealers have plan restrictions to get that phone free, that DO NOT include the 450 min plan. They begin at a minimum of the next plan up from 450.

So again, moot for OP's situation.

Check letstalk, Radioshack, Walmart, Amazon, etc if you dont believe me. The proof is right there.

I'm telling you that I initially got my AT&T 9700 through Amazon for $0.01, with the basic plan. And when I decided AT&T service wasn't good enough, I switched to T-Mobile, bought contract-free at full price of $429, and am on a month to month 450 plan of $59.

The iPhone is much more expensive to own, which is the point of the OP.

[stuaw11]

What youre saying is irrelevant and more usual synth tangents to the topic to twist it in your favor.

yes, you can find ONE OR TWO 3rd party retailers with fewer restrictions.

[sivan]

It doesnt matter what you swindled it for go check the sites for yourself it beings at the $59.99 plan for a free high end smartphone.

What youre saying is irrelevant and more usual synth tangents to the topic to twist it in your favor.

Why "swindled"? That price was on Amazon for months, from the day the 9700 was out. And they can do it because it's a cheaper device.

I'm paying much less than I would if I owned an iPhone. I completely agree that for some this doesn't matter because they really want an iPhone, but it's a much more expensive phone.

[stuaw11]

No one cares what you personally think of the iphone price, thats the main point. No one nor OP said they wouldnt pay for a phone they wanted.

The issue here was the plan pricing.

[sivan]

No one cares what you personally think of the iphone price, thats the main point. No one nor OP said they wouldnt pay for a phone they wanted.

The issue here was the plan pricing.

But the plan is part of the deal, together with the purchase price over the life of the contract, the total cost is shared between the carrier and manufacturer.

That's why I could buy a contract free 9700 for $449 and a 450 minutes $59 monthly plan. You can't buy an iPhone under these terms.

[stuaw11]

youre not the OP or in his situation, and thats not even the issue OP raised

Just another opportunity to try and bash Apple/ATT. If you hate the iphone so much and dont think its worth the price then why are you here to being with other than to troll?

[sivan]

youre not the OP or in his situation, and thats not even the issue OP raised

Just another opportunity to try and bash Apple/ATT

The OP said he was paying too much, you blamed it on the carrier. I'm pointing out that the iPhone is more expensive to own, purchase price is just part of the cost, the rest is rolled into the plan.

I'm not bashing Apple. The cost of the iPhone needs to be taken into account when comparing devices.

[harrison0550]

hahaha you guys are cracking me up. The point wasnt only price the op said there are a lot of cons to the iphone versus the blackberry and I love my iphone but he is right. Both my BB and my iphone are unlocked so I swap the sim back and forth a few times a week and once my iphone lost its initial thrill I have to admit I use my BB on more of a day to day basis than the iphone. Again I love my iphone but just like the op said rim wins. I wish some how I could merge the 2 into the perfect phone. I had high hopes that the nexus one would be a good love child of the two but so far its just learning to walk so the future looks bright but for now cant we all just get along, honestly they are both great devices and I myself am just glad I can still afford a smartphone much less two different kinds.

Where my iphone falls short
1: camera: no flash, really? come on apple your better than that. I caught a bass the other night that I swear was the best fish I have ever caught. just a beast and the only camera I had was the iphone so now I have a horrible dark photo of the best bass I ever caught. thanks apple!
2: multitasking, jailbreak fixes this but should you really have to?
3: typing one handed, maybe just me but I'm better with the BB keypad
4: durability, I feel like I'm gonna break this thing. When I carry it Im conscious of where it is at all times for fear of sitting on it or smacking it against something
5: speakers, the iphones speakers or speaker whatever is weak compared to my BB
6: No removable media. I hate having to ssh into my iphone when with my BB I just add it to my micro sd and explore it and even better taking content off the iphone.
7: compatibility, I hate the "special" charger/usb adapter. Should have been micro usb period and my iphone will not sync wireless to my car receiver over bluetooth for music playback but the BB works perfectly.
8: charging. No charging plates on the back or bottom of the iphone so you have to make sure it plugs into the "special" iphone charger even in a dock.

But hey I still love it, it looks cool, the media player is great with cover flow. I'll keep it but op is right rim wins guys its worked for years and if it aint broke dont fix it. Ole BB will always be my #1 but hey the iphone is sexy.

[jiggaman2g]

hahaha you guys are cracking me up. The point wasnt only price the op said there are a lot of cons to the iphone versus the blackberry and I love my iphone but he is right. Both my BB and my iphone are unlocked so I swap the sim back and forth a few times a week and once my iphone lost its initial thrill I have to admit I use my BB on more of a day to day basis than the iphone. Again I love my iphone but just like the op said rim wins. I wish some how I could merge the 2 into the perfect phone. I had high hopes that the nexus one would be a good love child of the two but so far its just learning to walk so the future looks bright but for now cant we all just get along, honestly they are both great devices and I myself am just glad I can still afford a smartphone much less two different kinds.

Where my iphone falls short
1: camera: no flash, really? come on apple your better than that. I caught a bass the other night that I swear was the best fish I have ever caught. just a beast and the only camera I had was the iphone so now I have a horrible dark photo of the best bass I ever caught. thanks apple!
2: multitasking, jailbreak fixes this but should you really have to?
3: typing one handed, maybe just me but I'm better with the BB keypad
4: durability, I feel like I'm gonna break this thing. When I carry it Im conscious of where it is at all times for fear of sitting on it or smacking it against something
5: speakers, the iphones speakers or speaker whatever is weak compared to my BB
6: No removable media. I hate having to ssh into my iphone when with my BB I just add it to my micro sd and explore it and even better taking content off the iphone.
7: compatibility, I hate the "special" charger/usb adapter. Should have been micro usb period and my iphone will not sync wireless to my car receiver over bluetooth for music playback but the BB works perfectly.
8: charging. No charging plates on the back or bottom of the iphone so you have to make sure it plugs into the "special" iphone charger even in a dock.

But hey I still love it, it looks cool, the media player is great with cover flow. I'll keep it but op is right rim wins guys its worked for years and if it aint broke dont fix it. Ole BB will always be my #1 but hey the iphone is sexy.

WOW!!!! Very nicely put. Got me thinking now.......Do I really "need" to switch devices or is this just a "want" (rhetorical question)

[mapimages]

also Apple has much more free apps than BB and priced cheaper

BB apps seem more expensive than Apple

...this is what u claim

[ugahairydawgs]

I have the same plan you do (450 mins, unlimiited texts, data) and my bill after taxes, is $90/month.

Still more expensive than Sprint, but, at least in my area (NE Georgia), AT&T's network is far superior to Sprint.

[Raneciansamaiya]

I have the same plan you do (450 mins, unlimiited texts, data) and my bill after taxes, is $90/month.

Still more expensive than Sprint, but, at least in my area (NE Georgia), AT&T's network is far superior to Sprint.

I'm with u! I just switched from Sprint! The main reason why I switched was my coverage in my area! Yeah I pay a little more with AT&T but who wants to keep paying for graph service! Coming from a BB.....I love my IPhone! I loved my BB but couldn't really get all the benefits because of my service!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com