[fernandez21]

I don't see what the problem is, ALL high end handsets (besides the nexus 4) go for $600-$700 off contract at the carriers. Heck, the Bold is $549 right now off contract. Both the iPhone and galaxy s3 are $649, and the note2 is $749! And also, that is suggested retail price, not what the actual devices will sell for, actual retail price is always less than suggested except for apple and Sony.

[jimpilot]

$700 with a $200 rebate for early adopters. 😎

[mathking606]

So if you think this is too much would you rather pay 800 for the iphone 5. I am sure that RIM knows what their price target should be and has people dedicated to studying the market. You just need to have some faith in RIM. There are way too many threads ranting about how RIM does not know what they are doing, and they have not learned from their mistakes. Stop judging them before you know all the facts !

BB10 Believe!!

[d3ac0n]

I don't see what the problem is, ALL high end handsets (besides the nexus 4) go for $600-$700 off contract at the carriers. Heck, the Bold is $549 right now off contract. Both the iPhone and galaxy s3 are $649, and the note2 is $749! And also, that is suggested retail price, not what the actual devices will sell for, actual retail price is always less than suggested except for apple and Sony.

Those hi end devices you mentioned have very healthy ecosystem behind them. WP8 devices started with high expectations and prices are falling off the cliff in second hand market. And they actually have an semi established ecosystem.
I did it before, I ll say it again: RIM needs to sell in volume at first. They can charge an arm and a leg for ARISTO but Z10 and X10 need to be affordable. <500USD affordable of contract. If they aim for ~700USD they ll end up with a Playbook v2 disaster and we all know they can't afford such a thing

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

[chrysaurora]

So if you think this is too much would you rather pay 800 for the iphone 5. I am sure that RIM knows what their price target should be and has people dedicated to studying the market. You just need to have some faith in RIM. There are way too many threads ranting about how RIM does not know what they are doing, and they have not learned from their mistakes. Stop judging them before you know all the facts !

Actually, most of us here are well-wishers of RIM. We like the BlackBerry device and we wish for RIM to succeed so that we can continue enjoying BlackBerry devices! That said, RIM did make blunders by not keeping up with the competition, launching PlayBook when it was immature and so on and so forth. So, does RIM know what it's doing? We don't know for sure. Signs are that they are on the right-track but we won't know until they release. We've to wait to see how it pans out.

But in the meanwhile, we, the well-wishers of RIM, should NOT shy away from offering feedback, constructive criticism based on what we know. For all we know, RIM might be scouting these discussion forums and taking our feedback to improve their upcoming product line!

Sure, some folks are more harsh and less constructive in their criticism, but if RIM is scouting these forums, they can still get a gist of people's feedback and use it to gauge demand and improve their product.

[narci]

Canadian carriers set their retail prices higher so they can justify their expensive plans and locking people into 3 year contracts.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9860 using Tapatalk

Where else would you be able to buy a BB outright? (aside from Kijiji or Craigslist type places)

[PeterRei]

Good things cost. Cheap things are just cheap.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using the CrackBerry forum app

[d3ac0n]

Good things cost. Cheap things are just cheap.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using the CrackBerry forum app

Affordable does not mean cheap. Expensive does not mean good either. Sometimes it just means over priced.

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

[Mercury]

Seriously?? People are ******** about the cost of something that hasn't been officially confirmed? Who cares how much it is off contract, it is right in line with RIM's normal out right price. Between $199-299 will be the contract price to start, probably starting at $249. If you don't like the pricing, talk to the carriers. It doesn't matter what the ecosystem for apps are, this is still a NEW phone, NEW OS, from a company that has been in the game for YEARS!!

[PeterRei]

Affordable does not mean cheap. Expensive does not mean good either. Sometimes it just means over priced

Sometimes, yes. Not in this case. Wait and see.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using the CrackBerry forum app

[Mercury]

And no offence to anyone NOT in Canada, but these would be the Canadian prices. Not everything is streamlined to that price point. I can buy a 55" Samsung 3D tv here in Canada for $1599 and yet, the same exact TV and model in the US is listed at $1299... so everyone not in Canada needs to chill right now and wait for 22 and somewhat days until the official announcement and STOP getting your panties all bunched up and ranting and raving!!

[jimpilot]

And no offence to anyone NOT in Canada, but these would be the Canadian prices. Not everything is streamlined to that price point. I can buy a 55" Samsung 3D tv here in Canada for $1599 and yet, the same exact TV and model in the US is listed at $1299... so everyone not in Canada needs to chill right now and wait for 22 and somewhat days until the official announcement and STOP getting your panties all bunched up and ranting and raving!!

What else do we have to do to kill 22 and somewhat days?

[asherwiin]

If past history is any guide, the phone will start out at $299 on a 3 year contract at Rogers. Two weeks later Bell will announce it is selling the phone for $249 on a 3 year contract, and Rogers may/may not price match. Six months later Rogers will drop to $199 for a three year contract, $299 for a two year contract, and that is where the market will settle for a while until the next new model is released, and then proceed to decline steadily overtime.

Early adopters who can't wait to get the latest and greatest will always be willing to pay a premium, and carriers would be fools to not exhaust this segment first before lowering prices that work for the rest of the market. Sales are watched daily and at a certain point when sales velocity starts to slow, prices are dropped. Economics 101, price points and elasticity of demand, my friends!

And no contract pricing will always stay high, because that market segment is not price sensitive at all.

So if you don't like the initial price, it means you are not meant to be an early adopter and you need to sit tight and wait. And while you wait, please don't whine about the price, your price point will eventually arrive. :-)

[Mercury]

If past history is any guide, the phone will start out at $299 on a 3 year contract at Rogers. Two weeks later Bell will announce it is selling the phone for $249 on a 3 year contract, and Rogers may/may not price match. Six months later Rogers will drop to $199 for a three year contract, $299 for a two year contract, and that is where the market will settle for a while until the next new model is released, and then proceed to decline steadily overtime.

Early adopters who can't wait to get the latest and greatest will always be willing to pay a premium, and carriers would be fools to not exhaust this segment first before lowering prices that work for the rest of the market. Sales are watched daily and at a certain point when sales velocity starts to slow, prices are dropped. Economics 101, price points and elasticity of demand, my friends!

And no contract pricing will always stay high, because that market segment is not price sensitive at all.

So if you don't like the initial price, it means you are not meant to be an early adopter and you need to sit tight and wait. And while you wait, please don't whine about the price, your price point will eventually arrive. :-)

Couldn't have said that better myself! Amen

[fernandez21]

Those hi end devices you mentioned have very healthy ecosystem behind them. WP8 devices started with high expectations and prices are falling off the cliff in second hand market. And they actually have an semi established ecosystem.
I did it before, I ll say it again: RIM needs to sell in volume at first. They can charge an arm and a leg for ARISTO but Z10 and X10 need to be affordable. <500USD affordable of contract. If they aim for ~700USD they ll end up with a Playbook v2 disaster and we all know they can't afford such a thing

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

Rim gets most of its revenue from phones sale, unlike google and Microsoft, and RIM isn't exactly swimming in cash where they can afford to take a loss to gain market share. The price is right in line with other high end handsets and as long as these BB10 phone feel high end with quality hardware and software they'll be fine.

[Bla1ze]

womp womp womp. It hasn't been announced. Un-knot your knickers. You're taking info from a contest listing an approximate retail value from a carrier that has a long history of overcharging for out of contract devices.. can none of you seriously see how ridiculous that is? I know BlackBerry 10 fever is bad but come on, try to maintain some sense of reality until it's officially announced. lol. And even if it is $700, not like the majority out there is going to be buying off contract anyway. If you don't agree with the price when it's announced, the solution is easy -- don't buy it. Simple enough, eh?

Example: Galaxy Note II on Bell - $729.95. Galaxy Note II on Rogers - $650.

[darkehawke]

You guys have to keep in mind that, because this price is based on the Rules and Regulations of a contest, by law it has to include sales tax (13-percent in Ontario). So we're looking at around $600 before taxes. Someone has already mentioned this in another thread I believe.

i was unaware of this. thanks for clarifying

[darkehawke]

womp womp womp. It hasn't been announced. Un-knot your knickers. You're taking info from a contest listing an approximate retail value from a carrier that has a long history of overcharging for out of contract devices.. can none of you seriously see how ridiculous that is? I know BlackBerry 10 fever is bad but come on, try to maintain some sense of reality until it's officially announced. lol. And even if it is $700, not like the majority out there is going to be buying off contract anyway. If you don't agree with the price when it's announced, the solution is easy -- don't buy it. Simple enough, eh?

Example: Galaxy Note II on Bell - $729.95. Galaxy Note II on Rogers - $650.

haha i know that, i did say the price was rumour alone in the original price with no official word.
The rest is just simply debating our differences of opinions over what RIM's strategy should be :P

[randall2580]

If past history is any guide, the phone will start out at $299 on a 3 year contract at Rogers. Two weeks later Bell will announce it is selling the phone for $249 on a 3 year contract, and Rogers may/may not price match. Six months later Rogers will drop to $199 for a three year contract, $299 for a two year contract, and that is where the market will settle for a while until the next new model is released, and then proceed to decline steadily overtime.

Early adopters who can't wait to get the latest and greatest will always be willing to pay a premium, and carriers would be fools to not exhaust this segment first before lowering prices that work for the rest of the market. Sales are watched daily and at a certain point when sales velocity starts to slow, prices are dropped. Economics 101, price points and elasticity of demand, my friends!

And no contract pricing will always stay high, because that market segment is not price sensitive at all.
tight and wait. And while you wait, please don't whine about the price, your price point will eventually arrive. :-)

It actually works pretty similarly here in the USA except we get 2 year contracts instead of 3.

I would think that RIM would like to attract some folks who don't have an upgrade who want the new phone, to be able to get one a little earlier and move the needle on the demand meter. Perhaps a promotion for those who already have a BB phone and no available upgrade, give us a little better trade in than we would get on the well know trade in sites. They have done this before to encourage folks to upgrade. It would be a way to get around a big number.

[lnichols]

And no offence to anyone NOT in Canada, but these would be the Canadian prices. Not everything is streamlined to that price point. I can buy a 55" Samsung 3D tv here in Canada for $1599 and yet, the same exact TV and model in the US is listed at $1299... so everyone not in Canada needs to chill right now and wait for 22 and somewhat days until the official announcement and STOP getting your panties all bunched up and ranting and raving!!

Thanks for the clarification. Didn't realize that there was that big of a price differential between the US and Canada, especially now that the currencies are pretty much equal I thought pricing for things would get closer. Guess that isn't the case.

[Mercury]

Thanks for the clarification. Didn't realize that there was that big of a price differential between the US and Canada, especially now that the currencies are pretty much equal I thought pricing for things would get closer. Guess that isn't the case.

Here in Canada, retailers gauge us really badly. My gf and I live in Toronto, about a 2.5hr drive to Buffalo, and we will go to Buffalo every 4-6 weeks to shop because the prices for the most part, can't be beat. Now some things do stay the same. Like a PS3, it's $299 here in Canada, and it's $299 in the US. But other things like tv's, bluray players, and other things, it's generally cheaper. My gf got a Keurig coffee maker in November in Buffalo, cost her $129 for the one she wanted in Buffalo, here in Canada for the exact same model, was $149. ****, even my Nike Shox here in Canada were $169 and in Buffalo where I got them, $99!! So yes a lot of things have a huge difference. That's why you will see at a lot of border cities like Seattle WA and Vancouver US will see a lot of Canadians, and in Detroit and Windsor in Canada, and Toronto and Buffalo, and the eastern seaboard like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick people will head to Maine.

[Mercury]

Thanks for the clarification. Didn't realize that there was that big of a price differential between the US and Canada, especially now that the currencies are pretty much equal I thought pricing for things would get closer. Guess that isn't the case.

And you are right, dollar for dollar, the US dollar is only 2 cents or more higher than the canadian dollar, and even taking that into consideration, shopping in the US is cheaper. And gas... OMG, here in Toronto we pay $1.23 a liter which works out to almost $5 a gallon!!!

[Flexin]

you want to price an unproven format to match a proven format and expect the unproven to win?
apple devices has long had the reputation of being overpriced. dont be RIMsheeps.
bb10 needs to sell. it wont if its priced the same as a galaxy s3 or iPhone 5.
you actually think the average consumer will sit there and shell out for a platform they know hardly anything about, when for the same price they can get one all their friends and family have.
bb10 can not compete with iphone 5 or the s3 straight out of the gate. they need to build up a user base before that happens.
more people owned the s2 than they did the s1, likewise more will own the s3 then the number who owned the s2. Samsung built a reputation.
blackberry at best have no reputation with bb10, or at worst blackberry have a bad reputation.
so dont spout nonsense about competiting with the iphone or s3 when we're not even in the same league these days.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

Selling it too low will lower the value of the phone and RIM.

People do buy phones without knowing anything about them. They walk into a store, and a sales person show off a few products and away they go. It happens all the time.

We don't know the really price until January 30th. Until then I think people should keep a cool head. And no matter what the price, its up to each person to look at what is being offered and see if the price is right for them. I think it is wrong for people to expect RIM to just give the phones away because they think the company is desperate. The launch event is to showcase the new line of phones. That is where they show it off and show you why it will be priced for what they end up selling it for.

Too low of a price is going to make it hard for them to ever make money on hardware.

James

[southlander]

you do know this askign price is what carriers are sellign it for not what RIM is, for all we know RIMS askign prive could be $450 and the carrier is getting greedy because htye have faith that it will sell

it seems that people are ****ing idiots, you don't like it then don't buy it, if you later realise its incredible and you have to have it then you'll pay what it costs or regret getting something else

Or just wait and grab one used shortly after launch. Some folks will buy it, and for whatever reason not like it and put it on ebay.

[Darlaten]

So if you think this is too much would you rather pay 800 for the iphone 5. I am sure that RIM knows what their price target should be and has people dedicated to studying the market. You just need to have some faith in RIM. There are way too many threads ranting about how RIM does not know what they are doing, and they have not learned from their mistakes. Stop judging them before you know all the facts !

BB10 Believe!!

For arguments sake, and to play devil's advocate, I'll try to answer your questions.

I have no problem paying $800 for an Iphone5 given that the phone is proven i.e., has a proven operating system - even if it is archaic - and has a robust application ecosystem whereby I will not have to be constantly sending out messages begging hand over foot for both major and non-major developers to support the platform. In the case of BB10; despite being impressed and enthusiastic with what has been shown - the OS is relatively unknown and the app ecosystem has yet to materialize. Granted, RIM has been taking an aggressive stance in reaching out to developers and, if comments via twitter and other social media forums prove true, developers have replied with enthusiasm; however, it still remains to be seen if the major applications are going to be available.

You mention that we should have faith in RIM. And on this, I must admit to having a chuckle. I did have faith in RIM prior to purchasing the Playbook on launch day. I had faith that RIM had produced a viable and complete tablet - a faith that was misplaced. I had faith that email would have been delivered in a timely fashion as RIM's CEO's promised - misplaced. I had faith that MSN and Skype, seeing how RIM showed pictures of them in their App World during the early press announcements of the Playbook, would in fact be there - misplaced. I had faith that BBM would actually be available on the device given that it was a Blackberry after all - misplaced. I had faith that when BBM was announced for the Playbook, it would actually look like a polished application instead of some after-thought with poorly executed frames/design - misplaced again.

So with this mentality, I can see purchasing an iOS device for $800 while not doing the same thing for a BB10 device. This is not to say that I wouldn't buy a BB10 device - I already have mine preordered via Rogers - but it is to say that RIM is not yet in the same position as Apple or perhaps even Samsung. With those platforms, people will readily open their wallets regardless of price. With RIM, their recent past and their unknown present contributes to much more hesitation on the part of the consumer.