Bear in mind that by calling you cheapskates, I also call myself the same (plus, I’m Dutch…). Remember that I was the one raving about a €30 contract-less phone not too long ago, the Motorola Motophone (which I have since given to my mother, who hates it). Since moving to Luxembourg, less than a month ago, I’m shopping for a new phone and am considering the iPhone.
At the same time, do the math! To get the 16GB version, I have to shell over €99 + €50 per month for the next two years. That’s €1300 as a base price for the iPhone, not including the cost of getting hooked to paying such prices in the future.
Some other factors to consider:
- There’s is city-wide, free WiFi in Luxembourg (at least one good thing about this small city, apart from me being there
) - Skype was just released in the app-store, making calling on the iPod Touch + Wifi a viable option.
- Signing a 2 year contract seems like a big deal, considering I just started the job and still need to be able to keep it.
- The country of Luxembourg is so small, that I ‘ll be in international roaming mode before I know it (Mobile in Europe sucks, did you know that?)
- Taking a 32GB iPod Touch + a internet-less phone, would be ca. €400 + €30 per month = ok, €1120 for 2 years (bearing in mind that I usually NEVER take 2 year contracts on anything!)
- I already have an excellent portable camera, the IXUS 870 IS
- I also expect an upgraded iPhone to come around, hopefully within the next 6 months, but too long for me to wait.
So, it’s a tough decision for a cheapskate like me.
It’s taken me a long time to get to the point of wanting to use a touch-screen, which I considered an inferior typing solution, until… I watched this video. It’s amazing that this guy, sitting in a moving vehicle shaking like a bull on steroids, can type intelligible words on his iPhone, and nothing at all on a regular button-based keyboard.
Take that together with the iPhone OS 3, due to come out within the next 1-3 months, and it sounds like an interesting option. But €1300 for a phone? Man!
What do you say, cheapskates, buy or don’t buy?
Vincent
Jeremy Fain
alexandrelucas
Steve Danino
Lucien Huang
raphael encaoua
Leonard Sellem
Fidji SIMO
Matthias Schwenk
Remy MIRALLES
ceciiil
Emmanuel Perez-Duarte
Raj Sheelvant
Georgia
Well, I’m in similar situation with you. For me, 16GB iPhone with monthly unlimited data (Free wifi-coverage in Helsinki is spotty) would be 43e / month for 2 years with no up-front fees. (As a comparison, the Nokia iPhone-wannabe would be 32 e/month on the same terms) (Add 5e for theoretical 1Mbit connection instead of 384kbit)
I’ve heard many people to say that iPhone is the best thing ever, whereas the only people who have got Android are guys with Computer Science-degrees. While I’d really be interested in an open platform that has possibilities, the only phone I’m considering is Samsung’s i7500. The only problem is that I’ve no idea if any carrier will have a plan with it and it’ll be on sale in September here in Nokia-land.
My main interest in Android is Google-integration. On the other hand, my main fear with Android is that it’ll remain in the shitty Linux UI experience level for a long, long time to come. It has the same promise as Linux, and… by the looks of it, the same execution.
My belief is that iPhone 3.0 software and the new iPhone will be released at the same time, and WWDC is a suitable launch time for at least the former.
This is a bad time for cheapskates everywhere.
Comment by Kari — May 13, 2009 @ 11:16
Luxembourg is a tough case! I would stay with my old phone, at least for the next few months and buy the iPod Touch. If there really is free WiFi all over Luxemburg, this might be a good solution. At least you don’t mess up with expensive roaming near to France or Germany.
Comment by Matthias Schwenk — May 13, 2009 @ 11:40
@Kari: I think that the new iPhone may be announced together with the iPhone OS 3 in a month or so, but that there will be stocking-delays (a few weeks in the US, a few months in Europe).
@Matthias: that’s the direction, I’m tending towards also.
Comment by Vincent van Wylick — May 13, 2009 @ 11:43
@Kari Is the HTC Magic (”Google Phone No. 2″) already available in Finland? Vodafone recently introduced it in Germany (as well as Spain and Great Britain). I got it immediately as I am a customer with Vodafone and thereby excluded from the iPhone (which is T-Mobile only in Germany).
My monthly plan is 55€ for unlimited data and unlimited calling to Vodafone and the “normal” net (Festnetz, I’m missing the correct term in english). The phone itself costs 1€ upfront.
My experience so far: Very good. Let’s hope that the Google Market Place will catch up with the App Store from Apple!
Comment by Matthias Schwenk — May 13, 2009 @ 11:51
@Matthias, nope. HTC phones have never been really available here from the operators; it’s just Nokia, Samsung or iPhone here (should I even mention SonyEricsson anymore, they have so lost the smartphone game?). For this reason, on the San Francisco trip couple of months back, some of the guys brought back a bunch of HTC G1s.
I’d love to see Google’s Market Place to catch up with App Store, but it’s all up to the developers. And as I see it now, it’s the same thing as with Linux+Win vs. Mac apps. The developers for the latter pay a lot more attention on UI, where as apps for Linux / Windows are their own islands, UI and experience -wise.
@Vince, yeah stock delays suck. Samsung’s i7500 should be available in June-July in the “important” markets of Europe.
Maybe I should just get a heavily-subsidized Nokia phone and moan about it until something better comes along.
Comment by Kari — May 13, 2009 @ 12:43
Sounds like a plan
The Nokia E71 got some pretty damn good reviews. Wired called it the best phone for productive people.
Comment by Vincent van Wylick — May 13, 2009 @ 12:55
@Vincent: The E71 could be “Made in Germany”: robust, lasting forever but no fun!
@Kari: So why don’t you take the iPhone? You may never think again of Android Phones. And even if: The variety is still going to rise and sooner oder later they will find their way to Finland, too.
Comment by Matthias Schwenk — May 13, 2009 @ 13:32
Maybe a good way to separate life-areas: Get the E71 for work (no fun, haha) and the Touch for playtime.
Comment by Vincent van Wylick — May 13, 2009 @ 13:42