UK customers charged twice as much for an iPhone as Americans...

[Perfectionist]

US: 3GS 16GB £120.73 ($200)
UK: 3GS 16GB £440.40
Apple seem to have got their exchange rates the wrong way around ( see http://xe.com ), then boosted it even further.
£2.21 to $1? What the hell? It's not like it's made in America, there's no excuse for this whatsoever. I can't believe they are getting away with it. What a con.


Also, anyone know what's up with only two networks being available, at least on their site - is that a hard limit to one of those two that you can't get rid of without hacking it, or do Apple just have some kind of marketing deal with those two for their own website - can you get it from other networks elsewhere?

Is there any way to legitly buy an iPhone that isn't locked to a particular network? It all seems like there's a lot of anti-competitive "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" and anti-consumer behaviour going on...

[MadduckUK]

US: 3GS 16GB £120.73 ($200)
UK: 3GS 16GB £440.40
Apple seem to have got their exchange rates the wrong way around ( see http://xe.com ), then boosted it even further.
£2.21 to $1? What the hell? It's not like it's made in America, there's no excuse for this whatsoever. I can't believe they are getting away with it. What a con.

the UK phones are pay as you go, the yank ones are on a contract

[Funkstar]

Also, anyone know what's up with only two networks being available

Until recently it was exclusive to O2.

Now it is available on Orange, Tesco will have it within a couple of weeks. And I suspect all the other networks will have it by spring next year.

[Perfectionist]

Ok, well, I found some without contracts, and there's still a big difference, almost 50% added to the cost when you buy it from UK...

US: 3GS 16GB unlocked £513 ($850)
UK: 3GS 16GB unlocked £750

I guess bundlebox it is...

It's only the ones that are jailbroken when not sold as that that are having problems with worms right?

[Terbinator]

Vodafone are getting in on the action too IIRC.

[MadduckUK]

Ok, well, I found some without contracts, and there's still a big difference, almost 50% added to the cost when you buy it from UK...

http://www.plemix.com/phone-apple-iphone3gs-phone £504

http://www.elitegadgets.com/GB/Apple...%28667%29.aspx £599

so not really much of a difference considering your yank handsets are excluding duty etc

[Perfectionist]

BTW, would be interested in any opinions of people here on the Blackberry v iPhone question? I've thought about it and researched, and in the end I think I'm choosing iPhone because it's the most supported and most features, I don't have any need for obsolete corporate applications connectivity... However it would have to be the first thing I've bought Apple stuff ever due to all the proprietary lock-in crap they always seem to try pull on everything

• boldmedia.co.uk/blog/2009/05/22/iphone-vs-blackberry-why-im-jumping-ship
• pcworld.com/article/182174-5/iphone_vs_blackberry_vs_droid_vs_pre_smackdown.html
• wired.com/geekdad/2009/08/great-geek-debates-iphone-vs-blackberry
• technologygear.net/iphone-vs-blackberry.html

One thing I'm slightly worried is durability, iPhones seem a bit flimsy, and a bulky kind of proective case would kind of defeat the point (my current nokia 6230i's a bit old, but it's been dropped MANY times with no problems). Apparently Blackberries can survive being run over by a van (there was a youtube link in one of those).

Edit: Ah thanks madduck, good find.

[MadduckUK]

BTW, would be interested in any opinions of people here on the Blackberry v iPhone question? I've thought about it and researched, and in the end I think I'm choosing iPhone because it's the most supported and most features, I don't have any need for obsolete corporate applications connectivity... However it would have to be the first thing I've bought Apple stuff ever due to all the proprietary lock-in crap they always seem to try pull on everything

• boldmedia.co.uk/blog/2009/05/22/iphone-vs-blackberry-why-im-jumping-ship
• pcworld.com/article/182174-5/iphone_vs_blackberry_vs_droid_vs_pre_smackdown.html
• wired.com/geekdad/2009/08/great-geek-debates-iphone-vs-blackberry
• technologygear.net/iphone-vs-blackberry.html

One thing I'm slightly worried is durability, iPhones seem a bit flimsy, and a bulky case would kind of defeat the point. Apparently Blackberries can survive being run over by a van.

Edit: Ah thanks madduck, good find.

i can tell your a man of taste, i think you should give some consideration to http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=190234 watch some yanks talking excitedly about the "Motorola droid" on youtube about it for a bit etc, i think it could be your third option

[Georgy291]

Ok, well, I found some without contracts, and there's still a big difference, almost 50% added to the cost when you buy it from UK...

US: 3GS 16GB unlocked £513 ($850)
UK: 3GS 16GB unlocked £750

I guess bundlebox it is...

It's only the ones that are jailbroken when not sold as that that are having problems with worms right?

this is slightly off topic, but sorry for saying

WHAT KIND OFF A MUPPET pays £700 for a phone?

i mean dont you all think thats taking the piss abit as it is regardless if its uk america or w/e?

[Perfectionist]

It's more like a properly-portable laptop really. If it was just phone I was interested in I'd keep the old bomb-proof one

[Lucio]

The reason why the UK items come out more expensive is because whilst they can ship 1,000,000 handsets at a time to the States, they can only supply 50,000 or so to the UK. Even if you centralise your European sea freight and then road ship around Europe, the journey is a lot longer sailing from China to the UK, than it is sailing from China to West Coast US.

[MadduckUK]

The reason why the UK items come out more expensive is because whilst they can ship 1,000,000 handsets at a time to the States, they can only supply 50,000 or so to the UK. Even if you centralise your European sea freight and then road ship around Europe, the journey is a lot longer sailing from China to the UK, than it is sailing from China to West Coast US.

no in this instance we have already disproved that dont drag us back into it FOR GODS SAKE

[dbh]

It's more like a properly-portable laptop really. If it was just phone I was interested in I'd keep the old bomb-proof one

If that's the case you should just get a Windows Phone ala HTC HD2... would probably do everything you need to do and more... not like the iPhone is anything unique and it might cost a lot less!

[Perfectionist]

telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/6712089/The-Motorola-Milestone-will-Google-Androids-take-over-in-2010 sounds interesting indeed, might be iPhone killer in more than name...

Windows phone? I do remember the old Palm PCs but they never quite caught on did they - I'm imagining something similar to the above link but with a stripped down Windows or even maybe the full version of XP or something?

Ah: engadget.com/2009/11/25/htc-hd2-review
Looks like nothing revolutionary to me, in fact looks pretty similar to the iPhone's interface, doesn't really look like Windows

[MadduckUK]

telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/6712089/The-Motorola-Milestone-will-Google-Androids-take-over-in-2010 sounds interesting indeed, might be iPhone killer in more than name...

no, you already laughed at that, your not allowed one now :|

[Perfectionist]

Quote me laughing at it. I just make sure I know what I'm talking about before I do!