iPhone price shocks Apple fans
The much-anticipated announcement of pricing plans for the 3G iPhone, has disappointed many potential customers.
Anyone wanting to pick up an iPhone - set to be sold in New Zealand for the first time by Vodafone on Friday – for $199 has to sign up to a $250 per month plan on a two-year contract.
There are two other plans, the cheapest being $80 per month and offering 120 minutes of calling time, 600 text messages and 250MB of mobile data.
Customers wanting this option also have to pay $549 for the 8GB iPhone and $699 for the 16GB version.
A standalone phone costs $979 (8GB) or $1129 (16GB).
The price of the plans has enraged bloggers, with posts on popular website Geekzone describing the rates as “disgusting”, “utterly ridiculous” and “rubbish”.
There are believed to be thousands of 2G iPhones already in use in the country, which were purchased overseas and “unlocked” for use on the local Vodafone network.
Parallel Imported has been selling the 8GB 2G model for $1049, which can be used with any Vodafone plan or on prepay.
Vodafone’s website has crashed from all the extra attention.
Most Popular
Sponsored Links
- Talk to FleetPartners now and make the right decision about your vehicle fleet solution.
- Meet the SpaceseatTM, a new way to fly long-haul with Air NZ from November 2010
- Aviemore: " Grab an exclusive lake frontage land in South Island"
- Get your business banking up and running with Bizpac Essentials. Click here to find out more.
- Get 2.99%p.a. for 6 months on balances transferred to The Warehouse Rewards MasterCard. Conditions apply
.jpg)
Latest
- Cruise ship company expands into NZ
The good, the bad and the ugly - NBR 24/7's plays of the week- $19m claim but can Bill Birnie pay the bill?
- Bank seeks to liquidate Heatley-linked company
- What role for Auckland in primary economy?
- Jade’s profit slumps, but new product on the way
- Rich Listers and their ways
- Fletcher gears up for volume bounce-back
- Economy not much better than households think
- Telecom shares hit new low, but worse to come - analysts
NBR Services
.jpg)
Comments
Vodafone
Wow! I guess Vodafone really does not like its customers! OMG Where do they get off charging that much for equipment?
typically vodafone
Don't you love the cheap anticipation tactic pulled and then the expected backlash is greeted by their management who have an automated dummy response "well its an excellent product" ...but we still plan to offer it at rates which consumers generally cant afford....better still we don't plan on being seen as universally competitive and matching the plans offered overseas by other networks...instead we will serve as corporate w----- and disappoint all round.
In a time where petrol prices are rampant and people are watching their money more than ever, you'd be correct in thinking the public hands are best kept warm with the money they have earned in their pockets and not spent on a product that has been cheapened upon bad sales tactics.
Shame on you Vodafone for spoiling so many peoples' fun.
I guess we would be happy to wait for Telecom to put their offers on the table when they have their network up and running, there are enough smart people who have been soured already with Vodafone.
im sure the fridays sales results will tell all. indeed i am one person who will wait to see the competitions tariffs. no wonder people hack these things.
Once again
Once again the Telco's in New Zealand have price points for calls and data charges that far exceed other similar nations.
It could have been an opportunity for Vodafone to break the habit.
Shame on them.
that is ridiculous
I have been told 3 different prices for the iphone already.
why does it have to be so expensive?
Apple should have enough money without having to con teenagers and young adults in blowing their week's pay (if not months) just for this.
I was really looking forward to buying this on July 11th but instead i have to wait til the price goes down.
Instead of making $1000, Apple just lost $399 (the initial price).
3G iPhone cheaper than from Voda
Toshcomputers.com, where I bought my 2.5G iPhone last June, now also sells the 3G versions, without contract and ready to work with any SIM card on the Vodafone network. Why bother with those ridiculous contracts?
Waste of time
Waste of time. Was interested. Now not. Next please. Even $700 and it would have been enticing, just.
You don't need an i-phone that much!
How does an item that retails for US$199 (NZ$265) suddenly retail here for NZ$979 or over $1129? Lets guess that Vodaphone are paying nearer US$100 per unit so this makes a whopping 700-800 per cent profit + the cost of the plans which is also ridiculous.
You can get a 1GB vodem plan and a cell phone separately for around $80, so how they get this up to $250 a month is simply highway robbery.
I didn't know there were still so many yuppies around who can afford this. I guess I will wait a while.
I'll certainly be waiting.
I'll certainly be waiting. Compared to what other countries sell it at, this is daylight robbery by Vodafone. Surely Apple needs to get involved...
i-phone rip off
Very disappointing continuation of the "rip off" theme!
I wonder how long the VF marketing executive who appeared on Campbell Live last night will keep his job after pulling prices out of the air (like $50 per month).
A lost opportunity for VF NZ to gain some serious traction with their customers - it will be interesting to see how disappointed Apple are with their efforts.
Telecom to Save the Day
Hold fire one and all. Word on the street is that the Telecom offering will be a lot cheaper to buy, and plans are very realistic. I'll be waiting with baited breath for Telecom to save the day, and no doubt secure marketshare from Voda!
Greedy!
Vodafone is no different to these hungry money making oil companies with their record profit margins...
Who pays? We do!... and the management line their pockets with that so called silver lining... Just like the truckies did around NZ.
Let's all boycott Vodafone... I noticed on the news the headline they had was about the guy in Auckland being the first... other than that there was nothing about how sales went.
Good job Vodafone! How many have you sold so far?... Muppets.
NZ oligopolists strike again
Once again we see how the lack of competition in NZ leads to price gouging. As a gadget guy, I am getting to the point now where I either deliberately hang back a generation or two, or buy unlocked phones at fair prices from ebay, parallel importers or reputable overseas suppliers. You are killing the golden goose Vodaphone.
Wots an iphone
It seems some very expensive gadget has just come on the market.
Much marketing hype to get suckers to buy, without thinking of usefulness or cost.
The cost per month should scare the pants of most mature people,although teenagers won't worry (as usual).
I phone death
Tut Tut apple how to waste millions of dollars of branding and a dedicated following. Not a chance, do you really think using vodacon oops phone is a good business strategy.
Vodaphone has shown there true colours, we should all vote with our feet ( phone plans) and walk away. These draconian sales polices only serve to alienate the general populous and restrict the techno progress.
Shame on you apple, shame on you vodaphone.
the situation
bugger....
Brand new apple i phone 3gs
Description:
They are all new unlock sealed in factory pack with complete accessories
phones
APPLE I PHONE 3G ''S'' 32GB $350
Apple iphone 16GB 3G...... $300
Apple Iphone 16GB........ $320
Apple Iphone 8GB....... $300
Apple iphone 4GB...... $280
Nokia N97 3G 32GB Phone..... $350
Nokia N86 Phone........ $350
Sony Ericsson Satio $400
Contact:
+447031948648
Contact:
+447031948648
mobilephoneandretailer@gmail.com
Nokia 6700 classic 3G Phone...... $370
Nokia 8800 Arte Tri Band GSM Unlocked Phone...... $450
HTC Magic Phone...... $500
HTC Touch Pro2 Phone........ $520
HTC Advantage X7500.... $500
HTC Touch HD...... $300
Motorola MOTOSURF A3100 Quadband Phone .......$500
Motorola Z6w Phone........ $ 400
Motorola RIZR Z10 Quadband Phone...... $450
Buy 3 unit get 1 free promotional sales period.
PLAYSTATION GAMES
play station 3 (40GB) $250
play station 3 (60GB) $300
play station 3 (80GB) $350
play station 2 $150
play station 1 $100
Nintendo wii for $200
DGITAL CAMERALS
::::::::::::::::::::::
Nikon D700 - Nikon AF-S VR 24-120mm lens $900
Nikon D300 SLR Digital Camera $750
Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor For DigitalCameras $430
Nikon 25594 Coolpix S600 10.0 Mpix 4x Digital Camera $350
Sony Handycam HDR-FX1000 Camcorder - 1.12 MP - 20 x optical zoom $1600
Canon-EOS-50D-Digital-SLR-Camera-With-28-135mm-IS-Lens $900
Laptops
Apple macbook Laptop
Apple MacBook Pro Notebook laptop[ MA611LL/A ] 17inch $750
Apple Macbook Air Laptop Computer $850
Contact:
+447031948648
mobilephoneandretailer@gmail.com
Post new comment