Here We Again: The Apple Game With Iphone!

[Guest Reimar]

iPhone is one of the fastes moving product Apple even produced! That is true!

But what the he*l apple think about the latest actions they starts? No more cash for to buy an iPhone and even no more Gift cards to get one!

Is Apple no more thinking about future customers?

Read an short article:

Apple not just refusing cash, also refusing Apple Gift Cards for iPhones

You can chalk this one up to our bad in assuming best intentions, but when Apple said no cash for iPhones, they dam_n well meant it -- enough to extend the policy out to no cash for anything that could in turn purchase an iPhone. Turns out you can't even use your Apple bucks to buy an iPhone anymore, not even if someone bought you an Apple Gift Card with their credit card. Ok, for a lot of you this isn't a big deal, but who gets hit hardest? Try all those teenage Apple fanboys begging various family members for small denomination gift cards that will add up to the iPhone they've been after. We've never heard any company being so adamant about keeping non-paper trail for every single damned purchase, but now we're just left wondering how long until someone (or some state) sour from this bitter pill decides to challenge Apple on that whole US dollar bills being "legal tender for all debts, public and private" thing.

P.S. -No we're not lawyers, but yes, we're aware that it's probably completely legal for Apple to do. But that doesn't make it right, nor does that mean it will go unchallenged, you feel us?

Source

[Robski]

Once it has been accepted that you can only buy and use Apple products if you are paying your taxes and don't have a criminal record then the US (in conjunction with it's allies) will outlaw the use of Microsoft, and New World Order v2.0 will begin, hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!!!!!

[nikster]

Word on the street has it that there were large numbers of customers in Apple stores in CA each buying 5 iPhones (the previous limit) and all paying in cash. One guy was refused because it hadn't been 24 hours since he last bought 5 phones. The "no cash" policy is solely to enforce the max-per-customer limit across stores.

Makes sense, too - buy an iPhone in the US for $430 (incl tax), then sell in EU for around 800 EUR, or in Thailand for $800 - it's a nice profit there for the taking and peope are doing just that. I don't know if they use middle-men but in reality the way it's organized doesn't really matter. Capitalism will ensure that the phones flow out of the US and into the other countries.

Apple is trying to stop that.

If they were smart they'd just take over this market, but that's a different topic....

Edited October 30, 2007 by nikster

[Guest Reimar]

I really don't know and didn't have any clue why Apple doing the business on this way!

In my view it was already a more than stupid idea to limit a mobile phone to just one service provider, not in tha USA only but in the other countries like Germany as well!

If Apple opens the phone for all provider, they would have a much better selling and on the other hand they don't need to limit the selling and the way how they sell!

What's the reason behind the one service provider for one country? Get Apple a kind of "comission fee" for each sold phone with a contract from that provider? Or what other reason? Maybe it's a kind of "promotion"?

To force people to go a different way you need to "limit" the "widht" of the open way and if there to many running they would try to find an other one!

Ok it's apple's choice and apple's product!

[astral]

Nokia lives.

[cdnvic]

Apple apparently earns about $17/mo from each iPhone connected to AT&T.

[nikster]

Apple apparently earns about $17/mo from each iPhone connected to AT&T.

Indeed - the question is how much are they losing by not selling an unlocked version?

I don't really see the difference between Apple's revenue-sharing model and the normal subsidy model. $17 x 24 months is $408. So their revenue-sharing deal would be equivalent to a $400 carrier subsidy.

Surely they'd make more money by selling the iPhone world-wide @ $800 unlocked / $399 subsidized?! I am with Reimar here that the whole exclusivity idea was stupid to begin with. I think simple is better - if people want to pay for your product, let them!

PS: The pained expression on the face of the authorized Apple dealer when I asked about the iPhone today said it all. There's this hot new must-have product, it's out, it works, people want it, yet he can't sell it and doesn't even have a date when it will be officially available in Thailand! Meanwhile grey importers are making a killing selling the hacked version...

Edited October 30, 2007 by nikster

[cclub75]

PS: The pained expression on the face of the authorized Apple dealer when I asked about the iPhone today said it all. There's this hot new must-have product, it's out, it works, people want it, yet he can't sell it and doesn't even have a date when it will be officially available in Thailand! Meanwhile grey importers are making a killing selling the hacked version...

I remember the times when Apple was the small, ingenious "pirate" against the frozen PC/Crimosoft world.

Nowadays (and this IPhone insanity is a proof of it) Apple is acting like a pathetic anti competition thug.

Boycott this crap !

This "business model" represents exactly the same BS than the DVD players with "zoning" system.

Definitely an archaism.

[DamianMavis]

I dont mind at all, I support hacking in all its beautiful forms. They can put all kinds of limitations on things and some hacker will eventually fix it right up. Look at the PSP, sony continuously upgrades their firmware and a hacker cracks it shortly after to allow us to do what we want with OUR toys. The same will be for the iphone.

Damian