AT&T: 3G iPhone Has No Price..Yet

By Casey Chan
last updated

Let's recap the iPhone's prices so far: $599 to $399 to a rumored $199 to...undefined? One of the more interesting tidbits to come out of the 3G rumor mill has to be AT&T's CFO telling the media that no pricing decision has been made concerning the 3G iPhone. 

"There's not been a product announcement. There hasn't been any pricing decisions made. That's yet to come," CFO Rick Lindner told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York.

We have mentioned before that AT&T has not been as tight-lipped about upcoming products as Apple notoriously is. Perhaps a warning shot by the folks over at Apple (read: Steve Jobs) has effectively rendered the AT&T execs silent. Or could this possibly mean that the price points would differ between the two 'partners'?

What do you think? 

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Casey Chan
5 Comments
  • I guess they're guessing just how much we're willing to pay for a SIM-Locked phone with limited expandability, limited software, and to date: no hard keyboard. Oh, and it has the best multi-media and I'net access around.....
  • Bill, you are aware that pretty much all carrier purchased phones are SIM locked, right? Oh, and what is going to happen to your limited expandability and limited software comments when the App Store is released in a couple of weeks? Also, no hard keyboard is not a boon to everyone. I currently have a BlackBerry Curve and I have had BlackBerry devices for years. When the 2nd Gen iPhone drops though, I am dropping my long standing BlackBerry use like a rock.
    The SIM locked comment is the funniest though... You do realize that Apple and At&t struck up an exclusivity contract, right? Maybe you don't understand how business deals work, but it is expensive for one side or the other to break the contract, and the contract also sees to it that both sides get compensated nicely. Both Apple and At&t are benefitting in a huge way from this deal as there is little in the world that serves as a better demand increaser than limited availability. Why should either of them prematurely break the deal when it is so good to both of them and their respective bottom lines?
    The answer is that they shouldn't. What they are doing may piss YOU off, but nobody cares about you. I don't, Apple doesn't, At&t doesn't - you get the idea. SIM locking comes from the exclusivity, the exclusivity is a result of prudent business decisions on both sides that is good for both sides. It's is the way things work. It could be worse, it could be like exclusivity in the video game world. At least the iPhone can be "hacked" into an unlocked state and then used with other carrier's SIMs... In the video game world an exclusive is an exclusive. You can't hack your PS3 to play that Xbox 360 exclusive that makes you drool.
  • Tom, I truth, I'll probably look long and hard at the new iPhone. I just was not pleased with my first generation iPhone. I just sold in on eBay and went back to my Treo 750 for the time being. My big fat tremor limited thumbs couldn't get used to the virtual keyboard. If iPhone decides to support an external BT keyboard and the iWorks package, I'll be back. I just got tired of typing with one finger. Between the iPhone and Blackberry Curve I sold, I should be able to shop for my next smartphone a bit more prudently.
    I'm very aware of how SIM locking works having been a cell phone user since the early 90's. And, yes, I know the business practice that spawns it. Heck I own quite a bit of AT&T stock and am pretty happy with its performance.
    Personally though, I'll probably wait for the Sony XPERIA X1 to make its debut, before I decide. Because I travel out of the US frequently, I like a SIM unlocked phone. If I stayed in the USA all the time, the SIM locking to AT&T wouldn't be an issue. AT&T gives me great coverage here.
    The iPhone is a tour-de-force of technology as is my iMac. They work very well together and I'll be anxious to see the new product.
    I'm sorry that I seem to have offended you. I certainly didn't intend to. I was just musing as to how AT&T and Apple would jointly arrive at a price.
  • No offense taken honestly. It is more of a reaction to the constant iPhone bashing by the severely uninformed, or at least under-informed, masses. I am honestly just a fan of mobile technology in general, and I see the strengths and weaknesses of all devices, so I tend to defend all sorts of different platforms whenever I see what appears to be the makings of an uncalled for bash.
    I do tend to speak a bit harshly though, and it is a fault that comes from where I was raised. I guess I need to work on toning it down.
    All is well though.
  • I think we both have very high expectations for iPhone II. No problem.... I'll make you a deal: I'll work on being less sarcastic. ;-)