06-15-2010, 10:06 AM

New iPhone4

US: $199/$299

UK: £499/£599


What a rip.

Looks as if I am staying with the iPhone3G

06-15-2010, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by Nighthawk4

New iPhone4

US: $199/$299

UK: £499/£599


What a rip.

Looks as if I am staying with the iPhone3G

Since the phones in the US are generally subsidized by the carrier, you can't really accurately compare costs. You would need to compare the no-contract cost in the US vs the UK cost.

06-15-2010, 10:30 AM

US
16GB From $199
32GB From $299

UK
16GB From £499
32GB From £599

Did I miss something with the exchange rate?

last time I looked is was about 1 GBP = 1.47751 USD

Shouldn't it read

UK
16GB1 From £134.65
32GB1 From £202.34

06-15-2010, 10:32 AM

Steve Jobs addressed this to a UK customer personally in a email, He explained that the UK requires the VAT (hope I'm saying that right) to be included in the price.

06-15-2010, 10:37 AM

Vat is 17.5%

So that should make it

UK
16GB1 From £158.21
32GB1 From £237.74

Still doesn't seem right.

06-15-2010, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by james_b

US
16GB From $199
32GB From $299

UK
16GB From £499
32GB From £599

Did I miss something with the exchange rate?

last time I looked is was about 1 GBP = 1.47751 USD

Shouldn't it read

UK
16GB1 From £134.65
32GB1 From £202.34

See my post above.

No-contract US pricing would be $599 and $699 I believe. Essentially for people able to get an upgrade or new contract from AT&T, Apple is still effectively selling them for $599 and $699, AT&T is just paying $400 of the cost, we pay the rest.

The model is different in the US than in the rest of the world.

06-15-2010, 10:40 AM

So the phones in the US are tied into a contract and the UK phones sim free?

06-15-2010, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by james_b

So the phones in the US are tied into a contract and the UK phones sim free?

Generally. In most cases, phones in Europe are sold separate from a cell phone contract and are usually unlocked. But that also means phone are much more expensive to purchase there.

The iPhone is locked to the "exclusive" carrier in the country, but the pricing remains the same.

Only in the US do we have this weird subsidy/contract/sign over your first born thing going on.

06-15-2010, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by james_b

So the phones in the US are tied into a contract and the UK phones sim free?

Not sure about the second UK part of your question, but the $199 US pricing is tied to a 2 year contract w/ AT&T.

06-15-2010, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by schweb

Generally. In most cases, phones in Europe are sold separate from a cell phone contract and are usually unlocked. But that also means phone are much more expensive to purchase there.

The iPhone is locked to the "exclusive" carrier in the country, but the pricing remains the same.

Only in the US do we have this weird subsidy/contract/sign over your first born thing going on.

Tell me about it, Nokia has been selling there high N series phones for years contract free. But remember also outside the US there is a international standard for GSM and 3G, Not like here where you have CDMA..etc

06-15-2010, 10:49 AM

ok then, working backwards from UK to US sim free price.

US
16GB From $738.24
32GB From $886.66

In UK you get the phones from the carrier not from apple, there are 4 or 5 they sell the iPhone with a 2 year contract.

06-15-2010, 10:50 AM

How about a "Why does the iPhone cost less in the US than in my country?" sticky?

06-15-2010, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by bargsbeer

But remember also outside the US there is a international standard for GSM and 3G, Not like here where you have CDMA..etc

That's not completely accurate...

In the US AT&T and T-mobile use GSM, Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. Everyone, except Sprint, will be using the same tech for 4G.

In Europe, GSM is the standard for all carriers.

In Asia, many of the big players and some entire countries are CDMA-only.

There really isn't a truly global standard. There's even differences between regions and sometimes in the same country where even if it's GSM it may be different frequencies so it's not compatible (T-mo and AT&T in the US for example on 3G)

06-15-2010, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Jaygray

How about a "Why does the iPhone cost less in the US than in my country?" sticky?

How about most people wouldn't bother to read it anyway

People who want to complain, generally tend to not bother to search or look if their issue has been discussed before.

06-15-2010, 11:20 AM

The price of the new iPhone is utterly ridiculous.

With each mobile release apple is turning more into the anti christ.