It could be for a pay as you go iPhone but at what point does the value of the iPhone become secondary to the advertisements?
That depends greatly on the individual.
How "trendy" (for many, the iPhone is a trend statement) would the iPhone be if it was plagued with ads?
Much more than you might think.
Being "trendy" is a huge thing to a multitude of people, shallow as that may be.
Apple adding ads to the iPhone isn't going to make the iPhone more attractive despite perhaps a more attractive price.
And that is a big deal to lots of people.
The cheaper it is, the more people that would buy it.
Why do Windows machines have the greater market share? Because they can be had for considerably less than even the least expensive Mac.
They don't know about or even care about the advantages or disadvantages of one OS over the other.
The bottom line for many is simply the price.
iPhone is seen as the innovator, it's already a household name.
It is the trend and face of the smartphone today.
It's also seen as being extremely expensive... not just for the actual device, but also for the plan needed to actually use it.
Sooooo.... If'n Jim-Bob can go to the Wally-Mart and git himself one of dem 'der iPhones with no contract for under $50 an it's only gonna cost him a teensy $20 calling card a month to use... well, he's a gonna fix to goin' an' gittn' one fer himself.
Yessiree... he's a gunna be teh hippest, trendiest sonnofagun in the whole trailer park.
Bottom line, the general public doesn't care about much of anything but the price... money talks. Nobody is going to care about some lousy ads if the price is right.
Especially in the current economy, price trumps just about any other factor.
Plus, Apple/AT&T have already been paid by the advertisers and they just got the ~$50 from Jim-Bob so what do they care?
Now, I realize pay as you go is inherently different than being on a contract but having ads doesn't negate the fact that...well...you're phone would have ads. I see enough ads in a day and I don't need another source of information about products that I probably won't use. Can you tell I'm not a fan of ads?
I agree. Most members here would probably agree with you. But we tend to be more rational and knowledgeable about tech items and the 'tricky' way that solicitors attempt to hawk their wares.
There would of course be some app to turn that off too, eventually... wouldn't it?
You're probably right... but you can bet that Apple would be quick to follow that with a buzzkill for that.