Metropol

There is a rumbling in some of the articles that apple has a say in setting the package prices. I mean, o2 justify £7.50 of the contract price by claiming it covers Visual Voicemail.

Sput wrote:There is a rumbling in some of the articles that apple has a say in setting the package prices. I mean, o2 justify £7.50 of the contract price by claiming it covers Visual Voicemail.

That's totally shocking. What right do apple have to stipulate ongoing charging to end users? They're not even in the telecoms market.

As for £7.50 to be able to pick the third voicemail message from a list instead of going one at a time - that's mental. Can you opt out of that?

Naturally I now can't prove it! At the moment they're listing the unlimited wifi and unlimited web as separate bolt-ons, each of which cost £7.50 (@ 17.5% VAT). I know what you mean though, gav: I'd be happy to opt out of the unlimited wifi one. I can't see me using that very often, but I don't think it's an option.

As for the pricing thing, my info is from the register, which is not the most reliable source.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/29 ... ne_iphone/

But Apple's demands for a share of user revenue, as well as control over the pricing and marketing of their baby, put some operators off signing a deal with Cupertino. This will likely result in near-identical offerings, differing only in the colours of the attached logos.

Our understanding is that Apple not only reserves the right to get involved in pricing of handsets, but also expects "partner" operators to contribute generously to Apple-controlled advertising. This is on top of the ongoing revenue share to which operators around the world have signed up. Operators used to demand exclusivity before agreeing to such things, but such is the lure of the iPhone, that Apple can call the tune without having to offer the additional inducement of an exclusive deal.

The truly shocking thing is not that Apple demands it, but that networks actually AGREE to it

Gavin Scott wrote:

Sput wrote:There is a rumbling in some of the articles that apple has a say in setting the package prices. I mean, o2 justify £7.50 of the contract price by claiming it covers Visual Voicemail.

That's totally shocking. What right do apple have to stipulate ongoing charging to end users? They're not even in the telecoms market.

As for £7.50 to be able to pick the third voicemail message from a list instead of going one at a time - that's mental. Can you opt out of that?

I hate to be special guest starring as Mr Q, but ultimately, why should they not have that right, in so much as if they want to stipulate in their deals with networks, 'you can carry the iPhone if you charge x for y", then surely that should be for them to argue out. After all, it's not like the networks should have some immediate entitlement to carry a phone on their own terms, just as it's not my right to demand my package price.

Just reading the o2 T&Cs a bit more, they've been very clever. They claim they are offering the web and wifi bolt-ons at no extra charge, although in every other case they each cost £7.50. This means that, ignoring the phone subsidy, you're paying (in the cheapest case) £30 a month for 75 minutes and 125 texts.

lukey wrote:I hate to be special guest starring as Mr Q, but ultimately, why should they not have that right, in so much as if they want to stipulate in their deals with networks, 'you can carry the iPhone if you charge x for y", then surely that should be for them to argue out. After all, it's not like the networks should have some immediate entitlement to carry a phone on their own terms, just as it's not my right to demand my package price.

You're right. I withdraw the rhestorical question, "what right do they have", but I'll leave in "shocked" and add an "outraged".

I get it. Its not price fixing per se, and its not a cartel - but its still gouging.

If all networks carrying the handset have to pay a certain amount, then its their own margins that are being shaved to make it a couple of quid cheaper.

I have at least got some time to evaluate whether my distaste at apple is greater than my desire for their gadget - and to see whether the other manufacturers can come up with an equivalent that makes my heart also go pit-a-pat.

I'm either going to be their customer, or I'm not, and its difficult to make an "aspirational" purchase when I'm being raped in the back end. Where I keep my wallet.

And *THAT* is why Chie carries two alarms.

I will borrow one while I approach an apple salesman.

marksi wrote:I don't want an iPhone.

I'm not sure I do either, but now they're coming to Vodafone I may be sorely tempted. My next phone of choice was going to be the Samsung Galaxy I7500 which is an Android phone, and apparently very good. It's on an o2 exclusivity thingy at the moment but only for a few weeks.

scottishtv wrote:

marksi wrote:I don't want an iPhone.

I'm not sure I do either, but now they're coming to Vodafone I may be sorely tempted. My next phone of choice was going to be the Samsung Galaxy I7500 which is an Android phone, and apparently very good. It's on an o2 exclusivity thingy at the moment but only for a few weeks.

They are coming to Orange as well.

scottishtv wrote:

marksi wrote:I don't want an iPhone.

I'm not sure I do either, but now they're coming to Vodafone I may be sorely tempted. My next phone of choice was going to be the Samsung Galaxy I7500 which is an Android phone, and apparently very good. It's on an o2 exclusivity thingy at the moment but only for a few weeks.

I'll likely want to stay with O2 as I get a £5 per month discount on my O2 broadband if I do, and O2 reception around here is very good.

Something else I didn't realise is that visual voicemail, while not spectacular, isn't available on the £30 O2 package, but only on higher ones. Tight fuckers.

When this deal comes to fruition (if we have Pay as you Go iPhones) will we be able to just get any sim and stick it into our current iPhone or will we have to wait until we replace it? I rather dislike O2 as they keep sending me annoying text messages and trying to get me to meet the england rugby team