Stupid question for techie peoples

Peaches

Peaches

Well-Known Member
Can I just buy the phone I want (that's for my carrier) off Amazon or something and take it in to the store to be activated?

I want an iPhone. Badly. The model I want though, if I get it through Sprint, is $750 for me right now. Ridiculous. If I wait until my upgrade credit kicks in, it drops to $600, which is still ridiculous.

If I wait until my contract is up and switch carriers, the cost of the phone drops to about $300. I won't switch before the contract is up (because of the early termination fee). However the $350 difference would be a moot point inside of 9 months due to the difference in the plan prices. It's cheaper to stay with the current carrier, even paying full price, in the long haul.

I do not know what the cost of the phone would be assuming I stay with my carrier but wait for the contract to run out and then renew. (And, quite frankly, it's a decent enough contract so I'm not terribly pressed about switching it up.)

So... Can I split the difference? Can I buy the iPhone on the open market for about $500 and just have Sprint activate it? Still more than a new contract price, but less than what I'm being offered currently, it lets me keep the cheaper contract, and I don't have to lock myself in. Sounds like wins all around...but is it possible?

Anything else I should be pondering?
 
as long as its compatible with your carrier, it should be no problem. i don't have sprint, but i've bought or been given many phones over the years, which i had verizon activate. however, a t-mobile or sprint version of the same phone wouldn't work...had to be verizon compatible.
 
There are 3 versions of the iPhone in the US now: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Each will only work on its carrier's network. (I think some smaller carriers may have similar equipment so they may work on those too, like I think AT&T phones may work on T-Mo).

Anyhoo, you can buy any phone that works on your network and have your current contract assigned to it.
 
Joe said:
There are 3 versions of the iPhone in the US now: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Each will only work on its carrier's network. (I think some smaller carriers may have similar equipment so they may work on those too, like I think AT&T phones may work on T-Mo).

Anyhoo, you can buy any phone that works on your network and have your current contract assigned to it.
Click to expand...

It looks as though you can buy an unlocked phone directly from Apple that will work on GSM networks. I expect that means it will work with T-Mobile. It won't work with Verizon or Sprint, who use CDMA.

Of course, if you buy it without a multi-year contract commitment, there's no contract holder offering you a subsidy towards the purchase price. So that's the most expensive option.
 
Ask about activation fees. Most carriers will charge you $20-$50 to add a phone, depending on your plan. You might be able to talk them into waiving it...

Also congrats on joining us! The many, the proud, the smartphone addicts. ;)

Oh one more thing... make sure the model you like isn't going to get a price drop anytime soon. Or the next one isn't coming out. I don't care enough about Apple to keep track of these things. Heh.
 
Yeah, that's one of the many reasons I'm still dithering about this.

Part of me wants to wait and see what the price will be for me once my contract is up. I don't want to wait until then (every day I don't beat the ever-loving crap out of my phone out of pure frustration is a surprise), but the idea of not being locked into a contract is attractive. OTOH, I don't see that I'm going to change carriers any time soon.

And there are rumors about the iPhone 5. If they come out with that then the 4s should drop in price. I've looked into 4's, but haven't found any good ones with the capacity I want. (I've heard that there's no appreciable difference between 4 and 4s.) Shrug. I don't mind getting one of the old ones right after a new one comes out...but I also don't want to wait.

Want.it.NOW!!!
 
Impatience. This is how one screws the pooch, cell phone wise. DS was chomping at the bit for an Android phone. He begged and begged, so I got him one for Easter (late March, I think?) last year. I got him the latest and greatest Verizon had to offer at the time -- a Droid X with 3G. Before DS's birthday at the beginning of June, the 4G version was released and Verizon started offering some really nifty iPhones. :headwall:

I think sub is right. Be sure to google before you buy.
 
Holy cow! I was just over at Verizon, paying my bill. $849 (full price) for the 64 Gig iPhone? They must be out of their minds. I think I'll wait until I'm eligible for a discounted upgrade. "Only" $399. :lol:
 
See? Sprint is the same way. Want, but not at those prices. It rankles me that they'd rather lose business (to another vendor, or another carrier) rather than drop prices.
 
IIRC, Apple influence greater influence than handset manufacturers usually do, in determining price points/subsidies that may be offered by service providers. In fact you can buy the iphone -- including a service contract from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon -- directly from Apple's web site. Prices start at about $200 for 16GB + contract, and go up to about $850 for 64GB without any contract (unlocked).

I worked in that industry for years. The prices don't seem outlandish to me. If you don't want to spend that much on a phone (I know I don't), you could buy a simple flip phone for $20, and fill it up one $50 pre-paid card at a time. Then you have no contract and no major expense for the hardware.
 
Peaches said:
See? Sprint is the same way. Want, but not at those prices. It rankles me that they'd rather lose business (to another vendor, or another carrier) rather than drop prices.
Click to expand...


I didn't work in the wireless industry, but I did work in a related industry for more than a decade. It may not be a matter of just dropping prices. Often, these days, companies are selling hardware at a loss. They recoup their R&D costs by selling service contracts, accessories or software and subscriptions (think WoW.)


It's amazing how much computer components can cost. Much more than you actually pay, much of the time.
 
I watch the prices of printers with great interest. All-in-one wireless printers are down now to $50. The manufacturers hope they'll make a profit off me when I buy more ink. They sell the printers at a bigger loss every year. Sadly for them, the small cartridges that come with the printers usually last me a year -- and then it's cheaper to buy a new printer than a refill.

Telcos and handset manufacturers seem to have stayed smarter than that... so far.
 
Yep. Same thing with video game hardware. I don't remember the actual figures, but I do remember hearing the same thing about video gaming consoles. Just the cost of the semiconductor chips inside adds up to hundreds of dollars more than the purchase price of the unit.

IMO, this is why video games that take a couple bucks to copy and distribute are priced at $50 - $60. They're helping to subsidize the cost of your hardware. Same thing with online games, like WoW and others, where you can download either the "light version" or sometimes even the whole game for free or cheap. The company that owns WoW has no intention of giving you their intellectual property for free. They just know that, once you get hooked, you're going to gladly buy the upgraded version and pay the $15 a month subscription fee.

I have no problem believing that the chips inside a sophisticated smartphone cost somebody $849. I just have no intention of being that somebody. *grin*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top