[m.r.davies]

Hi all

I'm wanting to buy the mrs a 3g
been looking on eBay and they are going for around 250-280 which seems stupid considering no warrenty and a year of battery use

i could probably buy one and claim the vat back as it's for business, but it still works out over 300 quid

if after Christmas there is likley to be a price drop on paygo hansets then I'll wait

but if not I may as well bite the bullet and buy it for Christmas

any advice appreciated
thanks

[bbasra]

i believe Apple ditate the price and the iphone is selling well so there'll be no price drop and never have been by apple until a new iphone is released so shift old stock.

I'd just buy one now also before the VAT goes up.

[porsch1909]

I don't see a price drop happening until June/July when the new iPhone is expected to come out.

Why would they drop the price when they are selling in the bucketloads and O2 shops hardly have any stock of them?

We've already seen Orange come out with a price for PAYG that is £10 more expensive than the O2 price and I don't see vodafone being any better. I don't see why they should :D

[jerryjal]

Originally Posted by porsch1909

We've already seen Orange come out with a price for PAYG that is £10 more expensive than the O2 price and I don't see vodafone being any better. I don't see why they should :D

Only £10 more because it inc £10 top up.

[RobM]

Originally Posted by jerryjal

Only £10 more because it inc £10 top up.

As is the O2 version, which you can't buy without a topup.

And to the OP - Don't expect a price drop at any stage in the future. Apple hardware costs the same wherever you buy it, be that an iPod, Macbook or iPhone. Price fixing is illegal, but Apples hardware margins are so tight the price will remain the same everywhere even if every network takes it on.

[m.r.davies]

thanks all for your contribution
it's helped put my mind at rest and to just got for it

Cheers guys!

[snellfish]

so are vodafone likely to sell the £440 payg iphone at £451? this will only make sense if you dont have to buy £10 topup with it.

[RobM]

They will follow suit with their normal PAYG policy. If you have to topup their current PAYG range when you buy one, you'll have to do so with the iPhone.

[porsch1909]

Originally Posted by RobM83

As is the O2 version, which you can't buy without a topup.

And to the OP - Don't expect a price drop at any stage in the future. Apple hardware costs the same wherever you buy it, be that an iPod, Macbook or iPhone. Price fixing is illegal, but Apples hardware margins are so tight the price will remain the same everywhere even if every network takes it on.

I never let them charge me the £10 extra at the time. Just say you already have an O2 SIM at home and they won't. But you have to top up the £10 to activate the free internet.

[snellfish]

If I buy an iphone from apple store PAYG (either orange/o2 sim) and put a vodafone simcard in will it work on vodafone? same question but buy from carphone warehouse

[jerryjal]

Originally Posted by snellfish

If I buy an iphone from apple store PAYG (either orange/o2 sim) and put a vodafone simcard in will it work on vodafone? same question but buy from carphone warehouse

No, unless you jailbreak and unlock it.

[snellfish]

Originally Posted by jerryjal

No, unless you jailbreak and unlock it.

but i thought the payg phones that apple provide were unlocked until you activate with either o2 or orange sim?

[ferret1979]

To get a bit more money off, you could try purchasing online through quidco, I'm not too sure how much you will get back though.

One other thing is my local Apple Store gives discounts for local authority workers 8%, and for some other local companies, so may be worth asking if they do anything.

I got £50 off a MacBook Pro for my sister, and just under a fiver on the magic mouse.

[jerryjal]

Originally Posted by snellfish

but i thought the payg phones that apple provide were unlocked until you activate with either o2 or orange sim?

No, not sure how you came to that conclusion.

Only way of buying them unlocked is somewhere like Italy or play.com.

[snellfish]

Originally Posted by jerryjal

No, not sure how you came to that conclusion.

Only way of buying them unlocked is somewhere like Italy or play.com.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/iphon...l#post10762499

[jerryjal]

Originally Posted by snellfish

http://www.avforums.com/forums/iphon...l#post10762499

That does not say that you can buy them unlocked here?

Situation is that wherever you get the iphone from in the uk it will be locked to either O2 or Orange.

Or am i missing something?

[Professor Chaos]

Originally Posted by RobM83

As is the O2 version, which you can't buy without a topup.

Wrong I bought my 3GS on PAYG from the Apple store (online) and didnt have to buy a £10 topup.

[chelsea.tone]

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

Wrong I bought my 3GS on PAYG from the Apple store (online) and didnt have to buy a £10 topup.

Same here, but got a PAYG sim (which i sold )

[jerryq7777]

iPhone - Apple Store (U.K.)

I dont see why they just dont sell them unlocked after voda start selling them.T-mobile already offer existing customers the iphone and Three also offer high spending users the iphone so thats all the UK networks.Wish they would just unlock the sodding thing

[porsch1909]

Originally Posted by jerryq7777

iPhone - Apple Store (U.K.)

I dont see why they just dont sell them unlocked after voda start selling them.T-mobile already offer existing customers the iphone and Three also offer high spending users the iphone so thats all the UK networks.Wish they would just unlock the sodding thing

If you get an O2 Handset on contract you can unlock it at any time. I'm not sure about orange though.

[StevieDvd]

Originally Posted by jerryq7777

iPhone - Apple Store (U.K.)

I dont see why they just dont sell them unlocked after voda start selling them.T-mobile already offer existing customers the iphone and Three also offer high spending users the iphone so thats all the UK networks.Wish they would just unlock the sodding thing

It's a fairly trivial thing to scan the barcode and register the imei/uuid of a phone to the apple server and lock to a specific provider. I'm sure Apple would be fine selling them unlocked but obviously the providers here are not.

[UEF]

Originally Posted by porsch1909

If you get an O2 Handset on contract you can unlock it at any time. I'm not sure about orange though.

By which point you'd be well on your way to spending less money on an officially unlocked one

[RobM]

Originally Posted by snellfish

http://www.avforums.com/forums/iphon...l#post10762499

That's one unsubstantiated comment. It's not the case.

If you buy an Orange PAYG iPhone you'll get an iPhone locked to Orange.

If you buy an O2 PAYG iPhone you'll get an iPhone locked to O2.

I don't have the enthusiasm to repeat this for the other UK networks

[porsch1909]

Originally Posted by UEF

By which point you'd be well on your way to spending less money on an officially unlocked one

This is the APPLE iphone we are talking about here UEF. There is no space for sensible, logical or reasoned arguments in this realm.

[hufartd]

I really wouldn't hold my breath for any price drop
Speaking to a bloke today whose an exec with orange
They have sold 65,000 already!
Plenty of corporate contracts out there with vodafone still to go before competition kicks in.

[m.r.davies]

Originally Posted by porsch1909

If you get an O2 Handset on contract you can unlock it at any time. I'm not sure about orange though.

Only after 12 months

[RobM]

Originally Posted by m.r.davies

Only after 12 months

That's incorrect, you can do so at any time on O2 contract, but you still have to honour the remaining term of the contract. So you could request the unlock on day one if you wish.

PAYG is after 12 months.

[m.r.davies]

Originally Posted by RobM83

That's incorrect, you can do so at any time on O2 contract, but you still have to honour the remaining term of the contract. So you could request the unlock on day one if you wish.

PAYG is after 12 months.

Correct, but as per the title this thread relates to pay as you go

[RobM]

Originally Posted by m.r.davies

Correct, but as per the title this thread relates to pay as you go

Then don't quote somebody referring to contract as the quote clearly says and tell them they are incorrect.

[m.r.davies]

Originally Posted by RobM83

Then don't quote somebody referring to contract as the quote clearly says and tell them they are incorrect.

Sorry my mistake