Brewology

Thought I'd take a moment to share my frustrations with the brew community...

So, I'm in Japan and I was considering getting the iphone this weekend. From everything posted online it lists the price at roughly $230 for 8gb, $340 for 16. I knew this wouldn't be the price if you were to buy the phone outright, but moving on...

Here in Japan, until recently, you've been able to get phones for next to nothing. I bought my phone last year, the model was only a month old, so pretty much brand spanking new, and it cost me 1 cent with a 2 year contract. And believe me, it's no POS phone... check the specs here. If I cancel my contract, I only have to pay the cancellation fee of about $97.

With the iPhone, which is on a different carrier than what I'm on now, you can walk into a store and pay nothing for the iPhone. What they do here is allow you to pay in installments. You sign up for the 2 year contract and pay about $28.80 per month for 2 years. On top of this they have a discount service that will discount the phone $19.20 every month. So seeing your contract out till the end you will end up paying $230. Well, if you get this discount and break contract, then you have to continue paying the remainder of the 24 months at the full price of $28.80. So lets say I leave Japan in one year, I still have to pay $28.80 x 12. To even get the bonus I have to pay by credit card (which i don't want to do). They don't allow for advance payments either, forcing you to keep paying for the phone for the remainder of the 2 years, in effect lump-summing the final payment to cover the rest of the phone.

If I really do want to get an iphone now, I'm going to have to pay out the a** to get one.

wow that blows. I like iphones but i have Verizon...

iPhone's <3 Verizon.
That is, if they're jailbroken.

Even if your Iphone is jail broken, it can't support Verizon b/c Verizon phones don't have simcards so they aren't compatible

Be careful. Jailbroken is not unlocked.

Jailbroken: can run applications and such that it wasn't able to stock

unlocked: can be used on a different wireless network

even unlocked they cant be on verizon. Different type of towers.

To add to BKF

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA wireless tech.

AT&T and Tmobile use GSM/GPRS. That's why in the US with an iphone you can either use att or tmobile with an unlocked phone.

Thank you brent for the quarification

I'm hoping that Apple unlocks the iPhones eventually and allows them to be used on all networks. I tried out the Blackberry Storm today and was not impressed.

I doubt that they ever will as long as they are AT&T exclusive.

It looks like Sprint is going to make sure their phones are the only ones approved on their network by logging ESN numbers and Verizon is following suit I am sure others will follow. I think T-mobile will be the exception but they were REALLY bad wen I had them and seeing how they are dead last as far as cell companies go I doubt things will change.

I think it is foolish for a company to restrict the phones people use especially when individuals may be interested in their service. There is only one explanation I can think of...

Greed: When you have enough, but you want it all.

You can use an iPhone on any network that uses a SIM card if it's unlocked.

Brent, I would just wait for the 3G to be unlocked, then buy one retail and unlock. Screw the monthly contract crap! I myself have a 3G iPhone on ATT but my fiance has the previous model and we unlocked it and she just uses it with her original SIM.

Buying an iPhone in Japan is going to cost me $700... I'll just wait until I go back to the US.

I just wish there was a way to use a 3G iPhone on AT&T without any special plans Why can't I just keep my cheap plan I have now?

The only thing you pay extra for is the data plan. Even that though, is the same price as any 3G phone, $30 a month.


I am on the same family plan I always have been, but I just pay the data package.

thats what i was going for