iPhone 5

[blairh]



I have a Sprint iPhone 4 (also a Softbank 4S in Japan and a KT 3GS in Korea, I use all three). I have no idea why I chose Sprint, I think I was really hot and tired at the time and thought I was going into a Verizon store. Sprint sucks, though, so I don't know how good of a deal that is if it means lots of annoyances all the time.
I love the iPhone, but have used ATT and Sprint iPhones and the ATT iPad all over the US - big cities, the middle of nowhere, just don't really feel the coverage/service is that good, sometimes the load times for data are horrifically slow. I really miss having Korean cellular service day to day - it's screamingly fast and they have had the entire country wired in every possible nook and cranny for 3G for like 10 years now. It's faster down below ground while riding the subway than it is above ground level sometimes. Tokyo's cellular services are not that great. Train lines are not wired for 3G or voice, so you can forget about doing anything but writing drafts or playing pre-loaded games. I find a lot of simple data things to be laggy on Softbank. Not really happy with it. It's not an equipment thing though.

I can afford my service with AT&T (roughly $82 a month). It's just that the Virgin Mobile offer is pretty amazing.

It's $30 a month (plus sales tax only I believe so really like $31.80). I'd be getting slower data speeds (especially compared to an LTE iPhone). But saving roughly $500 a year and 1k over 2 years.

 

[Rambo]

Its a monumental savings once you really add it up. The thing is, its definitely going to be slower. Its akin to signing up for MetroPCS. You just know you're going to get more dropped calls and slower data service. If you can live with this then its definitely worth the savings.

 

[blairh]



Its a monumental savings once you really add it up. The thing is, its definitely going to be slower. Its akin to signing up for MetroPCS. You just know you're going to get more dropped calls and slower data service. If you can live with this then its definitely worth the savings.

I agree. It's a tough call really. The savings are incredible. There is always the chance that the speeds will get to me and I'd give up. I don't know. I'm also weary of how easy it would or would not be to resell the Virgin Mobile iPhone down the road. Usually iPhone's sell themselves but the Virgin Mobile model can only be used with Virgin Mobile and is of no use whatsoever overseas.

I'll probably end up just getting the new iPhone via AT&T. I just wish my monthly bill was something more like $60 versus $80.

 

[GreenFrog]

Yeah, cell phone plans in America are a fuckin scam. They're so outrageously expensive for the actual worth/value you get out of them.

 

[Rambo]



I agree. It's a tough call really. The savings are incredible. There is always the chance that the speeds will get to me and I'd give up. I don't know. I'm also weary of how easy it would or would not be to resell the Virgin Mobile iPhone down the road. Usually iPhone's sell themselves but the Virgin Mobile model can only be used with Virgin Mobile and is of no use whatsoever overseas.
I'll probably end up just getting the new iPhone via AT&T. I just wish my monthly bill was something more like $60 versus $80.

You could always get the unlocked version and then use any of the GSM prepaids that are available in your area. Straight Talk, H2O, SimpleMobile, etc..

 

[JayJay]



Yeah, cell phone plans in America are a fuckin scam. They're so outrageously expensive for the actual worth/value you get out of them.

TRUTH!!!

 

[MikeDT]

I find it rather astonishing that some people in the US might be paying $80-$100 a month or even more for carrier phone service. Is there an AT&T, Verizon and Sprint pricing cartel going on there? Currently I'm paying probably about the equivalent of $7-$8 a month for service here, that's pre-paid, no commitment, on China Mobile. Even when I was in the UK, I was only paying around 20 quid a month with Three, about $30 bucks.

 

[blairh]



You could always get the unlocked version and then use any of the GSM prepaids that are available in your area. Straight Talk, H2O, SimpleMobile, etc..

SimpleMobile doesn't support iPhone's and H2O has crap plans IMO.

I've ruled out Virgin Mobile for a few reasons. Don't want to pay a fortune for a soon to be old phone (4S). Don't think it will be easy to sell down the road. Don't trust the slower Sprint speeds. A shame because $30 a month is the best deal for American consumers using an iPhone.

StraightTalk is very intriguing. 9to5Mac just did a mini review about them. Apparently you lose visual voicemail and they do throttle after 2 GB a month (both non-issues for me). $45 a month which is not as cheap as VM but definitely less than what I'm paying with AT&T right now. Best part, you bring your own phone to the mix. So I could just use my iPhone 4 or potentially get the next iPhone unlocked and contract free and use it. Plus it runs on AT&T's network and incorporates HSPA+ but not LTE.

At this point I'm all but certain getting the next iPhone. So it's just a question of AT&T or StraightTalk.

 

[GreenFrog]



I find it rather astonishing that some people in the US might be paying $80-$100 a month or even more for carrier phone service. Is there an AT&T, Verizon and Sprint pricing cartel going on there? Currently I'm paying probably about the equivalent of $7-$8 a month for service here, that's pre-paid, no commitment, on China Mobile. Even when I was in the UK, I was only paying around 20 quid a month with Three, about $30 bucks.

Pretty much. I'm talking straight outta ******, but I think we can thank the telecommunications act of 1996 for our steep prices. Instead of leading to lower prices through a competitive marketplace, **** like cable, internet, and cell phone plans are higher than they should be.

Feels like the entire industry is colluding.

 

[Pilot]



Pretty much. I'm talking straight outta ******, but I think we can thank the telecommunications act of 1996 for our steep prices. Instead of leading to lower prices through a competitive marketplace, **** like cable, internet, and cell phone plans are higher than they should be.
Feels like the entire industry is colluding.

To derail a bit more.... Just tried to set up AT&T at my new place. It was going to be over $300 for the deposit, "installation" fees, modem and whatever else plus $120/mo for the actual service (internet and basic cable with a few extra channels). Talk about insane.

 

[Willie5566]



To derail a bit more.... Just tried to set up AT&T at my new place. It was going to be over $300 for the deposit, "installation" fees, modem and whatever else plus $120/mo for the actual service (internet and basic cable with a few extra channels). Talk about insane.

I have had U-verse for over a year and I never paid anything like that.

What kind of service does one get for paying $7-$8 a month??? Is the cell service in China subsidized by the government? A cell tower (one) in the states costs $150,000 to build. So networks are expensive to build out and I am sure upkeep is not cheap either. I would love to pay less but certainly understand why the service costs so much.

 

[blairh]

If I just kept my iPhone 4 and used StraightTalk I'd be saving insane money over a 2 year period. But I'm reading some mixed reviews about ST's service on some other forums so I don't know.

 

[Rambo]

Straight Talk is Tracfone. In case you've ever had to deal with their customer service, you'll know why I'm bringing it up.

 

[MikeDT]



I have had U-verse for over a year and I never paid anything like that.
What kind of service does one get for paying $7-$8 a month???

I get 120 minutes of local calls and 1GB data a month for that. It's a pre-paid plan called Easyown, that's marketed in the rural areas. If I go phoning long-distance to another province, that's not included in the minutes. Also if I roam in another province or city like Beijing, those calls are not included in the minutes and I will be paying for incoming calls as well, at about 5 cents a minute. That's one reason why dual-SIM phones are popular here with people who regularly travel.

Is the cell service in China subsidized by the government?

China Mobile is owned by the government, although I believe it's listed on the NYSE as well.

A cell tower (one) in the states costs $150,000 to build. So networks are expensive to build out and I am sure upkeep is not cheap either. I would love to pay less but certainly understand why the service costs so much.

Quite sure cell towers don't cost nearly that much here, they just seem to plonk a few antennas on some high roof somewhere. Also I'm quite sure China Mobile never paid any massive radio spectrum auction fees either.

As I posted previously, even in the UK I was only paying around $30 a month, pre-paid with Three. That was something like 100-150 minutes and 1-2GB of data.

BTW the iPhone in China is only available from China Unicom(again state owned) for around $30 a month, not pre-paid. Think you get 150 minutes local calls and 2GB of data for that. Problem with China Unicom, is their coverage in rural areas sucks, like where I live.

 

[impolyt_one]

my iPhones in Asia are rather cheap too, maybe $40-50 as a bill. They subsidize the iPhone by making you pay for it monthly too, so some people add $30 or something. I paid for both of mine up front in cash, so I just get my service bill. Includes unlimited talk and data, I believe. I've run up big bills before but it was just international calling.