traylorc
Well-known member
I just don't see how the $99 iPhone is a better deal than the $199 3GS. Both phones have the same monthly plan, so it's not like you're saving any money on the monthly plans, which is what makes the phone expensive. If you can't stretch out to pay an extra $100 when you first get the phone, how can you pay $100/month for the next 2 years?
And I disagree- Apple needs an "insanely great" launch of the 3GS- most likely the next iPhone won't be released until June-July 2010. In the meantime, Android, Palm, BB, WinMo will be releasing more phones. So it needs to sustain the iPhone momentum.
It's not a matter of whether I think the $99 3G iphone is a better deal than the $199 3Gs. Bottom line is that we live in a price sensitive society. And for some folks, the very idea of being able to pick up an iphone for less than $100 is a big deal. Particularly when you have heard stories about iphones being sold for $299, $399, $499, etc...
I'm sure there were a number of folks who could have easily afforded an iphone when it first came out but chose to wait until the second generation iphone when it came out with the hopes it would cost less. All Apple is attempting to do with the $99 pricing is to get a few more folks to take the plunge and join the Apple family. For some folks, once certain products break that $100 barrier, all the sudden it becomes a good deal.
Also, please define "insanely great" launch. What exactly has to occur for this launch to be insanely great? Is it number of units sold first day? Is it overall revenues generated the first week? Is it iphones selling out on the first day?? Is it having the media show tons of people waiting in line to purchase the new iphone?? If the 3Gs winds up selling 7% less units at it's launch than the 3G is that a failure given the current state of the economy??
At the end of the day it probably doesn't matter how you define an "insanely great" launch. The Apple PR machine is going to spin this launch as the best in the history of mankind regardless of actual unit sold or revenues generated.