Matt
Gone playing Dragon Age Origins
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
|  On the surface
While on the surface this seems very cool ... it won't matter for quite a while I doubt. I'm glad to see it happen though.
Unless you know where to buy an unlocked CDMA device (and face it, Joe Sixpack doesn't) and are willing to pay full-price for it, this is a non-event. I think most people will be surprised when they see the actual retail price of the phones that Verizon et al subsidize. It's much more than 50% of the cost, sometimes upwards of 75%.
When faced with a $200-$600 phone versus a $0-$299 phone with a 2-year contract, most people will take the contract.
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Linux Haters Unite! |
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dcurrey
Premium
join:2004-06-29 | The thing is if phones have to start directly competing and not locked to carrier they may just start dropping in price. |
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bobjohnson
Premium
join:2007-02-03
Titusville, FL | reply to Matt
Or it could be like Metro PCS and the like in which you can have a locked regular phone from whatever provider and they flash it and activate it on their service... That seems more like what they're doing... |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to Matt
I suspect that 'non contract' pricing will go up. Just like it has for items like DSL.
$50/month for 700 minutes + subsidized phone w 2year
while during that 2 year service prices will go up
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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lefty1
join:2002-10-25
Clay, NY
1 edit | reply to Matt
said by Matt  :When faced with a $200-$600 phone versus a $0-$299 phone with a 2-year contract, most people will take the contract. Bingo. The vast majority of customers signing up for new service want 'free' phones. There ain't no free phones and there never were. This'll be an education for them.
But this will be great for the thriving stolen phone market though. If you own a CDMA phone when this kicks in, you better watch it like a hawk before it grows legs. The copper thieves might even change professions. |
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esc0
@newskies.net
| reply to Matt
I think if Joe Sixpack wants a new phone with the newest features then he/she will have to come up with the money. But you can find most cheap phones on ebay for verizon. One thing about Verizon phones, they are not locked. Also if you can find a way to flash a phone from another CDMA provider then that's another avenue to take. Google has tons of info on flashing. |
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Matt
Gone playing Dragon Age Origins
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| The eBay phones are almost as bad as the price Verizon wants. I've looked multiple times. And the phones for Verizon ARE locked ... you can flash to another carrier's firmware, but you can't take that phone to another carrier. Even after you flash to an Alltel firmware for instance, half the Verizon features don't work.
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Linux Haters Unite! |
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dnoyeB
Ferrous Phallus
join:2000-10-09
Southfield, MI
| reply to Matt
You can expect the price of phones to fall. They are way over priced under the current model. I suspect the retailers get some tax or other benefit by acting like the phones actual price is $600. Once customers start buying these things directly, I predict you will see their price drop significantly.
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dnoyeB
"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard. " Ecclesiastes 9:16
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | reply to bobjohnson
that only works with certain phones according to their website. But MetroPCS needs to buy up Cricket from Leap and merge with Revol.US here in Ohio and really take on the big boys. |
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lefty1
join:2002-10-25
Clay, NY
| reply to dnoyeB
said by dnoyeB :You can expect the price of phones to fall.......I predict you will see their price drop significantly. I don't think so. Cell-phone companies aren't interested in selling phones; they're interested in selling cell-phone service. So unless the price of the phone is subsidized by a required additional data plan, I don't expect any significant price drops anytime soon. |
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