Update: Optus iPhone Pricing Details ‘Wrong’
Update: About half an hour ago I received an angry phonecall from Optus about this story. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that the pricing tip I received was “wrong”. No more information was given, other than the fact that the story was incorrect.looks like we still have a little wait before we know what we’ll be paying for the iPhone…
The biggest question on everyone’s lips now that the iPhone has been announced in Australia is how much it’s going to cost you. Well, a friendly tipster has stealthily procured those details and sent them through to Giz AU. Thanks Tipster!
So, if you’re an Optus customer, here’s what you can expect we were told:
- *The iPhone is only available on a 24 month contract – you can’t purchase it outright
- *The 8GB model will cost $220, the 16GB $330
- *Only the 16GB is available in white
- *Optus won’t be selling accessories – they will be sold through the Apple store
- *There will be two plans available: a $79 cap with 1GB data and $300 worth of calls; and a $99 cap with 3GB of data and $400 worth of calls
- *Both plans include Visual Voicemail
- *30c flagfall; 35c per 30 seconds talk, 25c SMS messages
Now, as with any tip, this isn’t 100 percent confirmed yet – I’ll be chasing up with Optus in the morning to get confirmation. But the source seems legit from my end, and the pricing all sounds about what I was expecting.
What do you guys think? Is $79 for 1GB worth of data good enough value for money for a portable internet device?
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Comments
thats bull.
i want one and i am on optus, but i just signed up to a contract, so i wont be able to get it for atleast another 18 months.
:@
JACOB
The font is wrong for Optus
No pricing or plan details have been released internally at Optus
People in training for the iPhone release have been told there is no pricing model finalised as yet
Yes, and other sites (can;t rember where) have said a 3 tier system…somaybe those are the two higher plans…
I hope so because as much as I want an iPhone…79/m + 330 is way to much…
Hahaha, see you not there. I’ll wait for Android thank you :)
Come on OPTUS! it should be 10 GB of data for 79 bucks….
people will use lots of data on an iPhone, Optus clearly dont get it, what about 30 dollar cap with 20 dollar add on for 5 GB? that would be ok. But what you want, your jerking us off!
I’d rather get a Nokia N95 for free on the $49 cap plan from Vodafone or wait for the new Samsung iPhone copy to come out. Unless the iPhone is on a $49 plan (with a smaller data component) then the hype is lost on me. Both local carriers know people are going ga-ga for the iPhone, I have a feeling we will be ripped in AU with these plans.
So Optus do a takeover on the day the iPhone launches because Giz will be getting the most traffic then, and even though no one anywhere else is able to get any sort of idea of pricing, low and behold, Giz gets Optus plans from a “tipster”.
Way to undermine your audience.
Do i smell fishes or do i hear a boycott?
NO its just me, re-mortgaging my house just to afford this contract.
Offer us something reasonable for an oz battler or we may as well just have to source it somewhere else.
This is crap optus ,outright or nothing with me!
I’m currently on the Optus 5GB/$49/month mobile broadband plan. I can already use that SIM in a phone to access data, but won’t get calls.
How can they then seriously offer 1GB/$79/month for the iPhone? That’s an f***ing >500% mark up for the same SIM card (albeit with calls included.)
If that’s the case then I’m going to get a 3G iphone, unlock it, put my mobile broadband SIM in it and use Skype or other VOIP applications (they’ll be plenty soon) for calls!
After reading the above information on the pricing for this product. I am backing Normandy here, it is preposterous that some people think it is justifiable to be charged such profuse fees for 1gb of mobile data, $30? I have not a doubt in the world that regardless of the staggering fees, the majority of users living in major cities will inevitably exceed their data caps and be subjected either to dollars/megabyte or in the unlikely case throttled speed.
Ironically Steve Jobs along with the Apple Marketing team are selling the iphone at WWDC08 with the notion of AFFORDABILITY and catering to the general consumer rather than just the typical smart phone user. What the Optus marketing director said about the iPhone being in the same ballpark as the smart phones completely contradicts Apple’s “affordable” positioning. It’s even the attribute they emphasise in their ads! “Twice as fast Half the price” $50 cap + $30/month for 1GB of data is hardly affordable. AT&T are selling it for $30 Unlimited data for gods sake, and the Australian and US dollar are almost at parity! (well maybe not today… but close enough)
Even though they’re selling the iphone around the world boasting that it is reaching the corners of the globe, Australia is still lagging far behind many other countries when it comes to data costs. Ok, so it might be available here now, but without data at attainable prices, it largely defeats the purpose of owning a 3G device or iPhone.
Smart phones or any phones with internet browsing aren’t common in Australia at the moment, the reason being that apart from the lack of devices which support it, data is just not economically viable. Blackberrys are mostly used only by corporate highflyers, but I’m guessing Steve Jobs is looking to reach a much larger market than that with the iPhone, probably from high school/university students onwards. Teenagers in the US have been using the internet on smart devices such as the HipTop Slide or SideKick for a long time now since 2005, the reason being the affordability of data. The same thing in countries like Japan, where it’s completely normal to be downloading video data on your phone at any time of the day. However in Australia, it is clearly still not viable for most people, as can be seen even from the posts in this thread and comments on the gizmodo.com website.
The iPhone wants to change the way people use mobile devices, and introduce a revolutionary new mobile experience. But in order to do this, to take mobile devices to the next level, they have got to make it accessible.
We shall see in the coming weeks with Vodafone’s response to this price plan whether or not they will choose to be competitive or collude and as many users have previously most eloquently put: “rape us up the bum.”
Cross post from mactalk.au forums
This is *(&%$%&***Shite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These better be fake or else optus will lose thousands of customers.!!!!!!!!!!
It is a complete insult to all australians on a standard income. It was so exciting to see the release of the new iphone a few days ago and this, this is a complete let down. If vodafone are doing prepaid, then say bye bye to all your customers OPTUS!!!!!!
That is BOLLOCKS!
I have to say that i use pre paid so i don’t really know the going rate, but the guy above has a point …. Why no cheaper rates? Even if it’s not really good value for money on the calls/data side of things … we just want the iPhone!! Not your “great value” service.
I already have internet, mobile and home phone with Optus … so where’s my deal?
lets hope they sell it outright at the apple store in sydney or melbourne…..illl def be getting one from the apple store then this crap
keynote address from jobsie:
“… and in *almost* every one of these countries [incl. australia], the iphone will cost a maximum of $199…”.
almost.
This is pretty much what I expected for the high end.
Although they really need to release a $49 plan to get my vote. 1gb on a phone with 3.5″ screen seems reasonable to me.
When you think about the upfront cost $220 or $330 its only $10-15 a month over 24 months and is dwarfed by the $80 per month minimum so you’d think they could offer it for free.
Pretty much exactly what i was thinking it would be too.
The way i see it the monthly breakup is more or less $20 for handset repayment, $49 for a standard cap plan and then $10 for a 1GB data plan or a bit more for the bigger plan.
Its $20 or so a week… TWENTY!! Get over it. Of course they’re trying to make as much profit as possible. If you’re not happy, just wait till xmas and you’ll get it cheaper or just get a different phone.
even at these prices,
i GAURANTEE there will still be massess upon massess of people signing up on July 11.
i’ll be watching the news
and LOL-ing @ said people.
BG Optus. seriously bg.
Just lemme buy the stoopid iphone without all of your crap, okay? please? ffs.
or do i order one from US and go commando on the sim?
hmmm, I would pay $79 per month for an iPhone. However, 1Gb of data? I mean, i guess we have to look at it from the perspective that we will not be downloading movies etc to it, you do that on you home computer. I personally think 3GB on the $79 would be ideal. I use Wi-Fi at home, so it’s fine there, and I most likely will only be getting email and surfing when I’m out and about. So I can’t see myself using more than 3GB in a month. I just wish I could find someone who could tell me what they use in the US per month. That way we could better judge it.
I paid the $100 deposit after i stayed up all night for the keynote. I would sleep infornt of whatever store to get it the iphone. but 80 bucks a month i simply can’t do it. THANKS OPTUS AND APPLE…..
Sorry to add to that, I just found this site.
http://forums.ilounge.com/archive/index.php/t-201887.html
Most people using under 1GB per month. The thing about this they are on the EDGE network, so it’s slower and therefor you would use less. But 1GB might not be that bad. You know, another thing. Mobile data has always been expensive in Australia right? So it’s uptake has been slow. With this phone and going by whats happened overseas. I think the mobile industry in Australia will wake up to it self. To all the mobile phone manufactures out there. If you had bothered to put a descent browser in you phones in the first place, we might have cheaper data already. WAP is not the internet. I think we will see the networks change their plans once they see how much we will all use.
For those of you planning to import one from the states it isn’t going to work because you would have to buy the phone on an AT&T plan. You can’t buy it at the Apple store anymore without a 24 mo plan – bummer. I am with Patsy Stone and Rob V. Optus if you are reading this please offer more tiers of plans! And some sort of way to work it fairly with an existing Optus plan
Zero chance i’d be getting that. the upfront costs are ok, but monthly, not a chance.
heres what i would LIKE to see:
$49/month
100 Minutes talk time
100 SMS’s
1GB Data
$79/month
300 Minutes talk time
300 SMS’s
3GB Data
$99/month
500 Minutes talk time
500 SMS’s
5GB Data
i’d be willing to sacrifice talk and texts for more data, and im sure a lot of other want-to-be iphone users would agree with me
if it has unlimited data i will download large 8 gig torrent files all the time and sync it back to home pc!!! I will achieve truckloads of data!!!! and set up unlimited voip when jailbroken!!!!