Outside the US, iPhone Plan Prices are Asinine

With the iPhone 3G right around the corner, are you getting ready to make the 11th a fun-filled day? Many aren’t, and unless you have been living under a BlackBerry, you’d know that most people outside of the US are getting the roughest end of the deal.

The Canadian side of things has appeared on sites all over North America, but in actuality, Canucks aren’t seeing prices that come even close to other parts of the world. Don’t get me wrong, Rogers is using their monopoly to the fullest degree, but picture the poor folk in New Zealand, who have a 1GB / 600m plan that will run them $250 per month! The smallest plan, at $80, offers 250MB / 120m.

It’s also been found out that even though the AT&T plan pricing is relatively sane, the rock-bottom $199 price for the 3G will apply to new customers only. So if you are already in a plan with the previous iPhone, you can expect to pay around the same as you did for the first iPhone. Who knew when the iPhone first came out how much of a money-sucker it would be, and not even by Apple!

Another interesting point: all of us expecting to waltz into AT&T stores and pick up an iPhone for $199 will be sadly surprised. The $199 price is for new contract-holders only. If you’re an AT&T subscriber you’ll be paying $399 and $499 for your iPhone – about $100 less than the non-contract price.

Source: TechCrunch