[3GScottishUser]

I am in Portugal right now and the iPhone is on offer at €999!!

Needless to say that i have yet to see one in use!!

Goodness knows what the Apple business plan is in Portugal.

[Ben]

Must be available subsidised on contract, surely? That's the same price as SIM-Free.

Have fun in Portugal!

[miffed]

Well its a funny old situation , wherever you go , the iPhones prices are skyward of any other device - its almost as if Apple have done this on purpose in a Stella Artois fashion

BUT ...... the uptake is great , and you'd be hard pressed to find an iPhone owner who DOESN'T think their iPhone is worth every penny they paid !

[DBMandrake]

That's far far more than the SIM free unsubsidised price in some countries.

In New Zealand, including sales tax -

3G 8GB - $950 = €469 = £418
3GS 16GB - $1149 = €568 = £505
3GS 32GB - $1349 = €681 = £606

€999 is an incredible rip of no matter which model it is for... I wouldn't be so quick to blame Apple though, as some countries have very high import duties on products like the iPhone... those that don't such as NZ see relatively similar pricing, taking into account exchange rate...(in fact the unlocked NZ prices are cheaper than the O2 Pay&Go prices where you also have to pay an additional £15 on top of the difference to unlock...)

[miffed]

They must have had the tourist prices up - they saw you coming Bill :D

http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/local_press_releases/portugal/portugal_press_release/vodafone_launches33.html

[Hands0n]

For sure, the iPhone does command eyewateringly high prices - but they are not a whole lot different to what you might pay at Expansys for a handset that is very much less 'coherent'.

I've said it many times before - you cannot judge an iPhone on price alone, nor even individual features that may be deficient compared to other handsets. With Apple, as it generally is with that company, when buying an iPhone you are buying into an overall experience that is quite unique.

That you can assemble such an experience on other handsets by assembling a collection of technologies/applications is all very well. But with the iPhone it pretty much comes out of the box like that.

I can't but help think that the price 3GSU has seen are unique/opportunistic...

[3GScottishUser]

The shop offering the iPhone at €999 in Faro is no small enterprise!

It's Jumbo in the Forum Algarve which is the main shopping mall in the capital of the Algarve. Jumbo is owned by Group Auchan a French hypermarket company and they have an astounding range of products on offer.

I have to say that electronics in Portugal are generally pretty dear compared to the UK as I priced a laptop that I bought on Saturday from Currys at £429 in Scotland, in Jumbo the same make and model was €699!

So if you plan on a holiday to Portugal make sure you stock up with the electronic goodies at home!