[worth2]

Tesco seem to have the best iPhone deals as they are the only ones who do a 12 month contract. Everyone else is 18 or 24 months!

A 32GB iPhone 4 is 719 pounds over a year ie phone 299 + calls 420 (35 x12) if you take the 35 pounds a month package which gives 750 minutes, unlimited texts and web of 1GB a month. The 16GB is 649 for a year ie (229+420)

Seems to me this beats buying a phone from Apple and adding a Sim only card eg If 32GB is 719 less 599 (phone cost) = 120 divided by 12 months = 10. 10 a month in effect gives 750 minutes, unlimited texts and web 1GB a month. You end up with a contract free phone after one year and hopefully there will be better SIM only deals out by then?

Also their SIM only deal 1 month contract for 20 pounds a month for 750 minutes unlimited data and unlimited texts seems best in that range?

Anyone see any catches or better deals for that number of minutes???

[Hands0n]

The only catch I can see is that Tesco use O2's network. For me that would be useless as there is no useable 3G where I live, work and play! And I'm not going to chance a £600 handset on O2's notwork (sic)

[The Mullet of G]

Thats actually a pretty decent deal, especially since you can get a 12 month contract. Have to admit I'm seriously considering this, as it would cushion the blow of having to pay more for the 32GB model. So far imho the rest of the networks offerings have been pretty mediocre, so well played Tesco.

[Hands0n]

I would strongly caution against the Tesco offer - Caveat Emptor and all that stuff. Please, if you are going to commit to one of these, make absolutely sure that there is a viable O2 3G network in your area. Do not trust O2's coverage map - they're all completely flawed. Buy an O2 £10 top-up and check out the cover where you live, work and play. If it suits then jump in, the Tesco tariff is amazing value in any other terms.

[The Mullet of G]

I would strongly caution against the Tesco offer - Caveat Emptor and all that stuff. Please, if you are going to commit to one of these, make absolutely sure that there is a viable O2 3G network in your area. Do not trust O2's coverage map - they're all completely flawed. Buy an O2 £10 top-up and check out the cover where you live, work and play. If it suits then jump in, the Tesco tariff is amazing value in any other terms.


The O2 signal here is fine, and to be fair after 18 months on T Mobile any signal at all would be a bonus, Vodafone is also a bit of a suckfest here in regards to 3G signal. For me Tesco are the only company offering anything close to a decent deal, I could get a 32GB model on a 12 month contract and overall I'd only pay £669 meaning I'd effectively only be paying £5.75 per month for my contract. Thats absolutely light years ahead of any other network..... unfortunately Tesco Mobile are a bunch of inept idiots, and to actually get an iPhone 4 you will have to call several stores on a daily basis to check for stock, only to be told some other store has them, upon calling said store they will tell you they haven't had any recently but call back tomorrow, so they are basically just taking the piss. How hard would it be to take my number and simply call me when there is stock? I'm starting to think the whole thing is a scam, they bait you in with the bargain iPhone deal, then mess you around until you eventually snap and buy some other lesser brick from them. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Ben]

Sucks that you're being given the run-around :( I wonder how much stock Tesco is managing to snap up relative to the other networks? Anyway, hope you manage to track one down soon!

[hecatae]

I'm just worried you get a Tesco Value wallpaper to go with you Tesco Iphone

[Ben]

Totally, Mullet is going to have to put up with this: http://yfrog.com/fv28kzj

[The Mullet of G]

If I could have the phone tomorrow I'd probably put up with the Tesco Value wallpaper, well for a few days at least. :D

I'm having serious second thoughts about Tesco Mobile, I figure if they treat potential customers this badly, how badly will they treat me once they have my signature and money. I always considered Tesco to be a company with a fair amount of buyer power, but clearly when it comes to mobile phones its a small fish in a big pond, I doubt other networks are being palmed off with half a dozen phones every 2 or 3 weeks. I think I'll have to bad mouth Tesco Mobile on twitter every day till I get my phone. :)

One of the stores I went to took my name and mobile number, I thought yeah I'm finally getting somewhere and someone from Tesco maybe does have a braincell. Then he explained to me that if they get 5 phones in they will call everyone on the list which was at least 50 people, at which point 50 people will have to race to Tesco and the first 5 will be happy while the other 45 will be pissed off, this will be repeated until everyone on the list has an iPhone or has killed a Tesco Mobile member of staff, obviously working your way down the list from first to last is a broken system that can't work :rolleyes:

[Ben]

Lol @ the 50 person crush :D Sounds like they could use a proper pre-order process, there's no point having this mayhem.

Are the Tesco Mobile stock issues well known? I have no idea what stock is like in other stores but I know someone who picked up iPhone 4 in a Vodafone shop (though I think they had to go to a second store), and we've had one from Voda Business that took a week or two to deliver.

Oh well, should be well worth it when it does arrive. Just don't introduce it to a Tarmac carpark like I did :(

[The Mullet of G]

If all 50 people arrive at the same time it could erupt into a mass brawl, with the 5 winners taking all the iPhones, not sure if its worth getting a black eye over a phone though lol. :D

Seriously though its a hilariously bad way to conduct business, if they aren't willing to sort out a proper pre-order process, then just work methodically down the list they have, if they have 5 phones then phone the top 5 people on the list, phoning 50 people creates 45 angry customers to 5 happy ones, thats a bad ratio. :)

I don't think the stock issues are well known, despite me doing my best to let everyone know via twitter. :D

As far as I can tell most networks seem to have stock, I could probably get one tomorrow on just about any other network, yet Tesco seems to be getting about 5 iPhones every 2 or 3 weeks, I feel that someone or maybe even several people at Tesco need to be sacked, it would definitely make me feel better.

I'll try and avoid any tarmac meetings, having said that by the time I get it tarmac will be ancient history lol. :D

[The Mullet of G]

Well I finally got it today, one of the stores I called got 3 iPhones in, all 32GB models which is handy as thats just what I was looking for. While I was paying for it Tesco customer services phoned me in response to the verbal demolishing I gave them via email yesterday, I kindly thanked her and sent her on her way, I could tell by the tone of her voice that the call had gone much better than she had expected lol. Anyways I've played with my apps, I've jailbroken it and now I'm bored, when is the next one due out? :D

[Ben]

Congrats!

Talking of apps, I've just fallen upon foursquare. Eek. I've turned off all the annoying stuff, though, so it's not going to flood my Twitter. Got it so only friends see me at the mo, which should mean I can play about with checking in without the whole world knowing about it.

Anyway, the correct next step for you is to sit there with a soft cloth, gently polishing it and calling it "my precious".

[The Mullet of G]

I had a quick look at FourSquare after reading your tweet, but I can't really work out what its all about, other than a lot of people were being made mayor, so whats it all about and how do I become the mayor? :D

I'm currently sitting buffing my precious with the soft cloth that came with my diNovo Edge keyboard, why Apple didn't include a buffing cloth is beyond me, as I'd probably use it a lot more than the earphones they included. :D

[Ben]

It basically lets you 'check in' to locations so that your friends, and others if you wish, can see where you are. Might be cool for meeting up with people? There's also the game side of it where you collect points and compete to frequent places the most... That side of it interests me not at all :D

[The Mullet of G]

Ah I kinda suspected it might be that, but the game side of it threw me a little. Yeah could be cool for meeting up with people, but it could also be a way for my groupies to track me down and stalk me, so I'll maybe give it a go, but I'll be taking a similar approach to yourself. :D

[3GScottishUser]

There is hardly a hair's bredth between the deals on the iPhone on all of the networks. Perhaps a fiver a month at most?

That simply proves how screwed the networks are with it and how little room they have to be compeditive with the product. (Perhaps the same could be said of some Blackberry products).

What is desparately needed is more compeditive handsets to force Apple to reduce the cost of the hardware and to allow the networks to avoid revenue sharing which is artificially keeping the iPhone as a less attractive proposition at the same price points to other products. One would have thought that the user experience and the revenue from apps sales would have been sufficent to make Apple plenty of profit but demanding a premium up front from users and a share of network revenues look like being a greedy short term strategy that will make the iPhone a short lived phenomenon.

[Ben]

The price of the iPhone certainly could come down, but those of us that own them tend to conclude that they're 'worth the money'. Even if we wish they cost less.

I doubt the iPhone will ever be a short lived phenomenon, lol. All that the high pricing is doing is limiting adoption. I'm pretty sure that Apple know this. They can't keep up with demand as it is, so there's little point them slashing prices until they're ready to do an assault on the mass market.

[The Mullet of G]

I don't think the lack of competitive deals is all Apples fault, I think a lot of it is simply greed on the part of the networks. If Tesco Mobile can offer a 32GB iPhone 4 on a 12 month contract with a final all in price of £669, then its clear that networks forcing 18 and 24 month contracts with higher monthly payments are simply profiteering. The ironic thing is Tesco Mobile don't get phones directly from Apple, they get them from O2, and still manage to sell them much cheaper than O2 while obviously making some sort of profit.

[Hands0n]

It is important to avoid referring to corporates as if they were greedy little children/adults who plunder the pockets of the poor. They really do not.

All listed corporations have a fundamental obligation to make profits and pay dividends to their shareholders. That is simply the way of the world. And so each corporation will try and maximise its profits each year. The mobile network operators selling Apple handsets are no different.

With the Apple iPhone (in no way destined to be a short-lived phenomenon) is a premium product that sells very well over the counter SIM free. I actually question the need for Apple to sell through the mobile channels at all. That is by the by. The mobile network operators see the iPhone as a vehicle to increase their sales and stave off the period between acquisition and churn by issuing these 18 and 24 month contracts. The market seems to be quite willing to stand this. And so we have a perfect balance.

There is an abundance of choice, however, for anyone who either cannot afford or simply despises anything and everything Apple. And there are a lot of people who are of that disposition. These are the same crazies who hate Bill Gates or anything or anyone who makes a phenomenal success out of something. But they are most certainly not the voice of the majority who are quite happy to dip into their pockets to purchase these trinkets.

The margin cutters are now getting in on the act, as our friend Mullet has found. This is entirely to be expected, although Apple do control the retail price in much the same way that Levi jeans do their product. Were I Apple I would try to do exactly the same.

The brand is strong, the reputation is sound, the product is damned attractive if not actually very good too.

[3GScottishUser]

There is a significant difference with the Tesco Mobile iPhone offering and that is the amount that has to be paid upfront. It's £400+ and probably more than covers the cost of the handset at the outset. The £20 a month thereafter with the 200 mins/texts and data then works like a PAYG tariff allbeit that you are tied in for 12 months.


Definately the cheapest way to have an iPhone but the downside is the heafty initial cost which i am sure will be a big barrier to many potential customers.

[The Mullet of G]

It is important to avoid referring to corporates as if they were greedy little children/adults who plunder the pockets of the poor. They really do not.

All listed corporations have a fundamental obligation to make profits and pay dividends to their shareholders. That is simply the way of the world. And so each corporation will try and maximise its profits each year. The mobile network operators selling Apple handsets are no different.

With the Apple iPhone (in no way destined to be a short-lived phenomenon) is a premium product that sells very well over the counter SIM free. I actually question the need for Apple to sell through the mobile channels at all. That is by the by. The mobile network operators see the iPhone as a vehicle to increase their sales and stave off the period between acquisition and churn by issuing these 18 and 24 month contracts. The market seems to be quite willing to stand this. And so we have a perfect balance.

There is an abundance of choice, however, for anyone who either cannot afford or simply despises anything and everything Apple. And there are a lot of people who are of that disposition. These are the same crazies who hate Bill Gates or anything or anyone who makes a phenomenal success out of something. But they are most certainly not the voice of the majority who are quite happy to dip into their pockets to purchase these trinkets.

The margin cutters are now getting in on the act, as our friend Mullet has found. This is entirely to be expected, although Apple do control the retail price in much the same way that Levi jeans do their product. Were I Apple I would try to do exactly the same.

The brand is strong, the reputation is sound, the product is damned attractive if not actually very good too.

Corporates are greedy little children/adults who plunder the pockets of the poor, there I said it. :D

Besides you guys on here I don't know a single person who has bought an iPhone sim free, and lets be honest you guys don't exactly represent the average punter or the majority. Google tried to sell its phone without the networks involvement and look how that turned out. I'm sure Apple would fare better here, but its bottom line would still get absolutely hammered. I don't think the market is happy to accept 18 and 24 month contracts, they simply don't have much choice if they want a contract phone, again I don't know anyone who is happy about 18 and 24 month contracts.


There is a significant difference with the Tesco Mobile iPhone offering and that is the amount that has to be paid upfront. It's £400+ and probably more than covers the cost of the handset at the outset. The £20 a month thereafter with the 200 mins/texts and data then works like a PAYG tariff allbeit that you are tied in for 12 months.


Definately the cheapest way to have an iPhone but the downside is the heafty initial cost which i am sure will be a big barrier to many potential customers.

The reason you pay so much upfront is because the monthly tariff is only £20 and its also a 12 month contract, they have longer contract deals with higher monthly payments that allow you to get the handset cheaper, its no different from any other network, Tesco are simply being more flexible with their offerings which I highly appreciate. Given the choice I'd rather pay a lump sum now with low contract fees ending in a final price of £669 than pay less now and get screwed for 18 to 24 months and pay £900+.

The initial cost will definitely be a barrier for a lot of people, they will simply have to pay more over a longer period, a bit like buying stuff from a catalogue and paying it up over 24 months.



On another note, I'm currently not as happy an iPhone 4 customer as I could be, my phone fell 2 feet onto a cushioned linoleum floor and landed flat on the screen, it was a horrible moment for sure, but I didn't for a second expect there to be any damage, imagine then my disgust to see a chip in the glass above the screen just under the front camera. This is a bad situation as I've never owned a phone this fragile before, and I'm really not enjoying it. Also I'm becoming infuriated with the inability to adjust the volume without also effecting the ringer and alarm volume, it strikes me as being a frankly bizarre way of doing things. :(:mad:


Edit: Because Safari keeps changing £ to � after I submit my post, what a thoroughly annoying thing to do.

[miffed]

Indeed , the fact that glass breaks when you drop it is catching "special" customers by surprise all over the world ! I think some kind of disclaimer like they have on McDonald's coffee may be in order.
Maybe there is some method to Nokia's use of the finest quality cheap plastics after all ?

[Ben]

Y'just can't drop iPhone 4 :( My experience should've been a warning to you!

I'm totally paranoid about breaking my new one. So much so, that when I fell over on Friday night I subconsciously offered up my face to the floor rather than risk an impact to my phone.

[3GScottishUser]

If you are shelling out £400+ for a device then it's wise to protect it with something ... not necessarily the ridiculously overpriced bumper thing that Apple sell, there are loads of decent alternatives available.

A wise person would put £400 in a wallet or something and not just in their pocket!

[The Mullet of G]

Indeed , the fact that glass breaks when you drop it is catching "special" customers by surprise all over the world ! I think some kind of disclaimer like they have on McDonald's coffee may be in order.
Maybe there is some method to Nokia's use of the finest quality cheap plastics after all ?

Last time I checked glass was much higher on the Mohs scale than linoleum, if it can't survive a fall from 2 feet onto a soft surface then there really is something wrong, and I don't feel its being unreasonable to be disappointed or surprised here.

Say what you will about Nokia's plastics, but I've dropped Nokia's onto concrete without issue, my 7650 bounced its way down a flight of concrete steps, did it break? No, in fact there was barely even a mark on it, thus I conclude that plastic > glass. :)


Y'just can't drop iPhone 4 :( My experience should've been a warning to you!

I'm totally paranoid about breaking my new one. So much so, that when I fell over on Friday night I subconsciously offered up my face to the floor rather than risk an impact to my phone.

I'm usually really careful especially outdoors, but on a cushioned floor you kinda expect that you can relax a little, but oh no. I think in future I'd prefer my face to bear the brunt of any impacts, its definitely the better option. :D


If you are shelling out �400+ for a device then it's wise to protect it with something ... not necessarily the ridiculously overpriced bumper thing that Apple sell, there are loads of decent alternatives available.

A wise person would put �400 in a wallet or something and not just in their pocket!

I never use cases or protective covers on phones or any other gadgets, my mate has the bumper and the front and back glass covers, but it just completely ruins the look of the phone, if I'm paying £400+ for something then I want it to look nice, also if I break it then I'll just buy a new one. I did however order my free bumper from Apple, but chances are it'll never see the light of day.

A wise person would avoid wallets, as losing it means you lose everything. I've never used one and the most money I ever lost was £4 and that was when I was 12, my wallet bearing buddies haven't been so lucky. :)

[Ben]

A wise person would put £400 in a wallet or something and not just in their pocket!
I don't either. You can't buy a piece of Ive design and then put it in a nasty case. These things were made to be free!

:(