any cheap way of getting an iphone!

niamh_sull

I was recently looking at iphones on ebay and some are really cheap. Is it possible to buy one from America and get in unlocked here or am I looking for trouble....

Slippin Jimmy

niamh_sull wrote: »

I was recently looking at iphones on ebay and some are really cheap. Is it possible to buy one from America and get in unlocked here or am I looking for trouble....

Would getting it free on a contract not interest you?
If you buy in America it will be locked to the AT&T network, you will need to jailbreak the phone in order for it to work. But this all depends on firmware and if the jailbreak is out for your phones current firmware.

Gumbo

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Would getting it free on a contract not interest you?
If you buy in America it will be locked to the AT&T network, you will need to jailbreak the phone in order for it to work. But this all depends on firmware and if the jailbreak is out for your phones current firmware.

iPhones are now available sim free in America.

OP, depends on what you mean by cheap?
They are 599 and 699 from apple.ie so second hand is an option from adverts.ie, or free from a network but tied into contracts etc

120_Minutes

1 find friend going to America for a holiday
2. Give them approx €479
3. Ask them to buy you a sim free iPhone from an apple store and bring it back home
4 ??????
5 profit!

You now have a new iPhone 4 factory unlocked with warranty for just over 100 quid less than you'd buy it here.


It's not cheap but it's cheaper...

collier

Just be careful you don't buy the CMDA model as it will not work on a Irish network.

Slippin Jimmy

120_Minutes wrote: »

1 find friend going to America for a holiday
2. Give them approx €479
3. Ask them to buy you a sim free iPhone from an apple store and bring it back home
4 ??????
5 profit!

You now have a new iPhone 4 factory unlocked with warranty for just over 100 quid less than you'd buy it here.


It's not cheap but it's cheaper...

Op, as 120_Minutes has said it will cost you €479. Would you not just get it as a bill pay phone here for free and use the €479 towards your bills?

viclemronny

Op might be on a very good bill tarriff and not want to change to an iPhone one.

OP: When the 5 is announced, it will be a good time to buy a second hand 4. I did that last year for the 3Gs when the 4 was announced

120_Minutes

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Op, as 120_Minutes has said it will cost you €479. Would you not just get it as a bill pay phone here for free and use the €479 towards your bills?

Let's say hypothetically, the op goes for a free iPhone 4 on 3 at 40 a month for 2 years. That's 960 euros, IF he's not refused outright or asked for a deposit.

If i had the 479 on me I know what I'd do.

guil

120_Minutes wrote: »

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Op, as 120_Minutes has said it will cost you €479. Would you not just get it as a bill pay phone here for free and use the €479 towards your bills?

Let's say hypothetically, the op goes for a free iPhone 4 on 3 at 40 a month for 2 years. That's 960 euros, IF he's not refused outright or asked for a deposit.

If i had the 479 on me I know what I'd do.

But how much of that 960 is on calls/texts/Internet

120_Minutes

guil wrote: »

But how much of that 960 is on calls/texts/Internet

It the case of 3 that would be 350 units and 15gb a month for 2 years, but whats your point? My point is if the op is locked into a 2 year contract to get a free phone and finds out 2, 3 or 6 months in he doesn't like the network. He either waits it out or pays the disconnection charges to switch networks.

If he outlays the cost of the phone and goes on a sim only plan he holds all the cards and the phone is his, with no network locks or contract shackles.

If I could I'd spend the money now rather than spend more over time.

guil

120_Minutes wrote: »

guil wrote: »

But how much of that 960 is on calls/texts/Internet

It the case of 3 that would be 350 units and 15gb a month for 2 years, but whats your point? My point is if the op is locked into a 2 year contract to get a free phone and finds out 2, 3 or 6 months in he doesn't like the network. He either waits it out or pays the disconnection charges to switch networks.

If he outlays the cost of the phone and goes on a sim only plan he holds all the cards and the phone is his, with no network locks or contract shackles.

If I could I'd spend the money now rather than spend more over time.

comparing the price to buy sim free and on a contract is pointless unless you factor in the value of the allowances compared to prepay

Obviously if they don't like the network there's not much you can do and a sim only plan is only marginally cheaper

Staying with 3 it would be 960 over the 2 years with a free phone or buy it in the states for 479 and the same plan over 2 years would cost 720 giving a grand total of 1199

Tipsy McSwagger

Any idea what the iPhone 4 will drop to when the 5 is released?

120_Minutes

guil wrote: »

comparing the price to buy sim free and on a contract is pointless unless you factor in the value of the allowances compared to prepay

Obviously if they don't like the network there's not much you can do and a sim only plan is only marginally cheaper

Staying with 3 it would be 960 over the 2 years with a free phone or buy it in the states for 479 and the same plan over 2 years would cost 720 giving a grand total of 1199

Well, if you want to be locked into a contract to save a few quid and it suits, go right ahead. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to retain the control and be free to do what you like, spend the money now. A free phone is never a free phone.

Johnmb

120_Minutes wrote: »

Well, if you want to be locked into a contract to save a few quid and it suits, go right ahead. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to retain the control and be free to do what you like, spend the money now. A free phone is never a free phone.

While I agree with you, and in fact paid out to buy the phone from Apple in order to avoid any contracts, the OP is looking for a cheap way to get the iPhone, and a contract phone is the cheapest legit way to do it.

whiterebel

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Any idea what the iPhone 4 will drop to when the 5 is released?

How would anyone know that for sure, when they haven't even announced the next model yet?

Sad Professor

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Any idea what the iPhone 4 will drop to when the 5 is released?

If Apple do the same thing as last time, the current iPhone 4 models will be replaced by a 8GB mode for €100 less.

Tipsy McSwagger

Sad Professor wrote: »

If Apple do the same thing as last time, the current iPhone 4 models will be replaced by a 8GB mode for €100 less.

Thanks.

ironclaw

Sad Professor wrote: »

If Apple do the same thing as last time, the current iPhone 4 models will be replaced by a 8GB mode for €100 less.

No way, they'll keep them at least in the 16GB range. Thats the bog standard now especially given the price of memory has fallen sharply. I'd be very surprised to see a 8GB iPhone 4, especially considering they never made one in the first place.

Depreciation would also depend on the price point and if Apple release or rumor a smaller iPhone in addition to the normal iPhone. If Apple lower the entry price point, it would make the 4 almost worthless.

thomasj

ironclaw wrote: »

No way, they'll keep them at least in the 16GB range. Thats the bog standard now especially given the price of memory has fallen sharply. I'd be very surprised to see a 8GB iPhone 4, especially considering they never made one in the first place.

Depreciation would also depend on the price point and if Apple release or rumor a smaller iPhone in addition to the normal iPhone. If Apple lower the entry price point, it would make the 4 almost worthless.

they do it every time!

They had an 16gb and 32gb iphone 3gs. When the iphone 4 was announced they got rid of the 16gb and 32gb 3gs models and replaced them with a 8gb cheaper model. They did the same with the 3g when the 3gs was announced

guil

thomasj wrote: »

ironclaw wrote: »

No way, they'll keep them at least in the 16GB range. Thats the bog standard now especially given the price of memory has fallen sharply. I'd be very surprised to see a 8GB iPhone 4, especially considering they never made one in the first place.

Depreciation would also depend on the price point and if Apple release or rumor a smaller iPhone in addition to the normal iPhone. If Apple lower the entry price point, it would make the 4 almost worthless.

they do it every time!

They had an 16gb and 32gb iphone 3gs. When the iphone 4 was announced they got rid of the 16gb and 32gb 3gs models and replaced them with a 8gb cheaper model. They did the same with the 3g when the 3gs was announced

There was never talk of a cheaper model iPhone before though

I think they might sell the new one for 599/699 for 32/64gb and a 16gb iPhone 4 for 499 and maybe an 8gb variation for 399 or they might just discontinue the 4 altogether

Oafley Jones

guil wrote: »

There was never talk of a cheaper model iPhone before though

I think they might sell the new one for 599/699 for 32/64gb and a 16gb iPhone 4 for 499 and maybe an 8gb variation for 399 or they might just discontinue the 4 altogether

Can't see them retaining a 16gb iPhone 4 as a budget option. Even if the 5 is a complete redesign with larger screen it'd still be far too attractive a proposition and risk cannibalising sales of the newer device.

I hope I'm wrong, but I could see Apple keeping the 16/32gb capacity for the 5. It's not as if there's a lot of pressure from competitors in terms of storage still.