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> The original iPhone cost so much people mocked it. It costs twice as much now... The original iPhone models were $499–599 only WITH a 2-year AT&T contract, s

> The original iPhone cost so much people mocked it. It costs twice as much now... The original iPhone models were $499–599 only WITH a 2-year AT&T contract, so that price was heavily subsidized. The current iPhone 14 range is $799–1099+ for the base configs with no contract, but these are unsubsidized prices. (The base model iPhone SE is only $429 today.) Apples to oranges comparison. Carrier and retail subsidies still exist. It's just that they're no longer the only way to buy an iPhone.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
> The original iPhone models were $499–599 only WITH a 2-year AT&T contract, so that price was heavily subsidized. Untrue. Sure, you bought a phone that was locked to AT&T, but you didn't need a contract, and jailbreaking was a thing quickly.... Source: ya, I bought the first one before moving to China, paid $499 for it, and unlocked it before I left the shopping mall (University Village in Seattle) I was at.
- tedmiston 3y ago
  > Untrue. Sure, you bought a phone that was locked to AT&T, but you didn't need a contract, and jailbreaking... I bought the first iPhone as well. Not sure why you mention carrier unlocking for international travel or jailbreaking — two things that are completely orthogonal to the subsidized contract terms. I would encourage you to check your memory. Maybe you paid a higher price to not have a subsidized contract, or maybe you broke your contract, etc etc; in any case, the contract being 2 years is very well documented: > The iPhone was released in the United States on June 29, 2007 at the price of $499 for the 4 GB model and $599 for the 8 GB model, both requiring a 2-year contract.[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation) https://www.macworld.com/article/183052/liveupdate-15.html https://www.macworld.com/article/183052/liveupdate-15.html > The original iPhone reached the market on June 29, 2007. In the U.S. it was priced at $499 and $599, for 4GB and 8GB models, respectively, along with a two-year contract with AT&T. https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/29/the-story-of-the-original-iphone-that-nobody-thought-was-possible https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/29/the-story-of-the-... > iPhone requires a new two-year AT&T service plan. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/06/26Apple-and-AT-T-Announce-iTunes-Activation-and-Sync-for-iPhone/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/06/26Apple-and-AT-T-Anno...
  - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
    > I would encourage you to check your memory. Maybe you paid a higher price to not have a subsidized contract, or maybe you broke your contract, etc etc; in any case, the contract being 2 years is very well documented: No no, really, lots of people bought them without contracts, even from AT&T stores, at the subsidized price. I think it was the way Apple and AT&T were selling the iPhone: you paid the money, the phone was locked to AT&T's network, so you could only get a contract afterwards without jailbreaking. They "required a contract" but it wasn't done at the same time you bought the phone, so you could always skip it! This was in the early days of the iPhone, just a few months after it was released (I bought mine in October 2007). They closed the loophole a few months later. My memory is pretty accurate on this one, since I actually bought the phone at University Village (for $499?) and was using it in China a week after I bought it.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

> The original iPhone models were $499–599 only WITH a 2-year AT&T contract, so that price was heavily subsidized. Untrue. Sure, you bought a phone that was locked to AT&T, but you didn't need a contract, and jailbreaking was a thing quickly.... Source: ya, I bought the first one before moving to China, paid $499 for it, and unlocked it before I left the shopping mall (University Village in Seattle) I was at.

tedmiston 3y ago
> Untrue. Sure, you bought a phone that was locked to AT&T, but you didn't need a contract, and jailbreaking... I bought the first iPhone as well. Not sure why you mention carrier unlocking for international travel or jailbreaking — two things that are completely orthogonal to the subsidized contract terms. I would encourage you to check your memory. Maybe you paid a higher price to not have a subsidized contract, or maybe you broke your contract, etc etc; in any case, the contract being 2 years is very well documented: > The iPhone was released in the United States on June 29, 2007 at the price of $499 for the 4 GB model and $599 for the 8 GB model, both requiring a 2-year contract.[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation) https://www.macworld.com/article/183052/liveupdate-15.html https://www.macworld.com/article/183052/liveupdate-15.html > The original iPhone reached the market on June 29, 2007. In the U.S. it was priced at $499 and $599, for 4GB and 8GB models, respectively, along with a two-year contract with AT&T. https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/29/the-story-of-the-original-iphone-that-nobody-thought-was-possible https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/29/the-story-of-the-... > iPhone requires a new two-year AT&T service plan. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/06/26Apple-and-AT-T-Announce-iTunes-Activation-and-Sync-for-iPhone/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/06/26Apple-and-AT-T-Anno...
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  > I would encourage you to check your memory. Maybe you paid a higher price to not have a subsidized contract, or maybe you broke your contract, etc etc; in any case, the contract being 2 years is very well documented: No no, really, lots of people bought them without contracts, even from AT&T stores, at the subsidized price. I think it was the way Apple and AT&T were selling the iPhone: you paid the money, the phone was locked to AT&T's network, so you could only get a contract afterwards without jailbreaking. They "required a contract" but it wasn't done at the same time you bought the phone, so you could always skip it! This was in the early days of the iPhone, just a few months after it was released (I bought mine in October 2007). They closed the loophole a few months later. My memory is pretty accurate on this one, since I actually bought the phone at University Village (for $499?) and was using it in China a week after I bought it.