Prepaid iPhone 3G to cost Php34,000?

Abe Olandres June 12, 2008 · 1 min read

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And we thought the speculated prepaid price of Php25,000 was already expensive. According to Engadget, Vodafone Italy has just set an out-of-contract price for the iPhone 3G at â‚¬499 ($773) for the 8GB model and â‚¬569 ($881) for the 16GB models.

globe iphone 3g It’s common knowledge that the advertised $199 for the iPhone 3G is hugely subsidized by the telcos. In order to recoup that subsidy, they will have to put customers to a minimum lock-in period of 24 months.

So, if we followed the same pricing with that of Europe, an unsubsidized 8GB iPhone 3G will cost Php33,521 and the 16GB model will be as high as Php38,224 (based on today’s euro-peso exchange rate).

Here’s another catch — according to Macenstein, Apple will be doing “Mandatory In-Store Activation“. Meaning, the only way to get the new iPhone 3G is thru the authorized telco distributor. If you want to have your units unlocked, you’ll still need to buy them at their SRP and pay someone in Greenhills between Php2,500 to Php3,000 a pop.

How’s that for a solid revenue model? The cheap iPhone doesn’t seem that cheap anymore.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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54 Comments

Adjustable Beds Prices · 16 years ago

Useful information, thanks to the author.

poormkey · 17 years ago

umm Mahal pero maraming pilipino ang gstong magkaroon nyan and im sure madali din bababa ang value nyan, kgya ng mga ibang gadgets n nauso. di mo din ma eenjoy kc di mo nman mailabas sa bulsa kc kakaba kaba ka bka m snatch.

who-m-i · 18 years ago

37ooo 8gb and around 43ooo ang 16gb… sana naman kahit maging 32ooo lang 8gb ok na e d nmn kailangan masyadong malaki memory….. sana bumaba pa!

notnot · 18 years ago

yup! it’s so damn expensive! but i will buy it anyway.

jen · 18 years ago

35k is so expensive…is there any solution to make it heaper?

Wuz · 18 years ago

its actually P41,889 for the 8gb version
look here http://www.iphone3g.globe.com.ph/i/i?id=2256650

Lexy · 18 years ago

I guess I’ll just buy it here in states..
$650 is the cheapest price of iphone3g here
you can find sellers in craigslist ^^

old iphone versions are like $200-$350
if ever you’re lucky you can find a like-new 1st gen iphone and buy it in a very cheap price

hmm..im still wondering if iphone 3g is worth buying for..

Lizzie Mayers â™¥ · 18 years ago

…know what, it’s not that bad.
it’s worth the money.
the nokia n93 cost 34,ooo before..
..and the iPhone is waaaayy better. Ãœ

.trust me.

choy2020 · 18 years ago

just ask someone to buy the iphone for, outside of the country,,, heared that its cheaper to buy it at dubai

TravelBoy · 18 years ago

if aabot ang price ng iphone 3g above 30k pesos, lalangawin yan from the fact na ang hirap na ng buhay ngayon. only those affluent or iphone addicts can/will afford to spend such price. meaning, maliit lang ang kikitain ng globe kapag mahal kasi parehas lang naman kung prepaid at postpaid. mahirap ding mag postpaid kasi ang dami mga papeles na kelangan ipakita to prove urself na kaya mo magbayad ng ganun bills.

globe has to think wise

if it’s around 20k to 25k, it’s a box office hit!

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 18 years ago

@ Lindt Dale, AT&T announced a contract-free price of $599

@ alehkcis, Php25k for the 8GB iPhone 1st gen.

alehkcis · 18 years ago

magkano po b ang iphone 1st gen sa pinas ngyn?

Lindt Dale · 18 years ago

@ Yuga

with regards to that, I’m not really sure. But what i know is that if you end your contract after 30 days, you pay the termination fee and you own the phone as well…. that’s why some sites(like engadget and gizmodo) are telling that AT&T are planning on penalizing people that will end their contract. :-)

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 18 years ago

@Lindt, yup I considered that idea but it only makes sense if the pre-terminated account from AT&T allows you to keep the iPhone. On the contrary, AT&T gets you $175 and the iPhone back. So the perceived value of $199 + $175 would not apply.

Lindt Dale · 18 years ago

@ Yuga and FM Arbiter,

I’m not saying Globe will do the same with AT&T with regards to pre termination. What I’m saying is, you can conclude the “true” value of the phone to be that way, since AT&T is willing to give you the unit for $199 + $175 for 8GB and $299 + $175 for the 16GB Iphone. So basically, thats the value of the iphone. :-)

FM Arbiter · 18 years ago

@Lindt Dale

Yuga is rigth, if you try to terminate your contract with Globe you need to pay the unused month contract! Cheap i-Phone 3G no more!

Hehehe

Andre · 18 years ago

if you preterminate within 30 days with AT&T you have to return the IPhone…

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 18 years ago

@Lindt, yup, that could be one way around it but as far as I know Globe postpaid subscribers don’t have “early termination fees” — if you pre-terminate, you still pay for the rest of the unused months.

sylv3rblade · 18 years ago

35K? I was stupid to think Apple will go with the “For the masses” strategy.

DO NOT WANT

*hugs my 1100*

Jeric · 18 years ago

I thought the price would be at a maximum of $199 (excluding sales tax) for the 8GB model? Hmmmmmmmmm… I will only get the 3G iphone from Globe if it comes with unlimited SMS, unlimited call and unlimited 3G.

Lindt Dale · 18 years ago

We don’t follow european rates… If you take AT&T rates lets say for 8GB model, it’s $199 plus 2 year contract. But if you end your contract within the first 30 days, you just have to pay for the early termination fee of $175. so thats $374 in total. And for 16GB, it’s $474. In peso, 8GB will cost you at least 16,500 and 21000php for 16Gb, dont forget to add tax on that one. So really, were looking at 20k to 25k range in the Philippines, just like the first one you said in your previous article.