Is anyone surprised by Apple's releases anymore?

[Shane for Wax]

www.businessinsider.com/apple-prepaid-phone-2011-6

Apple will be releasing two new iPhones this September, says Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore in a note this morning.

It will release the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 4S, a "mid-range" prepaid smartphone priced at $350. The data plans would work similarly to the iPad. Users could sign up and pay for what they need when they need it.

I am not really sure if this is official (because it's prepared by an analyst) but it's so par for the course for Apple I think it's 100% true.

What do you think of a prepaid smartphone for $350?

[Napoleon the Clown]

Inexpensive, if it's a half-decent phone. Smartphones, without contract, can run you over $500. A two-year contract generally gets a ton of money knocked off the price of the phone because they know you'll be giving them money for the next two years or paying a lump sum to get out early.

[Shane for Wax]

Yeah. I don't think after dealing with my iPod Touch and iTunes in general I would buy an iPhone though. I'm going to go for an android before I go for the iPhone.

But I guess if you're looking for a cheap-ish option, that's the way to go.

[Art Vandelay]

Wow, Apple is releasing something that's not outrageously priced. I suppose competition from Android is beginning to its magic.

[Shane for Wax]

I'm still not swayed to buy it even if it's cheaper. I'm too fucking frustrated when it comes to dealing with the Apple products I have now and trying to do troubleshooting of other peoples' apple computers.

Plus I like Android's responsiveness and the general layout better. ;D

[Art Vandelay]

I'm not saying it's worth buying by any means, just that it's a significant improvement over Apple's other stuff.

[Amaranth]

Jun 27, 2011 19:22:31 GMT -5 Art Vandelay said:

I'm not saying it's worth buying by any means, just that it's a significant improvement over Apple's other stuff.

Isb't that like polishing a turd?

[Art Vandelay]

More or less (which, incidentally, is actually possible according to Mythbusters).

[Amaranth]

However, it misses the most important point of the cliché.

[alexiel]

Jun 27, 2011 17:08:42 GMT -5 Napoleon the Clown said:

Inexpensive, if it's a half-decent phone. Smartphones, without contract, can run you over $500. A two-year contract generally gets a ton of money knocked off the price of the phone because they know you'll be giving them money for the next two years or paying a lump sum to get out early.

This. Personally I've been pretty frustrated with the whole cell phone industry lately, and by "lately" I mean for the last several years at least. It seems like the choices boil down to either having a nice phone which is coupled with a contract that will leave you paying out the ass for years on end- or prepaid options where you only pay for the stuff that you'll actually use coupled with a piece-of-shit phone that barely works and gets crap reception.

That's not to say I'd run out and buy Apple's schlock, but it does give me hope that the powers that be are finally realizing that there's a whole middle-of-the-road market that's begging to have some options.

[Napoleon the Clown]

You can still buy a decent phone if you go prepaid or pay as you go, it'll just be a lump sum instead of a sum payed for an extended period.

[Amaranth]

Jun 28, 2011 18:46:09 GMT -5 alexiel said:

I mean for the last several years at least. It seems like the choices boil down to either having a nice phone which is coupled with a contract that will leave you paying out the ass for years on end- or prepaid options where you only pay for the stuff that you'll actually use coupled with a piece-of-shit phone that barely works and gets crap reception.

Or you could combine the two and get an iPhone.