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Think Rogers iPhone plans are unfair? Try living in Sweden

ooz.nu — While Canadians have been shortchanged with Rogers iPhone plans there are still some people getting an even worse deal, the Swedes. A 16GB iPhone will set you back $4 356 after 2 years with unlimited data.

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  • ArvinJA, on 06/29/2008, -3/+79There are so many tech savvy swedes, and none of them will buy the iPhone i presume, what a shame.
    • jo21, on 06/30/2008, -10/+40smart people they will get a n96 probably.
      • Daniel591992, on 06/30/2008, -4/+6I saw the n95 the other day, and I have to admit, I'd prefer that over an iPhone...
      • stareD, on 06/30/2008, -4/+9I have a N95 and it suck donkey balls, nokia cant make a nice user experience..., btw, I live in Sweden, oh man I hate Telia!!!!
      • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 06/30/2008, -3/+4Here in Canada I was primarily interested in the iPhone, but no way I'm validating Rogers and their ***** plans by buying it now. But I did some thorough research on the N95 and it is a killer device, and apart from the interface and browsing, I think a solid alternative that is far superior in many ways.
      • Spudster, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3There needs to be an active movement to make the iPhone uncool until it lowers in price. If I see someone here in Canada with it, I will not be amazed, I will say they are a sucker.
    • falafelkiosken, on 06/30/2008, -1/+4I read you can order one from this site: http://www.international-orders.com/component/page ... or from England, France or Italy… it will still be cheaper than the Telia rip-off
    • Stormwern, on 06/30/2008, -8/+2Crazy, I payed ~350$ the first two years for my lg 3G phone, what on earth could be on a 2G phone you'd want to pay 4k+ for?
      • willi, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6haven't you heard that the new iphone is 3g?
      • Stormwern, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Ah, it's the new one, didn't say in the article.
    • Lutz, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10It's not that simple to just translate it into dollars. For starters, the price include taxes with 25% (yes swedish taxes are insane), but many people will buy the phone on their business to go around the taxes. You also don't have to buy the unlimited data extension because the max amount of money you can pay for data per day is 1.5 dollars after you've used your 100mb, so it would be cheaper to just not use that extension since you probably won't use the 3g every day, at least I have wifi spots at my friends places and work partners.

      The price is a bit high but I payed more for my m600i two years ago with 1gb of data, it's not a big deal really...
      • cdahlkvist, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Not to mention that 4,356SEK is only $723US.

        Is the price they are claiming in this article in US dollars? I can't see why it would be and that being the case, 4,356SEK is not a terrible price for 2 years of phone service.

        More importantly, if you don't like the price then you don't have to buy it.
      • pp7k, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Pretty sure the symbol "$" means dollars. The article does not mention Swedish currency. Americans tend to associate the "$" symbol with money in general, but citizens of non-dollar based countries assume it means "dollars" not "money" (usually assumed to be American dollars unless otherwise stated).

        Then again, since a Canadian wireless provider (Rogers) is prominently mentioned in the title one could assume these are Canadian dollars; right now the difference is negligible (1-2%).

        It would be nice to see writers be specific about all currencies, though I would think it safe to assume dollars and pounds to be U.S. and U.K. respectively unless specifically stated otherwise, i.e.:
        $1 = one U.S. dollar = $1USD
        whereas $1CDN = one Canadian dollar
        $1AUD = one Australian dollar, etc., etc.
      • Light11, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1@pp7k

        its actually CAD not CDN
    • jgtg32a, on 06/30/2008, -8/+16What do being tech savvy and wanting an iPhone have in common?
    • my10cent, on 06/30/2008, -11/+2Because iphone SUX, a phone should make calls and nothing else.
      • pp7k, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1The iPhone most definitely does not suck. Look at the ratings compared to any similar mobile. Who the ***** are you to tell people what they should do with their phones? I'm fairly certain no one from Apple will force you to web browse or email if you buy an iPhone.
      • Blandyman, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Rip the radio out of your car, it's just taking up space.
    • Schmich, on 06/30/2008, -2/+5iPhone isn't really popular in Sweden. You mostly see the latest Sony Ericsson or Nokia. Like jo21 said something like the n96 will be chosen instead.
      • MrSelfDestruct, on 06/30/2008, -1/+5That's because it isn't available in Sweden yet...
      • jgtg32a, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Never underestimate the power of religion.
    • GregR, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2With unlimited data, they may actually end up paying less than a Canadian on the current plan when you consider the crazy overage charges that are in place with the current plans - it'd be very easy to go over the limits on a low and even mid-range plan.
    • newstart, on 06/30/2008, -3/+3Why dont you all just shift to the US for some time. You will get bored of the iPhone in max 2 years anyway then you guys can go back. By that time your home countries's (Sweden, Canada etc.) telecom companies would have learnt their lesson. When you reach America and they ask "reason for migration" simply say iPhone. This will be "The Great iPhone Exodus of 2008"
  • linjuan001, on 06/29/2008, -23/+1Swedes smart
  • homiczek, on 06/29/2008, -32/+2Wow!! Iphone rox! They who have it, know!
  • Shootfast, on 06/30/2008, -0/+21I hope Australia's plans aren't too bad. Although with the current state of data caps in this country, I wouldn't be surprised to see $80AU for 100mb per month
    • thatsmyaibo, on 06/30/2008, -2/+4To be honest I am upset with the US plans. I know we don't have it as bad as Sweden and Canada but ATT isn't being competitive. I got the Instinct from Sprint and for $70/mo I get unlimited data and SMS. On top of that it has real GPS from TeleNav with voice guided turn by turn. The iPhone is better hardware but ATT is not making it easy for me to switch.
    • AxeMAYHEM, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6I'm with you bro. Optus and Vodafone have been surprisingly quiet about their plans and in the meantime Three is sulking in the corner that they don't have the iPhone (in Australia). My best guess is the same plan that Vodafone is doing for the Blackberry at the moment. $79 p/mnth.
    • yadame, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4Probably going to be even worse in New Zealand...
      • olliejnz, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Vodafone just lowered their casual data usage rates to "only" $1.25 a meg or something -- the real data plans cost something like $70/month with 200Mb of data and 50c for every *meg* after that.

        Go Vodafone!!!
    • rajinder, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Telstra has already announced their pricing plans for the iPhone, and they're going to release it on the 11th too. The same day as Optus and Vodafone.
      Here's the link to the Telstra plans:
      http://www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/iphone.htm

      $279 + $30 plan for the 8gb (free on $80 plan), $399 for 16gb (free on $100 plan), free wifi at all telstra hotspots
      • chromerium, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1No information on the data part of the planes yet, though.
    • Tenoq, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1So you take it on the Telstra plan @ $30 and pay the the $279 upfront (for US folk, these may as well be US dollars with the current exchange rate). That probably gets you $25 worth of calls and $5 of data, based on Telstra's current plans - or about 16 minutes of calls and 5MB of data to compare to a US plan.

      From there you need to add on a data plan - 1GB/month costs $89/month. Overage charges are $0.25 per MB. Overage on your voice is 46c per 30 seconds, with a 27c call connection fee.

      IMO Rodgers customers have a pretty decent deal - and the US deals are outstanding with their unlimited data plans. Unlimited data plans in Australia can be had for.... oh, UNLIMITED DOLLARS.
  • brewno2k, on 06/30/2008, -6/+144Swedish people can't complain, they have extremely high speed internet for their homes... and beautiful women. That's almost paradise!
    • ChristophyBrown, on 06/30/2008, -3/+142Don't know about you but... high speed internet pretty much means beautiful women for me.
      • prleet, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5You forgot to mention that the women only come in 2-dimensions.
        I on the other hand like 3-D's.
      • zzz@tkz, on 06/30/2008, -1/+7I like 4D, I'm not into time-frozen womens.
    • darkane, on 06/30/2008, -1/+17'Almost'? Wanting anything more is just greedy.
    • goerg, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8doesn't one exclude the other in this case?
    • dhughes, on 06/30/2008, -1/+14 Women love fat pipes.
    • caramba420, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Who needs the phone service in Sweden anyway? Aren't most decent sized cities in Sweden completely covered in 802.11?
    • dannelander, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5We pay huge freakin taxes and next year we will be monitored across all electronic devices. But yes, the girls are awesome and so is our broadband.
      Also, I am going to get me an iPhone at release (even though it's fairly expensive). If you got money, why not spend it? Sucks for all those who hasn't got the same luck as me though. But that is what monopoly does to thing.
    • dolphinCAGE, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0Except that most of those women crap in the concept of marriage, and have no sense of commitment whatsoever, yeah... I guess they're good.
  • virtualonliner, on 06/30/2008, -6/+19Sadly, it seems like Apple is going in the wrong direction. It is like they don't give a damn about consumer. Now some will say that it's the network that's ripping consumers off. But come on, why is Apple choosing them? I am sure that Apple is getting hefty sum out of every iPhone contract, and that is what they are looking for. To make as much profit as they can. But somehow, this does not seem right.
    • waynechng, on 06/30/2008, -15/+10Ah, what made you think that Apple cared about the consumer in the first place? Jobs has always been about the money hence the no Apple clone licensing from the very beginning.
    • ssavoy, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1No, but people are starting to realize they want to keep a consumer base starting at the upper middle class.
    • Redzin, on 06/30/2008, -9/+4How many musicians have been ripped off by iTunes? Too many to count...

      Apple is no better than Microsoft or any other big companies.

      The only way to go is open source. :)
    • lrdntwnd, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Apple isn't doing revenue sharing anymore. The phone companies are subsidizing the iPhone just like they would any other phone. I'm guessing that Apple charges them $399 per 8GB iPhone and the phone companies pay the $200 to be able to sell the phone at $199. That's how it works with other phone manufacturers and that's now how it works with Apple. So, yes, it is the network companies who are ripping off the consumers. That's what they do and there is really very little Apple can do about it. The prices for the iPhone are no different from those offered for other smartphones. At least not from AT&T (I'm not sure about the other carriers around the world, but I'd bet it's the same). And, the cost in Sweden isn't much more expensive than the cost in the US if you add the $5 a month extra we'll have to pay for 200 text messages (or $15 for 1500 or $20 for unlimited). It really is up to the phone companies and Apple still doesn't have the weight in the cell phone industry to get carriers to change their pricing. It was amazing that AT&T made the deal that they did for the original iPhone and now that it's taken off, they're going back to the business model that they've been using for years. Don't go blaming Apple for the greed of the cell phone industry. Though, that's not to say Apple is really much better, but they do care quite a lot about customer satisfaction and I imagine they'll be doing as much as they can to improve the situation, but I wouldn't expect much to come from it.
      • jakem1, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Apple are able to influence prices, even operating under the system that you mentioned. If they simply released the iPhone to more phone companies competitiion would drive prices down over time. The fact that they've chosen to do deals with individual companies in most companies prevents that from happening.
      • adpegram, on 06/30/2008, -1/+0Irdntwnd got it right, its the phone companies that are charging these outrageous prices. But keep in mind that a product or a service is worth what a customer will pay. If the Swedes will fork over the money for the Iphone, why wouldn't they charge them that much? Anyone who works with Apple usually ends up looking pretty good. Keep in mind the original price of the Iphone in the US was $600 before Steve dropped it. The same thing could happen in Sweden if the people aren't biting.
      • Mroutrageous, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2"Apple still doesn't have the weight in the cell phone industry"

        ---- Not true. Apple designed the Iphone from the ground up under their terms not AT&T's. Thats one reason it has the OS it does.

        Also Apple could start selling their phone to other carriers like Motorola and Samsung. Then the phone companies could battle it out on who will subsidize more, its called competition. That is of course once their contract with AT&T is up.
      • Tenoq, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Everyone seems to be forgetting this isn't the iPhone 1.0. Only the US laws let you guys get shafted like this - competition on the iPhone will be aplenty in Australia with 3 carriers confirming they're carrying the phone and also one confirming you can just buy the phone outright.

        Sure our prices still suck balls but the competition is technically there.
    • someone173406, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Apple was bought by Rogers because they are basically the ONLY GSM PROVIDER IN THE ENTIRE GODDAMN COUNTRY OF CANADA.
      • seanof, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2And Apple can't make a CDMA version because of the deal they have with AT&T.
      • Tenoq, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1seanof - or because the rest of the world is working with GSM, and it doesn't really make economical sense to make a CDMA handset.
    • colincornaby, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2More importantly, why are people blaming Apple in the first place? If someone has a really expensive RAZR plan, no one blames Motorola, but for some reason everyone wants to blame Apple when a carrier has a really expensive plan.
  • musha, on 06/30/2008, -4/+46it doesn't matter to them.. all they do is sit on ventrilo playing dota..
    • beasty_dave_Mk2, on 06/30/2008, -0/+13I hear you mahn
    • Endemoniada, on 06/30/2008, -1/+7Please, don't even mention that sob in connection with other Swedes. We hate him as much as everyone else >_
    • Buckeye17, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6Loves me some Basshunter.
  • Hellman109, on 06/30/2008, -17/+101I think some of you are forgetting that Apple make money from these contracts, and apple like to wall people into expensive things.

    Oh yes digg me down mac fanboys, but its still the truth
    • daPhoenix, on 06/30/2008, -6/+12Apple doesn't make a penny after the initial contract. Hence it doesn't matter if the operator charges people 100e/month for unlimited data - Apple won't be seeing any of that money.

      Plus we're getting iPhone+unlimited data (yes, true unlimited data - 24/7/365 all day long if you want, 384 or 2Mbps) for 39e 384/49e 2Mbps / month here in Fin so.. it's not too shabby.
      • waynechng, on 06/30/2008, -5/+3"Apple doesn't make a penny after the initial contract."

        You poor naive soul. Apple will make more money with this structure than the iPhone 1.0.
      • knuckles, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2You are kidding right? Apple is going to make .30 percent on the sale of every iPhone app on top of all the commissions they make from iTunes sales as well. The iPhone is not a product, it's a business that has been exactly calculated to generate a lot of money for Apple. The FEWER iPhones Apple sells the WORSE off they are. They make TONS of money POST sale.

        This is the reason Apple should be concerned with companies like Rogers who's plans are geared to rape clients with a side effect being low sales for Apple.
      • RobSaint, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7I'm sure he said Apple wasn't going to make any money after the initial contract meaning that they wouldn't be making money from just that "the contract". He didn't mention anything about the App store or iTunes which are irrelevant in this discussion as it is the price plan that is at issue here!

        I for one am looking forward to the App Store, so you can't blame Apple for everything that the Operators are charging. Plus you also need to consider that in places like Norway and Sweden they earn about 40% more that everyone else in the world and all prices are inflated over there.
    • bombastica, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2I am pretty sure revenue sharing was only in the united states, and Apple doesn't even see that benefit anymore. It sucks that a company like Rogers or whoever will charge out the nose for data but it's not like Apple suggested charging that much.
    • colincornaby, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2"I think some of you are forgetting that Apple make money from these contracts, and apple like to wall people into expensive things."

      No, actually. They don't make any extra on the 3G iPhone plans.
  • chetanthaker, on 06/30/2008, -11/+3Expecting another cry-baby email to His Jobsliness
  • alpha88, on 06/30/2008, -1/+37But at least you have the option to have unlimited data.
    • ooznu, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8Yes we do have the option for unlimited data but it's not like Telia is making it an easy choice. Besides whats included 100 / 250 / 1000 MB extra MBs are $3,33 or a maximum of $1,5 / day meaning $45 per month in data. You could then again choice an unlimited data plan for $33. So it's not even easy knowing which data plan to choice for most normal people.

      Other cell phone operators in Sweden offers unlimited HDSPA data for $16,5/ month so why we had to get the worst operator to sell the best phone is beyond me.
      • caramba420, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0Isn't there 802.11 everywhere in Sweden anyway? Why even bother with the phone service?
    • JHaze, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6Having the option is absolutely no good if it's too expensive for user to use.

      If no one buys the iPhone because the rates are too high, then perhaps the telecoms will lower their rates to try and spur sales, that would be my advice.
      If your going to write an email, dont Steve Jobs complaining, but email the telecom CEO's and Marketing dept. saying that you'd love to purchase one, but the service rates simply aren't fair.
  • webprochina, on 06/30/2008, -5/+0i'd show my sympathy to your guys.
  • ec230, on 06/30/2008, -2/+26In Norway it costs 200$ a month for the 1000mb 1000text and 1000min voice IPhone 16GB 180$ and no unlimeted data.
    or 80$ a month for 100mb 100txt and 100min voice and the IPhone 16GB 460$
    2$ for 1mb over the 100mb limit

    Beat that!
    • ooznu, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6Well, its Telia :(. They really don't care about their customers at all!
      • falafelkiosken, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Telia still think they have monopoly, and in some ways they still do. I wish the liberal government would put some pressure on them, but obviously they care as little about the free market as the social democrats do
    • armandgunerio, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8I'm not ***** buying an iPhone because the ridiculous prices that Netcom (Norway's TeliaSonera) has set up. There are other things one can get without having to pay a ***** of money every month... :/
      • rodrigo74, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Same here. I'll probably get one from the US or France and unlock it, frack you very much NetCom.
    • paalu, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Les denne: http://www.vg.no/teknologi/artikkel.php?artid=5093 ...
    • Mila, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Can you also give me prices for the following?

      1 beer (purchased in a bar)
      Liter of gas
      Pack of cigarrettes
      • jeuhrn, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!!1

        Beer is as CHEAP as ~$10 USD, but often more than that in a pub.

        Gas I believe to be around $2.3-$2.5 USD per liter these days.

        Cigarettes I'm not sure about, but I think a 20-pack is probably around $15-18 USD
      • Mila, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Thank you! It helps to put all this into perspective.
      • christine600, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Wrong things to ask the prices of. Beer, gas and cigs are heavily taxed in Norway.

      • cdahlkvist, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3In U.S. currency:

        Beer $7.62pint (This depends on what you drink though)
        Gas $2.16liter ($8.64/gallon for those of you in the U.S.)
        Cigarettes $7.53pack
      • blackjack75, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yes, usually things like bread, and housing are more indicating of the cost of living.
      • Blandyman, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Jesus Christ, $15 for a pack of smokes?

        Thank God my mom doesn't live in Norway, she'd actually have to quit! X-D
  • mikephimikephi, on 06/30/2008, -6/+24Who uses a .png to display a table?
    • ooznu, on 06/30/2008, -1/+17Someone who doesn't like to create html tables and uses a Macbook todo screen captures :)
      • Nicoon, on 06/30/2008, -5/+0If you are refering to the whole web developer debate regarding tables vs divs that died ages ago, I think you might have misunderstood what they were talking about.

        The point was that you shouldn't use tables for design.
        Tables are ok - for tabular data.
      • Blandyman, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Nicoon:

        Oh, like a table?

        He was making the joke that the author didn't want to take his sweet time to do it, and that he uses a Mac, which automatically saves screen captures in .png format (if I'm not mistaken, but I don't use a Mac very often.)
    • Giga, on 06/30/2008, -3/+1At least it is harder for a web browser to screw up the rendering of it...
    • bodger, on 06/30/2008, -2/+16Ikea?
    • pgib, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7Someone who's not using IE or any other browser not capable of displaying them?
  • brheath, on 06/30/2008, -6/+18Here's a suggestion: buy a different phone and pay a different contract.
  • Kormiku, on 06/30/2008, -1/+42in china, i pay about 10 dollars a month for 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, >>or>> 1000 gb of internet. China's cellphone companies are very cheap
    • zamli, on 06/30/2008, -21/+5You was forced by the goverment to write this, right?
      • jonathandyer, on 06/30/2008, -8/+3I guess you were not forced to grammar school were you.
      • ElGanyan, on 06/30/2008, -1/+6"I guess you were not forced to grammar school were you."

        ...forced to ATTEND grammar school...?
        ...forced IN to grammar school...?
        ...?

        By the looks of it neither were you.
      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3fail fail win
    • D4CH, on 06/30/2008, -0/+221 TB of mobile traffic? Sweet Jebus!
    • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -9/+4Do you get free lead in the plastic of your phone too?
    • soso1689, on 06/30/2008, -6/+1you must be daydreaming....
    • dpcamp, on 06/30/2008, -5/+7just like their women.
    • protodon, on 06/30/2008, -7/+2If you figure 2 texts to each member of your family per day. You're out of texts in like 2 days! Rip off!
      • LOCK3D, on 06/30/2008, -1/+8You've never heard of China's one child policy? They don't have large families you ignorant *****.
      • protodon, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1We have an illegal pot policy here. Absolutely no one smokes it, oh wait...
      • LOCK3D, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Sure protodon, hiding a pregnancy, birth and the resulting child from an incredibly controlling government is just as easy as hiding a pot habit from our government here.
      • Blandyman, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1It's a easier to hide pot than a HUMAN BEING.

        Especially when one of those (called the "woman") gives birth to another one.
    • BrendanSheehan, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4Yeah but the data is made in China, just kidding.
    • thelif, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3so that makes 5 douchebags that responded.
    • Spudster, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1So China isn't necessarily the unquestionably worse place to live anymore I see?

      What do you know, communism has its perks!
  • zamli, on 06/30/2008, -0/+37Telia just killed iphone in Sweden
  • popstation, on 06/30/2008, -15/+10One more goddamn iphone story and I'll pick my eyes out with a dull fork.
    • alexonix, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7Better use a sharp knife because in the time it takes you to blind yourself with a dull fork, you will see at least eight more iphone stories hit the front page.
  • vacax, on 06/30/2008, -0/+13Swedish Fish must be cheap as hell though. Northern European gummy paradise.
    • Data33, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Prices vary from around 59 to 99 SEK per kilogram in most stores :)
      • Blandyman, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1What is that? About, 40 cents per pound, 70 cents per kilo if my mental math isn't off?
  • Rudegar, on 06/30/2008, -3/+1516GB iphone 3g
    424$ one time payup
    127$ a month
    with 300min
    and 300MB

    tired for 6months

    min price 1186@

    in denmark
    • Erroneus, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Yeah and no option for flat rate >_>
      How in the hell can they create a contract for the iPhone and not make it with flat rate ot at least something more the 300 mb. But free MMS.... got to hope that means it actually gets MMS support or else thats pretty much useless.

      Telia killed the iPhone in all the Nordic countries and people are pissed about it. Polls indicates that only about 15% of those who were planning on buying it, will actually buy it now. 65% will for sure not buy it now,.

      Way to go Telia.
  • edebolt, on 06/30/2008, -9/+2yes its expensive in $ but not so bad in Kroners or Euro's. Aren't the swedes always bragging about their cheap internet access and low cost health care? Okay so they have high taxes and a pricier Iphone package. Cry me a nordic river!
    • RedHawk911, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4After 2 or 3(can't remember) years with the most expensive deal it will cost 21 000kr, and that's a lot of money for a phone.
      • viggooo, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1NOK 14.000 pr year for the most expensive deal in Norway. Thats USD 2.800 pr year. I'll pass on this one.
    • vman81, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7if it's expensive in $$'s it's expensive in ANY currency
  • bovox, on 06/30/2008, -10/+30Geebus crispy. You people act like your lives depend on whether or not you have an iPhone -- as if it's a life necessity like running water or groceries. GEEZ get over it. If you don't like the pricing structures in Canada or Swedent or wherever else, THEN DON'T BUY THE DAMN THING.
    • GeckoSlayer, on 06/30/2008, -4/+9... we could do that, OR we could move to a cheaper country for the iphone..
      • AxsToro, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2You'd move to another country just for a phone... Kinda sad.
  • paranoid614, on 06/30/2008, -6/+15REASON: US's privitized health care subsidizes the cost of iphone data plans
  • Goblin, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8Did they set off the LHC early and we're now living in some weird parallel universe where the UK is the only place NOT getting totally hosed on the iPhone? I'll be getting a free iPhone, 1200 minutes, 500 texts and unlimited 3G data or wifi access (via The Cloud) for about $90 a month, including tax. We're also on an 18 month contract rather than two years and incoming calls and texts have no effect on our monthly allowance.

    If you didn't need that level of call time you can pay the £99 ($200 inc tax) and get a $70 a month plan that gives you 600 minutes and 500 text with, again, unlimited data.

    Oh, and we didn't get a price increase to change to 3G from EDGE.
  • t4m5t3r, on 06/30/2008, -3/+10i have to say, this is pretty sad.

    why not go buy one of the many other,cheaper, BETTER phones,

    you dont always have to do what the ads tell you!!
    • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5I'm against fanboism, so I'm all for supporting other devices. Would you care to list a few contenders in the "cheaper/better than iPhone" category? I'm really serious here, I want an iPhone badly but these rates are horrible, and if there's something else out there, I'm all for it.
      • t4m5t3r, on 06/30/2008, -5/+2TBH its a phone, mine rings, and i can talk through it, thats about all i look for in a phone, the ability to phone people!!

        so i dont know much about phones, in fact i know more about the IPhone than i do any other simply as the articles are all over the place, but the fact that you cant remove the battery is all i would need to know to confirm it as "*****"
      • Buckeye17, on 06/30/2008, -3/+3@t4m5t3r

        Haha you're an idiot.
      • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4t4m5t3r, right.

        1) The fun part is that, of all the portable phones with replaceable battery I've ever own, I have never replaced a battery. So, I'd say this doesn't apply to me.

        2) I use a PDA extensively. I'm tired of hauling two devices in my pockets, I want one device to do it all. Hence my quest for a good "smart/media" phone.

        3) You did now actually mention any phone, thus your comment "why not go buy one of the many other,cheaper, BETTER phones" fails.


      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2There is plenty of phones. But none that have all the great features and functionality. the safari browser is hands down the best mobile browser available. If all you want is a phone, then you have plenty of choices, if you want maps, stocks, weather, browser, mail and all that jazz then iphone is where its at, or look into those nokia flips or blackberrys, or how about the HTC Touch? OR one of the Palm trio pda/phones?
      • diggimator, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Later this year, Android phones are expected to be released, which has Google backing it.
      • WileEPeyote, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1There are tons of phones out there just as good as the iPhone:
        HTC
        Palm
        Blackberry

        I have an HTC and it has everything bbqsalad listed and more...
        GPS
        maps
        stocks
        weather
        browser
        mail
        choice of carrier
      • WileEPeyote, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1I think Wayne just REALLY WANTS an iPhone.
  • Murrabbit, on 06/30/2008, -10/+7Wait, so apple products are prohibitively expensive for a product of only debatably superior quality? No way!

    Wait, why is this only now becoming a surprise to anyone? They've been charging thousands of dollars for computers that would cost only a few hundred to build on your own since the very start.
    • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Its not Apple setting these fees, RTFA *****.
  • mrmorris, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Same story in Denmark. I was going to get an iPhone, but learning of how locked you are to the carrier and that you are not allowed to use it as a bridge to gain internet on your laptop is just too much for me. I will get the Nokia n96 instead which also sports DVB-T TV-viewing and 5MPixel camera and a replaceable battery.
  • asdfer, on 06/30/2008, -1/+6Rogers iPhone plan unfair?

    What about Rogers Blackberry plan?

    Apparently it takes the iPhone for the Canadian to revolt against the Tel-Co.
    Blackberry and its plan is tolerable because it's Canadian?
    • Zippo, on 06/30/2008, -1/+5Most iPhone hopefuls are regular consumers... whereas most Blackberry users are businessmen... their Blackberries are paid for by their companies.
    • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -1/+5Most users of a blackberry don't even see the bill, and most people who pay the blackberry bills don't really know the exact worth of what is obtained for the price. That's the sad reality of corporate users, and mostly explains why prices are typically higher. Phone lines are 30% more expensive, and you get the exact same phone line, as an example.

      Furthermore, iPhone is what a "wide mass of the general public" wants to buy (me included). When you piss off that mass, they whine and the media notices.
  • dotorg, on 06/30/2008, -6/+12Every time a story like this comes up I think its worth pointing out for the people here in the US who do not travel much: the dollar is extremely low right now. Because of how low the dollar's value is, people in Europe and the UK make a LOT more money in terms of dollars for a job than someone in the US. A job in a big city in the US that pays $80k a year may pay 65,000 pounds a year in London (or $130k+).

    As a result, you can't really look at "ZOMG $4000 over two years SUX0RS!" and assume thats the case. Remember, these are countries that a Big Mac costs $12 in because how how weak the dollar is. To put it in perspective, an iPhone in the US will cost you 1,000 Big Macs over the course of its contract. In Sweden, it might be more like 350.
    • effexor, on 06/30/2008, -3/+12Hehe, only an american would use Big Macs as a currency converter.
    • iunzera, on 06/30/2008, -2/+0For your next show you should add making some bunnies appearing out of thin air instead of only numbers! It gets a bit repetitive
      • dotorg, on 06/30/2008, -1/+0And which number is made up? (Admittedly the Big Mac number in Sweden is made up -- that's about what it was last time I was there, six years ago. It may be more now...)

        I don't know if your attempt at a flame is because you are one of those ignorant Americans who doesn't understand economics or what... but in either case US pay and domestic prices haven't tracked inflation and as a result its invalid to talk about the prices of goods and services in other countries in terms of US dollars.

        The dollar is effectively worth half now of what it was ten years ago but the cost of cell plans hasn't gone up. Why? Salaries haven't either to track inflation and these companies know if they actually tracked inflation, discretionary spending like cell phones would drop dramatically. Why do you think hard good companies have had to massively increase prices? There's no more efficiency gains to be had -- the dropping dollar has fallen far enough that prices can't be kept low by shaving costs anymore.

        Effectively every person whose salary hasn't doubled in the last ten years is making less now than ten years ago. That doesn't seem as obvious because of massive price pressure in the US, but THAT is the reason gas, cell plans, etc seem so expensive outside of the US.

        Ask anyone who has ever worked outside of the US in the UK or EU) while being paid in dollars. They're the ones who deep-down get what a problem that is ...
    • minorthreat, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3exactly right... BK combo meal in Norway is about 8 bucks and that was a year ago. The dollar is worth *****. It costs way to much to travel abroad now.
    • Definition, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Canadian (Rogers) Currency is at par with the US.

      lolwut?
    • doubleaught, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1you sir, are my new hero
    • dancegruv, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0FInally, someone who knows wtf they are saying. Thanks.
  • syff, on 06/30/2008, -1/+8The prices in Sweden are LOW compared to those in Norway!
    • dolphinCAGE, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0Norway's always more expensive. :)
  • coldiee, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0I think the prices would be fine if Telia just added what we all did hope for.
    All features and unlimited 3g data.
    To start with, why skip the Visual Voicemail... It's going to be fun to see what more features they will remove.
    Visual Voicemail its not the biggest thing to not have, but I don't know what other people think but when I buy something I want to be enable to use all features the device has to offer.
  • Avian00, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5iPhone... Blackberry... it doesn't really matter. The price for mobile Internet, is just out of control. These devices are suppose to "extend" my Internet life. Instead, they end up costing more than I spend for a complete computer and high speed Internet at my home! I will not purchase a data plan for a phone until I can get it for $10 or less per month.
  • orgazmo, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I was with Rogers until they released their plan, all I wanted was a minimum-voice plan with a ~30$ option for unlimited data. Those Swedish plans are exactly what I was hoping for!
  • gtrunner, on 06/30/2008, -0/+11. Steve Jobs can't dictate the price of cell phone plans given how much he wants to spread the use of the iPhone. AT&T's rate structure is driven by the market, not the iPhone. If they had less competition, they'd jack up the rates too.
    2. Not even he and his wonderful products has the leverage (outside of the US?) against an industry that has been screwing its customers for decades.
    • NorthernPCTech, on 06/30/2008, -1/+0No, but he could help by not handing out iPhone monopolies to one provider per country. I can buy a blackberry from any provider, why not an iPhone?

      Wouldn't that further his obviously sham goal of having everyone use an iPhone?

      What he truly wants is for iPhones to be used by about a third of us, treated as a premium product, that carries both a premium price at purchase and another just for use.

      Intel Atom based phones cannot come soon enough.
      • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Because the iPhone is GSM, and the only carrier of GSM in Canada is Rogers. Telus and Bell, the other two nationwide providers, use an older, "North-American-ish" type of cellular system, which is completely incompatible with GSM and thus, cannot support the iPhone.

        We used to have a 2nd GSM carrier in Canada and it was great for competition, but the CRTC has allowed Rogers to purchase them, and now they're mostly just another "brand" that follows corporate wishes. The Fido iPhone plans are almost identical to Rogers', with a few tweaks here and there.

        I can't understand why neither Bell or Telus aren't actively building a GSM network to eat out Rogers. I mean, the callphone manufacturers still make a device specifically for Bell/Telus' network, you can still get your favorite RAZR or Blackberry for their network, but really, wouldn't it be better if they stepped directly into GSM territory?
  • NorthernPCTech, on 06/30/2008, -3/+11Who brought this to our attention? Rogers?

    Hey look! We are not so bad compared to..... "Quick find a country on the map where its even worse, no matter how small or far away"..... SWEDEN!!!!!
    • slundal, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1I protest that statement. Sweden is neither small or far away! :P
  • wayne247, on 06/30/2008, -0/+15What a lousy comparison. Comparing the plans from the USA with the plans from Canada makes sense because our dollars are worth almost the same, we have a comparable level of quality of living, a comparable average cost of goods, etc. So comparing the two makes perfect sense because they're economically similar. But Sweden? Comparing dollars to dollars is retarded, because it doesn't take into account the average salary of a Swede, the average cost of a home, the average cost of food, etc. Perhaps at the end of the month, the Swedes have so much money that they can all buy 2 iPhones?

    Or perhaps it's the opposite and they can't even pay for a normal landline? I mean come on, comparing is fun, but throwing numbers after converting them in a currency converter makes absolutely no sense and defeates the purpose. If you want to compare the "fairness" of a cellular plan in a country, you have to tie it to something that can be compared against another country.
    • psocket, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Also, what about tax rates in various countries? Do those companies that do business in countries with higher taxes generally charge more because they want to make a certain percent profit regardless? Same price - higher taxes = less profit? Higher price - higher taxes = same relative profit?
  • electrofreak2k7, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1Honestly... I feel the prices here are unfair, too. They went up $10/mon here for the 3G. Which happens to put it in the cost prohibitive range for me... though it was borderline for me before, too.
  • Perfectsound, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1It's funny how stereotyping is dominating these comments.
  • vackraord, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3Have in mind that these prices include VAT. Which in Sweden is 25%. So chunk of $1000 for a more fair comparison
    • loconet, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Not to mention the cost of living. Stockholm for example is in the top 10 most expensive cities in the world. By comparison, Toronto nearly made the top 20.
    • dolphinCAGE, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0No they don't. :) Read carefully on telia.se :)
  • hughjanus, on 06/30/2008, -2/+8Heja Sverige friskt humör! Det är Telia som susen gör!
  • pgib, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3But everything costs more in Sweden. It's the cost of living in a Utopian society.
    • PrincesChik, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Utopian? Really? Let's not push it
  • scarwars, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1http://iphone.unlock.no/
    problem solved,

  • hinmanj, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1either way, I still want to move there!
  • 4eloBek, on 06/30/2008, -3/+1always knew that jobs is greedy son of a bitch, but this is too much even for him!
  • MrViklund, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yea but you will be able to buy if very very cheap.
  • Bloodboiler, on 06/30/2008, -1/+5Telia-sonera prices for Finland
    $1584
    $2206
    $3536

    Unbelievably they are screwing Swedes worse that us Finns (Telia-Sonera is a Swedish company).

    Btw. These prices have little to do with taxes, wages and standards of living. Life is not that different between Canada and Scandinavia, and Finns and Swedes get paid badly while paying a lot of taxes so its not like we have a lot of money to spend. It's just that Europeans in general get screwed when buying electronics. At the moment Euro is stronger than Dollar so you would think we would pay less that Americans, instead we pay more in higher value currency (as in gadget worth $100 in US would cost ~120 € in Europe). European market is effectually the cash cow that subsidizes low gadget prices for US. I guess its our own fault for accepting higher prices.
    • Bloodboiler, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2(nice, I can comment my own post)

      >Unbelievably they are screwing Swedes worse that us Finns (Telia-Sonera is a Swedish company).

      Maybe its because a few years ago Sonera was a Finnish, mostly state owned, company that screwed Finnish tax payers out of an amount of money that would buy each citizen all models of, iPhones, iPods, MacBooks, and PoweMacs, including all color variants. On the other hand, maybe that explains how Telia-Sonera is now so proficient in screwing their customers.
  • anillop, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Leave it to apple to really stick it to you when ever they have the chance. With business practices like this, its a wonder they have so many fanboys.
    • stareD, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I think that it is the operating company, telia in this case.
  • kagayaki1, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Someone should make a website where the price for the iPhone across ALL countries is presented, and then keep it up to date. Currency exchange would be neat too. Then the truth would be exposed.

    Poor Canadians...they're really getting screwed.
  • Super6, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3The swedes have a stronger currency, when you convert to dollars it makes it look worse than it is.
  • FAHQ2, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6How are Sweden's Plans worse then Rogers "Robbers" Canada?
    Based on this post Sweden appears to have an "unlimited data" plan, while Canada does not.
    Sweden's contracts are 2 year, "Robbers" Canada's is 3 year.
    On "Robbers" you have to pay extra for caller id, in Sweden its included.

    The cost differences don't mean much given the large difference in currency, and salaries etc, so in my opinion all that really matters is the plan that is offered.
    • aristotle0dude, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Uh, because most people would not use more than 500MB per month? What does unlimited data mean to you if you only use 100-300MB per month when you could be better served with a theoretically cheaper capped plan?

      Do you work for free?
      • FAHQ2, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1So then don't get the unlimited plan.

        At least you have a choice to get it if you want, while in Canada there is no choice to add an unlimited data plan.

        In Canada, once you go over your 400MB they charge you $0.50 per MB... on top of your current bill. This is another way in which Robbers plans on making lots of money off the iPhone

        Given the iPhone was designed to make use of lots of data, be it either surfing the web (data hungry pages like: youtube, facebook, eBay..), email attachment's ( example 10Mpixel image ~3MB to 5MB), or using GPS etc..
        So 400MB is way to little in my opinion and "unlimited" is the way to go.

        And no i don't work for free, what kind of question is that?
  • kibbledbits, on 06/30/2008, -9/+1Two socialist countries complaining about the costs of products on the free market. Maybe you should consider lowering the amount of regulations and taxes in your respective countries which would allow more unfettered trade and lower prices.
    • aristotle0dude, on 06/30/2008, -2/+4The US is more socialist than Canada. Have you looked at how much they spend on their military? Have you looked at how much money people get for welfare in the US compared with welfare rates in Canadian provinces?

      What about the huge amount of public money spent on sports in high school by the state?

      The US is even more socialist but just a really inefficient form of it where you have no universal healthcare and most welfare recipients are lazy corporations that cannot make it on their own.
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