30% Apple

[Richard Pieri]

On Feb 17, 2011, at 10:59 PM, Edward Ned Harvey wrote:
> 
> There is something fundamentally different.  When you buy an iphone, you
> make a substantial investment, and you're required to sign a 2-year
> contract.  So when Apple suddenly starts a new policy of charging where they
> previously weren't...  That's exploiting a monopoly.

Your first statement is patently false.  iPhones can be had without contracts. You'll pay the full cost ($600-$700) instead of the subsidized price but they work just fine with pre-paid SIMs.  No contract required.  You do have to purchase at an Apple or AT&T retail store; on-line sales require a contract.  Yes, this is for US iPhones.  Yes, this includes iPhone 4.  For all practical purposes the options are no different from what is available with other smart- and superphones.

Your second statement is also false.  This is not a new policy.  It's been Apple's policy since mid-2009 when the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK was released.  This is the SDK version that introduced the Store Kit framework for making in-app purchases.  Really, the only sudden things are the stricter enforcement of that policy and the stink that Sony has stirred up because its Reader app was rejected due to that enforcement.

I'm not going to tell you not to pile hate on Apple.  I am, however, going to ask that you do so based on facts, not hyperbole.

--Rich P.