infographic The iPhone 5 Could Cost You $1,800 A Year

[Asrokhel]

Data analysis group, Avalaunch Media, created a neat infographic using findings from a variety of online resources to show how owning an iPhone 5 can add up to you spending a little over $1800 and waste over 300 hours a year.

The greatest cost is obviously the data/voice plan you choose, which can be at least $1440 on its own, and the graphic compares the three major U.S. carriers supporting LTE and their various plans for customers.

Many of these costs may be little things you don?t think about, or wouldn?t consider, like a case, car charger, stereo dock, and the Lightning adapters, which price at about $30. Then there is the costs of what you buy in the various stores, i.e. iTunes, Bookstore, and App Store, and a good proportion of iPhone owners buy over $20 a year on apps alone.

Have you always taken these costs into consideration when buying any smartphone, or is this an eye-opening experience for you? Check out the infographic and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

http://www.gizmocraz...ar-infographic/

[Sandor]

I'm no fan of apple but it's not just restricted to the iphone.

Lots of phones and plans are a rip off frankly.

[techbeck]

All those proprietary devices/accessories really add up. Apple and all the accessory makers will be cashing in as well since millions will need new docks, cables, or adapters.

I like that I can take a mini USB cable and use it for my phone, camera, picture frame, video recorder...and countless other devices. $5 cable (or cheaper) for all of that.

[Asrokhel]

I'm no fan of apple but it's not just restricted to the iphone.

Lots of phones and plans are a rip off frankly.

Well, the above infographic is only for the US market, someone needs to make one for us here in Canada!

[techbeck]

I'm no fan of apple but it's not just restricted to the iphone.

Lots of phones and plans are a rip off frankly.

Yea, not just to Apple but Apple is more expensive if you consider that you need all new accessories/adapters/cables. BBs, Androids, WP......

I am sure a much time is wasted on other platforms tho.

[_neutrino Veteran]

I was going to say that it was worse for Android devices as most of them are different on each itteration requiring new cases and accessories for each model, however, one plus to non android phones is the standardization of Micro USB

[+Warwagon MVC]

This is why I have a $50 per month Verizon Prepay phone. The reason it's so cheap is because the phone selection sucks. They know nobody will go with the prepay because everyone wants the lastest cool phone.

[Mr.XXIV]

I'm so glad I have my iPhone on Sprint. But this is no different to many other phones such as the Samsung Galaxy series.

[Asrokhel]

This is why I have a $50 per month Verizon Prepay phone. The reason it's so cheap is because the phone selection sucks. They know nobody will go with the prepay because everyone wants the lastest cool phone.

Here in Canada, you can put any phone on a prepaid plan. If I wanted an iPhone 5 for example, I can go and buy it outright, and then put it on prepaid.

[Uthacalthing]

DISCLAIMER IN ADVANCE: I'm not for or against Apple in principle. I just can't stand it when this kind of thing is published to the web, and the authors haven't even bothered to do any checking of their figures before posting.

Firstly, the $1439.76 figure is for a TWO year contract, not one year. So, you have to halve that amount. Secondly, the other expenses shown (case, charger, etc.) are actually one-off purchases, so can only be counted once for the first year of ownership, or averaged out over the ownership period.

In other words, the cost "per year" for the iPhone 5 is nowhere near $1808.76. Based on an ownership period of only the two-year contract, given the figures shown above, the per-year cost is exactly half that amount: $904.38. The average cost per year would continue to drop the longer you keep the phone.

This would of course apply to any phone under contract, not just the iPhone 5.

Learn to do math people!!!!

[Mr. Gibs]

$50 for a case? What?

[Sandor]

Well, the above infographic is only for the US market, someone needs to make one for us here in Canada!

Well I'm currently on a plan with Bell that comes to a shade under $68 a month (taxes in). For 3 years (meh). Comes to about $2400 over that span. Plus all the lovely extra fees they get in like long distance when the person I'm calling is less than 100km away.

At least my device was "free"

[Stetson]

Yes, people should stop spending $199 for an iPhone with a 2 year contract and data plan.

They should instead purchase <insert favorite alternative> for $199 with a 2 year contract and data plan.

[Growled Member]

The article seems a bit trollish in all honesty. You encounter these same problems on every platform.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

The article seems a bit trollish in all honesty. You encounter these same problems on every platform.

Totally trollish... after 2 years, my iPhone cost me:

Device (iPhone 4 32GB) - ?599

Tariff - ?25 per month x 24 (600 any network minutes, 1GB web, unlimited SMS)

Apps - an estimate but circa ?15

Case - ?2.99 (but let's call it ?5 to make the calculations easier)

And that's all folks - which to my calculation works out to be ?610 a year (or ?51 per month).

If I keep my phone for another year, which I will probably do... ?507 a year (or ?42 per month).

[FloatingFatMan]

I can't stand Apple and think the iPhone is a piece of junk, but so is this article. ALL phones, especially smartphones, have a far higher TCO than most people realise. The iPhone is not THAT special in this regard. Possibly the iPhone 5 will have a slightly higher TCO initially, due to the change in connector, but otherwise... BS article is BS.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

I can't stand Apple and think the iPhone is a piece of junk, but so is this article. ALL phones, especially smartphones, have a far higher TCO than most people realise. The iPhone is not THAT special in this regard. Possibly the iPhone 5 will have a slightly higher TCO initially, due to the change in connector, but otherwise... BS article is BS.

Yes assuming this isn't your first Apple iDevice and you have accessories to replace/requiring conversion.

[FloatingFatMan]

Yes assuming this isn't your first Apple iDevice and you have accessories to replace/requiring conversion.

I did say possibly; and even if it is your first iDevice, you still might need an adaptor for the new connector, depending on what you're connecting it to.

[deleted_acc]

Yes assuming this isn't your first Apple iDevice and you have accessories to replace/requiring conversion.

or this is your first one and need to buy all accessories on starter price 'cos there's no 'old stuff' on the shelf for thunderbolt

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Aside from the overpriced accessories, the same can apply to any smartphone with a decent marketplace (e.g. Android or Windows Phone 7). What I found most-surprising were the monthly plans. $60 a month for a 300 MB data plan with limited talk time (and pay-as-you-go texting) is outrageous.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

or this is your first one and need to buy all accessories on starter price 'cos there's no 'old stuff' on the shelf for thunderbolt

iPhone doesn't use Thunderbolt...

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

Totally trollish... after 2 years, my iPhone cost me:

Device (iPhone 4 32GB) - ?599

Tariff - ?25 per month x 24 (600 any network minutes, 1GB web, unlimited SMS)

Apps - an estimate but circa ?15

Case - ?2.99 (but let's call it ?5 to make the calculations easier)

And that's all folks - which to my calculation works out to be ?610 a year (or ?51 per month).

If I keep my phone for another year, which I will probably do... ?507 a year (or ?42 per month).

My Galaxy Nexus over 2 years would be half the cost:

Phone: Galaxy Nexus - ?350

Tariff: ?9.90 per month (200mins, 5000 texts, unlimited data)

Total after 2 years:

Phone: ?350

Tariff: ?237.60

Total: ?587.60 ($946.458)

Or ?24.48 per month

Total after 3 years:

Phone: ?350

Tariff: ?356.40

Total: ?706.40 ($1,137.85)

Or ?19.62 per month

Granted we cant really directly compare tariffs or phone, you have more minutes and i have more data, however iPhone 5 prices are about the same now as they were when the 4s was the top iPhone, which is comparable to the Nexus when i got it.

You do end up paying significantly more for the iPhone, however I agree you could easily get a bad contract with another phone and pay a lot more than you need to.

[Asrokhel]

Totally trollish... after 2 years, my iPhone cost me:

Device (iPhone 4 32GB) - ?599

Tariff - ?25 per month x 24 (600 any network minutes, 1GB web, unlimited SMS)

Apps - an estimate but circa ?15

Case - ?2.99 (but let's call it ?5 to make the calculations easier)

And that's all folks - which to my calculation works out to be ?610 a year (or ?51 per month).

If I keep my phone for another year, which I will probably do... ?507 a year (or ?42 per month).

You do realize, the infographic was made for the AMERICAN market, no where else in the world?

[Praetor]

Article is fail, should be "high end smartphone could cost alot per year".

[SiCKX]

They forgot to add the fee where you break the guy's head for making this silly list of things to add up to over 1 grand.