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

By Asrokhel
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Asrokhel

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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.

iphone5-true-cost.jpg

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

Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
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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.

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Asrokhel

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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!

Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted

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.

Grand Master

_neutrino Veteran

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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

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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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.

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Asrokhel

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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.

Neowinian

Uthacalthing

Posted
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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!!!!

Grand Master

Sandor

Posted
Posted

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"

Grand Master

+Fahim S. MVC

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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).

Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted

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.

Grand Master

+Fahim S. MVC

Posted
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Posted

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.

Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted

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.

Contributor

deleted_acc

Posted
Posted

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

Grand Master

Yusuf M. Veteran

Posted
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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.

Grand Master

+Fahim S. MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

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...

Grand Master

+InsaneNutter MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

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.

Mentor

Asrokhel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

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?

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