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Home > Plugged In > Archives > 2008 > July > 03 > Entry
On your next cell phone: How much will you spend
All you fence sitters, are you ready to take sides?
A report on mobile devices by ABI Research, the Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based technology market research outfit, said that ownership of mid-range cell phones, the ones that most of us own, will be overtaken by 2013 by either high-end or low-cost devices.
Wireless manufacturers are offering not only greater functionality but phones that are becoming easier to use. And carriers want cell phone subscribers to buy smartphones because the service plans tend to be more expensive. For example, the upcoming iPhone 3G service plan starts at $69.99 a month. Midrange-phone plans start at $39.99.
The low-end market is being driven by growth overseas in Brazil, China and India, although if this recession gets worse, we all may be looking to scale down.
So which way will you go: Higher or lower?
Comments
By Amy
July 3, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
We already pay $68/mo for unlimited txt’ing/browsing and 500 min on T-Mobile. I just don’t see us buying a new phone anytime soon. The Blackberry works fine for my hubby and my phone is paid for through my job.
By JJ
July 3, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
Seeing how I’ve had the same cell phone for the last 5 years, I am sure when I go with the new wireless company, that it will be free!!!!!!
Verizon sucks, and I’m switching to AT&T ASAP!!!! I constantly get dropped calls, and dead zones with the “most reliable network”….what a joke!!!!
On top of that, after being a faithful Verizon customer for 10 years now, I went to purchase a new phone. They told me I either had to wait 7 months for my contract to be renewed to be eligible for an upgrade, or pay $350+ for a new phone. NO THANKS……yet NEW customers get THREE free phones……HHHMMMMM, AT&T here I come!!!
By Bill
July 3, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
Probably going to go more expensive with m service to add features to my AT&T acct.
For the instrument itself, I buy all my equipment from All-Wireless-Service. (183 @ Steck in front of Office Depot)
The proprietor, Joe, always accesses my needs and gives me a great price. My remanufactured Razor was $140 and my Treo was $200.
They repair phones too. Even water damage!
Don’t mean to sound like a commercial but I love that store.
By Brandon
July 3, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
+1
on allwireless repair
They unlock phones and repair them and always have great deals on phones
By danny
July 3, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
i have t mobile right now and am pretty satisfied with my current phone…but i doubt i will spend any more money on my next phone..actually i have times when i would just like to get rid of my cell phone and also computer because of all the viruses and the crap you have to spend on justto keep your info safe…and as for the cell phone i have been getting tons of unwanted automated sales calls who call me and basically steal my minutes..im not sure i like this high tech stuff any longer…..was much happier with out it…and one day i just might throw it all in the trash when i get my fill of it…
By Alan
July 3, 2008 10:35 PM | Link to this
JJ, Verizon may suck for you, but do you think any other company, including AT&T, will be any better? You’ll still constantly get dropped calls and dead zones, even with the company having “the widest coverage.” What a joke that will be too!
And whether or not you’re a faithful customer to any company, for no matter how long, you’ll still have to wait X months for your contract to be renewed to be eligible for an upgrade on a phone, or pay a lot of money for a new phone.
By Mario
July 7, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
We aren’t in a recession. No matter how many times you try to convince yourself, there is an actual metric associated with it and we haven’t hit the threshold. so until we’re actually in a recession… it can’t get worse.
By gitarzan
July 8, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
If everyone went to the non-contract phones, contracts would disppear overnight. The market paradigm won’t change unless we tell them to. Right now, the paradigm is barely acceptable service, a price point of about $50 average, and a two year lock-in to their service. It wasn’t so long ago, before all the fees kicked in, that a land line was about $15-20 a month.
We messed up getting all excited about the shiny new toy and are overspending for a service we didn’t even need 10= years ago.
I feel old just writing this.