There was an iPhone 4 link too. Can't find it now. Maybe it's down until October 7.
Does that qualify as cheap? If not, I'm not sure what you want other than more for less. But the fact is, you can buy iPhones contract free.
The real problem the US has is that cell phone service is, by OECD standards, stupidly expensive and incredibly bad. In Australia I paid $300 for the iPhone 4 32GB and then $50/month for 2-3GB/month and all the calls and texts that I can possibly use ("cap" plans are very popular in Australia where you get a certain amount of credit that you can use for various things at set rates).
What's more this is on Telstra, which puts the coverage of any US carrier to shame.
So $50 x 24 + $300 - $100 (discount I got) = $1400. The phone cost A$1000 contract free so really I was paying $400 for 2 years of service.
With AT&T you pay $300 for the phone and a minimum of about $65/month (or $85/month if you want not to pay 25 cents for each text), which is almost double the price.
Wow, I didn't know you could buy an unlocked 3GS now right from apple. $375 is really not bad at all, either. T-Mobile's new phones are going to be $250 _on contract_. $125 more for an older iPhone on a dirt-cheap ($30/month) plan? Not too shabby.
I can't find a direct link to the unlocked 4, but it's still there, you have to go through the chooser and select an unlocked one there. It's still $549, same price as when I bought one this summer.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC555LL/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY
There was an iPhone 4 link too. Can't find it now. Maybe it's down until October 7.
Does that qualify as cheap? If not, I'm not sure what you want other than more for less. But the fact is, you can buy iPhones contract free.
The real problem the US has is that cell phone service is, by OECD standards, stupidly expensive and incredibly bad. In Australia I paid $300 for the iPhone 4 32GB and then $50/month for 2-3GB/month and all the calls and texts that I can possibly use ("cap" plans are very popular in Australia where you get a certain amount of credit that you can use for various things at set rates).
What's more this is on Telstra, which puts the coverage of any US carrier to shame.
So $50 x 24 + $300 - $100 (discount I got) = $1400. The phone cost A$1000 contract free so really I was paying $400 for 2 years of service.
With AT&T you pay $300 for the phone and a minimum of about $65/month (or $85/month if you want not to pay 25 cents for each text), which is almost double the price.