iPhone Pricing

Now that the iPhone 4S will be available on three different US carriers, it's time to revisit data and voice plans available with each company. Aside from differences in their networks, AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint have a variety of pricing structures available to meet your mobile needs. Overall, with AT&T and Verizon offering the iPhone for some time now the two competitors have similar pricing, although Verizon offers more tiers for data and messaging.

Sprint enters the game with higher prices for single and family voice calling, however their data option is cheap and simple. A flat ten bucks every month gets you unlimited data and messaging. AT&T and Verizon charge extra for text or MMS message packages and stopped offering unlimited data plans on the iPhone long ago. It remains to be seen if Sprint's unbeatable data plan pricing can attract iPhone 4S customers looking for unlimited data.

If you've waited this long to buy an iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS, it looks like patience will pay off at the end of this month. The leaked screenshot below shows internal documents indicating that third-party iPhone retailer Radio Shack is getting ready to slash prices on the iPhone starting today (July 31, 2011). To qualify for the new subsidized pricing customers must sign up for a two-year contract.

Both iPhone 4 models will drop $30 off the selling price, assuming the document sent to Engadget is authentic. This brings the price of the 16 GB iPhone 4 to $169.99 and the 32 GB model to $269.99. The 8 GB iPhone 3GS will also be reduced and is offered here for $19.99. We have already seen AT&T sell refurbished iPhone 3GS units for as low as one cent with a two-year contract.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the recent $200 price drop of the Apple iPhone. The news, which came out of Apple's September 5th media event, was followed by an intense reaction from early adopters who were upset at the financial impact of a price reduction so shortly after the iPhone's release.

After Apple received countless complaints about the monetary penalty being suffered by early adopters, Apple and Steve Jobs decided to retract their initial response to customer complaints and instead are planning to offer all individuals who purchased the iPhone prior to the price reduction a $100 credit spendable at the Apple Store.

While this credit from Apple will allow early adopters to recover 50% of the $200 price difference, it seems there may be a way for iPhone owners to recover 100% of the price cut. Those of you who