iPhone for NT$14000?

A mate of mine just told me about this amazing iPhone deal, which sounds far too good to be true. Is it?

He says he signed a year’s contract here in Taiwan, and paid NT$14,000 up front. He reckons that covers all costs (calls, texts, internet use) for a full year. He says he’s been using it for about four months and has never had any extra bills for overstepping his usage limits. And at the end of the year, the iPhone becomes his to own.

I’m sure he must have his figures mixed up, because it sounds unbelievably cheap.

Has he got the bargain of the century, or is he talking out of his arse?

It is true, but I bet sales have slowed since the launch of G4…

What do you need to sign this year contract?

How much would it be for a cash buy - pay as you go?

If you can wait a few weeks for the iPhone 4 to come out, the 3GS prices will probably come down - then again $14000 sounds about right, as the 4 will probably go for around $25000.

CHT, TWM and FET all have similar deals. If you are willing to sign a 24-month contract at NT$1349 a month you can have the iPhone for free.

[quote=“chinamac79”]
He says he signed a year’s contract here in Taiwan, and paid NT$14,000 up front. He reckons that covers all costs (calls, texts, internet use) for a full year.[/quote]
Does that include international calls?

I doubt it. That’s what Skype’s for.

Who’s doing this deal?

I want a piece of the action!

What phone company is this? I’m with Taiwan Mobile, do I need to change?

Well, here’s the currents deals at Fareastone. Looks like they’ll end today though.
promotion.fetnet.net/pmt/iPhone/plan1.htm

[quote=“Tiare”]Well, here’s the currents deals at Fareastone. Looks like they’ll end today though.
promotion.fetnet.net/pmt/iPhone/plan1.htm[/quote]
There’s something wrong with that website, it’s pics and numbers and a bunch of chicken scratch from what seems to be a deranged cock

Dudes, seriously, all of this “I got an iPhone for 14k/free/a-half-eaten-ham-sangwich” talk doesn’t mean anything unless you do the total cost of ownership calculation.

That said, your friend is indeed getting a pretty good deal, even if you calculate for the deals in the link (may not be the actual deal he got). His cost to own the iPhone for two years is roughly $1,000USD, assuming he got the plan and phone I calculated for below. In comparison, the cheapest 24-month TCO you can get an iPhone (8GB) for in the States is $1,660USD.

The tables here are coded to make it a pain to do a real comparison, but what your buddy bought is a commitment to pay for two years of whatever plan he chose for a subsidy on the phone. The actual amount of the actual subsidy depends on what plan and phone you choose, which is why they obfuscate the numbers by presenting the tables like this.

This line in the bullet points is the key:
以上手機價格均需簽約2年,期間不得調降語音及數據費率。

I am bad at Chinese, but the Google translate is clear:
“Mobile rates are subject to contract more than 2 years, a period of not lowered voice and data rates.”

There is no 14,000 upfront plan listed there, but as an example, if he did the 18,900NT pre-pay, 1358NT/month plan with a 16GB iPhone 3GS for “0NT”, the total cost of ownership is:

1358*24 + 0 = 32,592NT
with 18,900NT upfront and he is covered for 14 months of bills. This is a typical arrangement.

This is also a pretty good deal on an iPhone.

To decide the best plan/phone combo, it’s best to look at the deltas moving around the plan/phone combo for what you want/need. An example is here: