[Jumpman23]

Do you think the Bold will be worth the $399 price ($299 after $100 mail in rebate and 2 yr contract)? That seems pretty high when you can get 2 iPhone's for the same price?? I was considering but damn!!

I'm using the Pearl now and was really wanting to get the Bold but I may have to wait now with the price being so high. You would think they would want to compete with the iPhone price especially with the holidays coming up and wanting to boost sales up, yes? Guess not....

[akosnitzky]

Wirelessly posted (Verizon 8830)

I admit I thought the price would be lower. I guess it becomes an issue of supply and demand

[JG in SB]

I don't think they are really in direct competition with the iPhone. Anyone who really wants an iPhone probably would not consider the Bold as an alternative, and not because of the price. It just doesn't have the cool/style factor of the iPhone. Which doesn't matter since it is targeted at business users IMHO. The reall competition with the iPhone is the Storm. A consumer device first, and a business device second. It will be interesting to see where they price that.

[walds11]

$299 after $100 mail in rebate is pretty high in my opinion. I never paid that much for a phone. I may just wait it out and see if the prices drops. Or wait for the Javelin 8900

[atuarre]

Originally Posted by Jumpman23

Do you think the Bold will be worth the $399 price ($299 after $100 mail in rebate and 2 yr contract)? That seems pretty high when you can get 2 iPhone's for the same price?? I was considering but damn!!

I'm using the Pearl now and was really wanting to get the Bold but I may have to wait now with the price being so high. You would think they would want to compete with the iPhone price especially with the holidays coming up and wanting to boost sales up, yes? Guess not....

Umm...

Well..., who would want to compete with the iPhone? Certainly not AT&T because the two phones are on their network, so there is no competition. RIM is going to sell the device for what they figure it is worth. The iPhone price was lower because AT&T subsidized the cost of the device to entice more people to purchase them.

I really am not a fan of "mail in rebates" because you mail them in, the company sits on the rebate for about 60 days, and then mails it out, and basically if you think about it, your getting $100 of your money back.

If I can get someone to get my Curve for $100 or $150, then I'll get the Bold, otherwise, I'll pass.

For the same price, I could break down and buy a PS3. Been contemplating that actually...Bold or PS3.

[atuarre]

Originally Posted by walds11

$299 after $100 mail in rebate is pretty high in my opinion. I never paid that much for a phone. I may just wait it out and see if the prices drops. Or wait for the Javelin 8900

Javelin will probably be just as high, if not higher, with a mail in rebate.

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (off to see the wizard)

They sit on the rebate for minimum 30 days (return period) then they process have to make sure you qualify for the rebate still.

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (off to see the wizard)

Oh and all phones are subsidized!

The bold will come down in price in due time

[Shaun]

The price is high, and was part of my gamble to buy an unlocked Rogers a few months back. $650 w/ no contract or $400 w/ contract (then $100 at&t gift card). So the real question is, was two months of advanced Bold goodness worth $250? You're darn right it was.

[Jumpman23]

Originally Posted by atuarre

For the same price, I could break down and buy a PS3. Been contemplating that actually...Bold or PS3.

LOL...I was thinking the same thing! I need to upgrade from the PS2 and have been wanting to for awhile now. hmmmm...decisions, decisions.....

[the_bidness]

Originally Posted by ezrunner

Wirelessly posted (off to see the wizard)

They sit on the rebate for minimum 30 days (return period) then they process have to make sure you qualify for the rebate still.

True true, but it also works out as a huge number of tiny interest-free, short-term loans, which I'm sure they don't mind IMO, that's the primary motivation for the delay.

[TheBigNewt]

With money getting tighter by the month for many, I think one place people will cut back will be to automatically fork out $200-300 every 2 years for a new phone, when their old one works just fine (like my Pearl, my wife's Curve). Now I'm not saying that applys to ME (or many phone junkies around here) mind you, but I can see purchases like this to be very discretionary. What say you?

[JG in SB]

Originally Posted by TheBigNewt

With money getting tighter by the month for many, I think one place people will cut back will be to automatically fork out $200-300 every 2 years for a new phone, when their old one works just fine (like my Pearl, my wife's Curve). Now I'm not saying that applys to ME (or many phone junkies around here) mind you, but I can see purchases like this to be very discretionary. What say you?

LOL, I agree with you in general. But thinking of my personal situation, I have never used the same cell phone for two years. I always end up replacing them sooner (one of them got stolen once, but usually I just see something else I like better).

The closest I have ever come to having a cell phone for 2 years is my current BlackBerry 8800, which I acquired in late February of 2007. I feel way better about spending the $$$ on the Bold considering that I will also probably use it for nearly two years as well. If you think about it, purchasing a device for $300.00 (after rebate) that you are going to use for 24 months means you are spending $12.50/month on the device. That is something like 25% of the unlimited data portion of my phone bill, so viewed in this way, it seems pretty insignificant. In fact, I spend over twice that amount on Starbucks every week. So this is not a significant cost when you consider the useful lifecycle of a BlackBerry device.

If you are one of those who buys a new cell phone every 4 to 6 months, then $300 is pretty steep. Sure the iPhone is a little less. But you can rest assured that next summer, Apple will come out with a new model, that is exactly the same as the current one but includes some additional technology (very likely something that has been available in other products for 2-3 years but is now "revolutionary" because Apple is now going to have it in a product), and nearly all of those people that just bought iPhones will take a day off work so they can camp out, and fork out an additional $199/$299 to get the new one. Their lives will just not be complete without it. And just think of how embarrassing it would be if some hot girl noticed that you were carrying last year's iPhone model......unthinkable

[PearlRacer]

I have been on the Pearl for 2 years now and love it. A co-worker had the Pearl and is now on an iPhone pilot program where we work. He has many many issues with the iPhone in the enterprise environment and says that the BB Pearl was the best phone he has ever had. $299 for a 2+ year investment is fine for me, will be in line to get my Bold on the 4th!

Jeff

[PearlRacer]

Just saw this BlackBerry Bold Now Cheaper By Canadian $100 | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

RIM lowers price of Bold in Canada by $100.

Jeff

[Solarplexxus]

The Bold price will probably come down in a few weeks...just in time for Christmas. I wouldn't pay $299 for it now...be patient.

[Greedy]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by JG in SB

LOL, I agree with you in general. But thinking of my personal situation, I have never used the same cell phone for two years. I always end up replacing them sooner (one of them got stolen once, but usually I just see something else I like better).

The closest I have ever come to having a cell phone for 2 years is my current BlackBerry 8800, which I acquired in late February of 2007. I feel way better about spending the $$$ on the Bold considering that I will also probably use it for nearly two years as well. If you think about it, purchasing a device for $300.00 (after rebate) that you are going to use for 24 months means you are spending $12.50/month on the device. That is something like 25% of the unlimited data portion of my phone bill, so viewed in this way, it seems pretty insignificant. In fact, I spend over twice that amount on Starbucks every week. So this is not a significant cost when you consider the useful lifecycle of a BlackBerry device.

If you are one of those who buys a new cell phone every 4 to 6 months, then $300 is pretty steep. Sure the iPhone is a little less. But you can rest assured that next summer, Apple will come out with a new model, that is exactly the same as the current one but includes some additional technology (very likely something that has been available in other products for 2-3 years but is now "revolutionary" because Apple is now going to have it in a product), and nearly all of those people that just bought iPhones will take a day off work so they can camp out, and fork out an additional $199/$299 to get the new one. Their lives will just not be complete without it. And just think of how embarrassing it would be if some hot girl noticed that you were carrying last year's iPhone model......unthinkable

That is a valid point but you also must keep in mind that affordability varies by person. What is affordable to some may not be affordable to others. I feel it is a fair pricepoint for the target demographic. I paid $500 for my iPhone 3g when it came out just to turn around and spend another $750 to get my bold a month ago. It is all in what you want out of a device. If the bold suits your needs and is within your budget then the price shouldn't be an issue.

[netnomad]

Rogers is going down to $199.99. What's AT&T thinking?

[ifonline]

Originally Posted by netnomad

Rogers is going down to $199.99. What's AT&T thinking?

Why do they need to be in competition? Rogers got their cash flow started, and can now afford to drop the price a bit. Besides, if I recall correctly, that is with a rebate. Many people don't turn rebates in, and companies count on this, so Rogers is charging 299.99 for the phone and will get it in many cases.

[robotpedlr]

Originally Posted by JG in SB

If you are one of those who buys a new cell phone every 4 to 6 months, then $300 is pretty steep.

If you are buying every 4-6 months, you also have to factor in the resell of your used phone... you can probably easily get $100 back for a late generation BB on ebay... so your hit is not as bad. Well, that is what I tell myself anyway...to justify it