Interesting read from CNET on the Pre

Interesting read from CNET on the Pre

I sure this guy is right!!! :laugh3:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10213019-82.html

One other thing he neglects to mention is the fact that we're in a very bad economic downturn. That also may effect the number of people who purchase a Pre (as well as iPhone 3.0 and others). A $149 price tag would certainly help the Pre, no doubt, but how realistic is it?

A 199$ price tag is more reasonable. But i think most of us are willing to pay the 249, but it should NOT go higher. I love how the author said.."should I go with a 1st gen PRE...or a 3rd gen iPhone..." I think that is really smart and a thought Sprint should consider. Yes this is a "Flagship" phone, but its the first model, there will be more to come, and problems can occur. The iPhone is trusted my many, has millions of Apps, and is already established...(going on its 3rd generation). They should have a competative price tag to get a chance in this economy. Like i said, i think it will be 249$, then after all the PRE geeks get their hands on it, it will drop down to 199$.
If it comes at 199$ at launch, my wallet will be very happy, and many people will buy it because other smartphones (rim, Storm, android) are around that price. If it unlikely drops to 149...They will not have enough PREs to go around ...but we will be very happy.

Dose of reality. New Samsung Impression on AT&T is $199 on contract and it's got a proprietary OS. I almost feel like I'm insulting Palm by saying the Pre should be the same price (or less) when it's head-and-shoulders above "premium" offerings of other carriers.

I would happily pay $249 for the Pre.. hell I'd even pay $299 without too much protest. I paid $260 for my Mogul and it's a crippled, sluggish mess of a handset LOL

I agree with him. I think the $149 price point would be great for attracting the general consumer market. The leading techies, those on this site, will buy at a higher price point but going against the iPhone they need to make an immediate splash and generate continued sales.

I think there should possibly be a tiered pricing structure for consumers. Lets say $149 for new customers and early Premier Customers (hopefully me ), $199 for a 3 - 4 year contract and $249 for a 2 year contract for existing customers.

What is it with this mentality that it's okay for phone companies to screw over their existing customers? I just don't get it.

I'm not a current Sprint customer (and never have been) but all of the companies follow this same practice and I find it ridiculous. If anything, your existing customers are the least expensive ones. They've already got your service, you don't have to do loads of advertising to get them in a store or to sign up online. How about actually enticing your existing customers to stay?

/rant :tounge:

NOTE: This is not targeted at bdot, it's just always something the phone companies have done that bugs me.

I agree with you whole heartedly! It is an unfortunate truth though. The reason they do this, I think, is that for the most part it is easier to keep a customer because up until the last few years people had to pay quite a bit to get out of their plans so they didn't have to worry about them. It is always a better idea in our society to invest in increasing your market share (I don't agree though). That is how your stock gets upgraded, that is how you get to say you accomplished anything, GROWTH!

In the process we get screwed!

I agree also. It is my understanding a lot of countries outside of the U.S. run their plans in a much more logical manner then we do. I wonder why not here?

If they do, then Germany isn't one of them. I lived there for two years until this past August and they are stuck in 1996 with their cell plans.

Yeah, what you're saying makes sense when you think about the way the phone service market is setup. It sure is sad. Personally, I always thought that if you treated your current customers well and were truly trying to give them a great experience, that would be 10 times better than any marketing campaign you can dream up.

However they obviously don't see it that way...or I'm naive. :smile:

I agree that existing loyal customers shouldn't have to pay more when they are ready to upgrade and existing customers should be rewarded for their loyalty (and I like what Sprint is now offering for long time customers) because my cell phone is my home phone... I got rid of my landline several years ago and have gone all cellular.. so whatever carrier I have gets all of my business. My sister-in-law just left Sprint and went to Verizon and now regrets it... her signal is better for her coverage area, but she pays much more for the same level of minutes/options... the grass is not always greener as they say...

I think you are right on the mark. Now this may not transfer to all industries but at list in the cell phone industry, in my mind the best way to advertise is through word of mouth. I haven't heard too many people talking about how much they love their plan with their iphone and I think that has worked to a certain extent to hurt their sales (at least with me). And the reason why Sprint is doing so poorly now is due to their past bad service and ALL the bad mouthing they get now. But in the blogosphere I have been noticing a ground swell of current customers that are strongly defending Sprint and taking Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile customers to task on their negative perception of Sprint. All Sprint needs now is to continue with their good service and a great headset. Heres to you Pre!

The worst part about your sister-in-law's situation is that year to year all the services improve their network. I think that is a weak argument when it comes to Sprint and Verizon in that they both have pretty solid networks and great 3G. I know it is a lot to ask for but give any network a year and it will have expanded it's network.

Well, Sprint is sort of rewarding their loyal customers. If I want to get a new phone I get a measly $150 off. 150 off of a 600 phone still leaves me at the 450 price mark. I really want the phone, but I don't know if I'm ready to dish out 450 for it.. :frown:

Sad but totally true. I'm a current Verizon customer who let his contract expire so I'd have the flexibilty to go with the provider of the best phone.

I'm a Verizon customer who's contract isn't up until December 2009 but is going to gladly pay the early termination fee when the Pre comes out. Thankfully VZW has the pro-rated termination policy so it won't be $175.. closer to $90-100.

We should start a group here -- See Ya Verizon, Hello Pre

Count me in!

For me also, it's GOOD BYE Verizon! But I expect to be treated well by Sprint. Can we rightfully expect to?

I agree that it's not fair to "stick it" to existing customers, but I know with Sprint, I have had my current phone for over 1.5-2 years when Sprint offers a $150 rebate for a new phone (w/2-year contract). I'll take that any day of the week. Not sure if other carriers offer this. I've been on Sprint almost since Day 1 (start with Verizon for about a year before making the switch in 2001).