

Prepaid carrier Cricket is getting a pricier iPhone - fpgeek
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57444300-94/apple-iphone-enters-prepaid-world-with-cricket/

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andyakb
this (and the article) is a loaded title. the 16gb iphone is a full $150
cheaper than the no contract version at ATT. in an absolute sense it is still
an expensive phone, but it is clearly not "pricier" than the comparable phone
at major carriers

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jaz
I find it interesting to see the major carriers jumping into the prepaid game.
For me, a person who doesn't need "unlimited" data/voice or cell coverage
everywhere I go, prepaid plans are a great value.

Prepaid is even more attractive now with most of the carriers offering
smartphones (and pretty good ones, at that).

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joezydeco
Pricier?

Let's say I get the $399 iPhone 4 and pay $55/month for two years. Forgetting
taxes, that's $71.63 a month. Three years? $66.08 a month.

What's the cheapest monthly plan for a subsidized iPhone from the major US
carriers?

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silverlake
A comparable plan from ATT is $200 for 4S, $70(call) + $30(data) + $20(text) =
$120/month. That's a total of $3080 for 2 years. I can get by on $70/month
plan (450min, no txt), which is $1880 for 2 years.

The Leap is $500 for 4S, $55/month. Total = $1820 for 2 yrs. It's a much
better deal. A quick search says Leap has slowest data speeds of all carriers.
Is it still worth it?

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drbawb
Cricket is based on the Sprint PCS network IIRC; their data speeds aren't
great (here in the Milwaukee area) but it is unlimited and it gets the job
done.

I do get to some places where Siri won't work, or works slowly - but my data
speed has never been so slow that the AGPS doesn't work properly (which is all
I _really_ care about because I get lost easily).

I certainly wish I could stream videos faster but the phone does what I
absolutely need so I can't complain.

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runjake
It depends on your perspective.

Pricier than a postpaid plan? Sure.

But on the other hand the 16GB iPhone 4S will cost $499.99 from Cricket _,
which is $150 below what Apple sells this model for unsubsidized.

_ Good luck ever reappropriating this phone for use on any other carrier.

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ConstantineXVI
I doubt Cricket's going to unlock these, but their 4S is likely just as
vulnerable to the unofficial SIM unlocks already in use. Even if Cricket makes
you buy a month of service upfront, this could be a rather attractive option
for thrifty AT&T users that don't want to be stuck in another contract.

(And that's assuming Cricket even bothers to SIM-lock it. I doubt Cricket has
any GSM roaming deals like VZW and Sprint do; leaving it unlocked would make
sure it's still usable overseas)

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shawndellysse
Cricket is CDMA.

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ConstantineXVI
The 4S packs both GSM and CDMA modems, however.

