[olug] [OT] Pricing difference between new/locked and paid-for/unlocked phones?

[Kevin]

Because they can.
Why do they charge us for text messages(they're just additional data
sent in a control channel)? Because they can.
Why do music CDs cost the same now that they did when the CD was first
introduced(remember that the price was supposed to come down as they
learned better/faster ways of making them)? Because they can.

We're willing to pay it, and so they charge us for it.

On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 10:42, Dan Linder <dan at linder.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 10:33, SndChaser <sndchaser at cerebralrift.org> wrote:
>
>> Of course,
>> there are carriers that are already making some very annoying decisions
>> for us. (The Droid Razr still has a locked boot loader... Motorola
>> offered the option of locking or unlocking the boot loader -- Verizon
>> decided to ship with a locked boot loader...)
>>
>
> I've been paying for a cell phone since the mid 90's.
>
> Back then, it was explained to me that the "locked" version was produced so
> you had to stay with the carrier so they could recoup their cost for the
> hardware.  This was reflected in a higher monthly cost.  It also was the
> case that if you activated a compatible un-locked phone, the monthly cost
> went down by an ammount (IIRC, $20/month) since the carrier didn't have to
> defray the cost of the hardware.
>
> Fastforward to 2011.  I switched to Verizon and noticed that the per-month
> cost was the same regardless if I was using a new or purchased/unlocked
> phone.
>
> If I choose to keep using my 2-year-old phone, what is the current
> reasoning that the carriers have for charging us both the same price?
>
> Why do I continue to pay the same rate after I've gone past the 2-year
> contract minimum?  The phone should be "paid for" from my understanding...
>
> Dan
>
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