PSSSTT....Wanna Buy an iPhone?

  • Posted by Tim
  • Filed in City
  • October 31, 2007


If you're in the market for an unlocked iPhone that you can buy in the "Toronto area", check out the above video from a Windsor-based man hawking a bunch for $550. That's a nice mark-up on the $399 sticker tag you could buy it for in the US, but I guess it's the price you have to pay for not crossing the border AND getting someone who knows what they're doing to unlock it for you.

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Eff that. I'm tired of all these profiteers reselling at absurd markups. I'll do it for $450, just to completely invalidate this guy's business.

Posted by: Adam at November 1, 2007 12:55 AM

zzzzzzz! Slow news day at Blogto? Who cares about iphones.. the may end up in the MOMA permanent collection but they are a price gouge and have less features than my piece of shit LG phone.

Posted by: Greg J. Smith at November 1, 2007 2:18 AM

I'm pretty sure if someone handed me $400...the LAST thing I would run out and buy with it is an iPhone or i-anything.

Posted by: Steve at November 1, 2007 8:27 AM

You can get them at pretty much any cell store at Pacific Mall as well; the markup is still quite high. Buying them yourself in the US and unlocking them here is probably the cheapest route to go. It's unclear whether Rogers is even going to be selling them for $400.

Posted by: ramanan [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 1, 2007 9:38 AM

Yeah, I don't understand why this continues to be a big story. It's just another consumer product. I would guess that most people who read BlogTO have neither the money nor the inclination to buy an iPhone.

Posted by: Gloria at November 1, 2007 9:53 AM

Wow, way to use your blogging powers on BlogTo to advertise this guy's services. I hope he paid for advertising as your sponsors did. Shameful!

Posted by: Shameful! at November 1, 2007 10:48 AM

While I think it's fair to assume that not all our readers are interested in the new iPhone, I think a substantial number are. I base this on the popularity of the posts we've made to date about the iPhone and just the general level of interest in the marketplace.

For those of you that are interested, I hope you enjoyed the post. Personally, I thought it was interesting to see how this guy was using YouTube to sell his services. But that's just me.....

Posted by: Tim at November 1, 2007 11:04 AM

Or just get your technofetish on with the iPod Touch from Best Buy, which is basically an iPhone without the lousy phone part, and never have to suffer Rogers' abusive "service" contracts.

Posted by: Diane at November 1, 2007 11:08 AM

apple sucks. who wants an acrylic covered hard drive? fuck their marketing.

Posted by: ffff at November 1, 2007 11:18 AM

Gloria, you're making a sweeping generalization about the BlogTO readership that is based on absolutely nothing but your perception..... Just because YOU may not have the cash flow to buy what MOST industry folks agree to be the hottest consumer product of the year, if not the decade, doesn't mean you're at all representative...

Posted by: Darlene at November 1, 2007 11:58 AM

Funnily enough I could afford an iPhone, but I have no idea what it does or why there's so much hype surrounding it. I just know there's hype. I assume that it has calling capabilities and I assume it comes in bright colours. Am I going to bother to google it and find out what features it has? No. I have a phone I got through a work plan from Rogers (as much as I hate them!) I just got it in Feb. (though Rogers street canvassers have stopped me in the street trying to convince me to "upgrade")

I'm assuming people want this phone because it's some kind of status symbol because it's expensive (??) Like honestly how "good" of a phone do you need? Don't you just need it call people?

Posted by: Anonymous at November 1, 2007 12:15 PM

I read blogto and I have an iphone. Yes, I paid $550 for it and yes, it is awesome. Everyone bitching here is having some sour grapes issues.

Posted by: anonymous at November 1, 2007 1:25 PM

i'm surprised at all the backlash...while this isn't news per se (people have been selling them in toronto for the past month at that price) i think all of the naysayers need to cool their hatred for apple. i really think if you tried to use the iphone for 2 minutes you'd realize that it does hold a certain "wow" factor. greg, i'm surprised that you would want to compare your piece of shit LG to an iphone. that's utterley outlandish...anyhoo, hate on. i love the iphone!

Posted by: thomas at November 1, 2007 1:34 PM

Diane, I'd be hard struck to call the iPhone's phone features 'lousy'. In fact, it blows any phone I've ever owned out of the water in every respect.

The appeal behind the iPhone is due to a few things. First, obviously, is the status of owning Apple products. Apple has been rated the #1 'coolest' brand on the planet, with Google right behind them.

The second is the user experience. No other company in my experience has replicated the polished, near-flawless experience and interface design of the iPod. It's fun to use, and easy to use. Those two things are rarely mutually inclusive.

The last thing is that almost all cell phones are universally awful. Apple's doing revolutionary things in a segment of the market that is anything but. You can buy that new Razr 2, but it's still doing to have the same god awful Moto UI and painful ways of getting your video/audio on there.

There's something to be said for a seamless, simple user experience. Not a lot of people (or companies) perceive the value, so when Apple comes along with a product like the iPhone, it's bound to make some waves.

Posted by: Adam at November 1, 2007 3:07 PM

Really. It's just a phone.

Posted by: Steve at November 1, 2007 6:12 PM

Well, no, it's not 'just a phone' and that's the entire concept of the product. It's 'just' a phone, iPod, digital camera, wifi-enabled portable computing device with a high-tech interface and running a better platform and software than its semi-competitors, hence it being an unprecedented combination product.

Maybe you don't care about developments in digital devices, that's fair, but to call it "just a phone" shows that you don't really comprehend the difference between the rotary thingy in your kitchen and the glowing box you're typing this comment into.

Also, the iPod Touch is definitely not the same product sans phone capability, compare the two in detail online or in person and this is obvious:
http://blogto.com/city/2007/10/ipod_touches_down_in_canada_but_dont_get_your_hopes_up/

I couldn't watch all the way through this video though - honestly, what is with this YouTube habit of throwing in totally unrelated and distracting music for the soundtrack? There's nothing epic and rocking about taking shrinkwrap off a box...

Posted by: Chris Orbz at November 1, 2007 6:43 PM

Fair enough, I did make sweeping generalizations. I retract what I said there. It's true not every post on BlogTO is aimed at every reader.

But, I just don't see why BlogTo ought to spend this much press -- as we are talking several entries -- on one product (regardless of whether it's Apple or not) over all others. Lots of products are the top of their category. Because industry folks say it's the "hottest trend" doesn't mean it needs to be discussed absolutely everywhere.

This isn't particularly related to any community trends unique to Toronto or its neighbourhoods; I haven't heard if Toronto is one of the hotbeds for iPhones any more than any other city. I'd understand seeing this if BlogTO did do occasional features on gadgets, but there aren't many I can remember.

It's what I like about blogs like these. They *don't* feel the need to have to cater to every interest, and it's why they have an audience, unlike many outlets that rely on their generality.

It just seems silly for BlogTO to build itself a brand and an audience based on "Torontoness" and yet sometimes abandon it like it has here. Yeah, it's about where you can find the iPhone *in* Toronto, but what's so Toronto about that?

Posted by: Gloria at November 2, 2007 7:51 PM

Although there is a lot of hype about this phone, i think it is a cool new gadget, but many other models will come out, that's for sure, as for the wi-fi connection, ive heard from several different sources that you have to have your own wireless network basically at home, or have to hit a hot spot. I think the Iphone is an interesting piece of technology, but nothing over the capabilities of any other phone company out there. I have a neutral point of view on the iphone, but i still don't believe its worth the price at the moment

Posted by: Stefan at November 19, 2007 6:00 PM

meh...im going to the US in a week. anyone have a recommendation as to where I can buy the iPhone for a good cost?

Posted by: Tabish at December 13, 2007 3:21 PM

Tim:
Dude - If you read carefully, the phone sells for $399 with a 2 year AT&T contract. While I am not for payng $550 for an unlocked phone .. and really do not care if this person you have sells any phones or not - you are providing incorrect ionformation and the crazy folks wqho left comments are fighting and getting aggravated over nothing really. pay $400 with a 2 your contract (us service provider) or buy it in Canada unlocked @ $550.. that infact should eb the real debate...

Posted by: bhav at January 7, 2008 3:54 PM

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