Pay-as-you-go iPhone customers face long wait

 

Gallery

By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 7 Jul 2008 at 10:09

Those eagerly waiting 11 July to snap up a pay-as-you-go iPhone 3G may be disappointed, as O2 says that the contract-free handset will be available only "later this year".

Speaking to PC Pro this morning an O2 spokesperson claimed that there was no release date planned yet for the pay-as-you-go model, and pricing has yet to be finalised, either.

However, the O2's website accidentally listed pricing details of the handsets earlier this month, only to hastily withdraw them minutes later.

The leaked details showed that the 8GB version will cost £299 and the 16GB version will cost £350, although unfortunately no release dates were included in the blunder.

O2 later claimed that the prices were "possible, but not confirmed."

It's perhaps little wonder that the pay-as-you-go version will be released after the contract model, as the profit margins seem to be far lower.

Considering that the contract phones will begin from £30 per month with an up-front fee of £100, the pay-as-you-go handsets seem to be good value, especially considering that six months of unlimited internet access will be included in the cost.