back to article O2 rents out latest iPhones to tease panting fanbois

O2 reckons it’s the first UK operator to lease smartphones to small businesses, providing annual upgrades and free insurance, but no phone at the end of the day. O2 Lease can be used to get iPhone 4Ses, or whatever tech-candy the executive staff are demanding, on a lease deal, from £55 a month with the usual bundle of call …

COMMENTS

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  1. Thomas 18
    Thumb Down

    Lose phone

    And what happens if you lose the phone or something else that's not covered by the insurance? Seems like an unwise investment given how miserly most insurance companies are.

    1. Chad H.

      Loss

      I believe loss is covered by insurance... So your only worry need be damage.

  2. JDX Gold badge

    The idea is sound for businesses - they don't want to sell old handsets - but it seems hugely expensive for the package offered. If I ran a business which gave employees phones, I would like to rent but only if it saved me money... otherwise I'd give the employees the old phones as a perk.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    A 1 year old iPhone is something to be stuffed in a filing cabinet and laughed at?

    Wow, you fanboys are worse than I thought.

  4. Anonymous Coward 15
    Black Helicopters

    I'll wait to see

    the data security cock-up.

  5. Anonymous Coward 101

    Deal doesn't add up

    A one or even two year old iPhone still has a lot of resale value. It would be much cheaper overall to buy on a contract, insure it, and sell the phone at the end than to do this deal.

    Any business that would let valuable, easily sold assets depreciate in a cupboard like that deserves to fail.

  6. SpaMster
    WTF?

    £55 to hire a phone for a month... Are they having a laugh?!?!?

  7. Andrew Baines Silver badge
    WTF?

    £55?!!?

    I don't take much notice of iphone stuff, but I pay £50ish per month (+VAT) and get 2 Blackberries, with data, plus a SIM only phone. Free blackberry every 2 years, 2nd one for about £100.

    Is this really what people are paying to play games?

  8. LarsG

    MADNESS.....

    I have a business, I have a sim only contract, 500mins,unlimited text 250mbs, £14 per month.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      MADNESS....

      I don't have a business, I have a s sim only contract, 200 mins, unlimited text, unlimited internet, £14 per month.

  9. DaWolf

    your figures do not add up

    I've just looked on the O2 website. You can get 900 minutes, unlimited texts & 500mb data for £42 per month + £50 cash. Insurance is £5 per month I believe.

    Over 2 years, your rental just cost you 55*24 = £1320

    Over 2 years, the 900 minute option cost £47*24 + 50 = 1178.

    Resale value of an iPhone 4s in 2 years will be about £250 I reckon. £1178-£250 = £928.

    So why exactly would any sane company throw away £400?

    I would also note that O2 regularly do deals where you could knock an extra £50-£120 off the purchase price of a standard contract (fo4r instance, you don't have to pay the £50 excess if you buy before the end of dec). And that 900 minutes is more than 750.

    Only a fool or a company who knew they were going out of business soon - or say, a traveller - would buy this. For a serious company? Not unless they are bloody stupid.

  10. Christian Berger

    Seems only fair

    After all the iPhone has a locked bootloader so you technically cannot easily own it anyhow. After all you don't get the keys to the bootloader. It's like buying a house you don't get the keys to.

  11. trafalgar
    Joke

    Fanboi becomes rentboi.

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