How 'real' are Sim-only RRPs
If I read the article correctly, they're comparing ebay second-hand prices to the SIM-free RRP. However, I've got the impression that SIM-free RRPs can be massively inflated. The manufacturers can 'charge' what they like because approximately nobody buys phones sim-only, so losing sales here doesn't matter. (They solve the problem of large markets like India where phones are sold SIM-free by introducing a very similar phone with a different name for a more realistic price) The reason for doing this is because the people will think the phone should be compared to a much more expensive phone (probably the iPhone) as the price is the same, but strangely it's much cheaper when bought on contract (because the real price that the operator paid is much lower than the published RRP). Hence customers flock to the phone as it's 'equivalent to an iPhone' but available on cheaper contracts due to some 'special deal' they don't understand. Or that's the theory; it doesn't seem to actually be working for HTC.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
