Your Views: Buying an iPhone now or never?

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The iPhone is now available in the UK on both the O2 and Orange networks, although the latter's arrival didn't quite spark the price war many were hoping for.

Vodafone is the next mobile player to join the party, with plans to start selling the iPhone in the UK early next year. So the question is will you be swapping networks, waiting until 2010 or just keeping away from the iPhone altogether?

"The iphone is too expensive for me at the moment," claimed Michael. "I just do not want to pay the price O2 and orange are asking. It's still a little exclusive club holding the price up. I will wait for vodaphone [sic] to join in if they do not drop their prices in the next few months - or I will just get another blackberry and then not bother even looking for another 12 - 18 months."

Sam is equally disgruntled by the current prices, saying: "Yes I think the I phone is still far too expensive, and will be waiting to see what vodaphone [sic] have to offer. I still think its disgraceful that you have to pay for the i phone GS on orange on the £44.95 a month 18 month contract."

Philip is still hoping for a price war. "I am a long-standing Orange customer - I would like to have an iPhone as I am a Mac and .mac user (@me.com) but at the moment the pricing is too high," he said.

"If the 3GS model was at the 3G price point I might consider it... probably wait for Vodafone to enter the market and seeif a price war ensues."

Terry desperately wants an iPhone but is prepared to hold on for a better deal. "Would love to own one but will wait to see what Vodaphone [sic] has to offer," he said.

Claire echoed Terry's desire to own the iconic device and is biding her time. "I am on PAYG on O2 as I have been waiting for Orange and Vodafone to take up the tariff challenge and help get the prices down," she said.

"Orange have made a strategic error going in on the same tariffs as no one is going to switch or go with them over O2 - even a small rate drop would have made me change to a contract with them, rather than O2. Vodafone are savvy and will def go in lower and all the customers, like me, will come a running!"

Peter's issue is one more of location than price. "Personally, I'll wait to swap phone or service at all until one of the services actually gives a decent signal in the sleepy hollow where I live," he said.

"I don't want to pay several hundred pounds for a phone and still have to climb on the roof or walk a couple of hundred yards to a nearby field before I can make a call or send a message from home. Even then, the reviews of the HTC phone running Android suggest that it might be a better bet for me."

An IT PRO poll also backs up users' concern over pricing, with just over of 60 per cent of people without an iPhone saying cost is the main barrier. And, more than half of those with an iPhone at the moment use it for both work and play, showing how the device continues to gain popularity in the business space.

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