Originally Posted by
dinanm3atl
The AirPods are not "Bluetooth".
Yes, they are, Apple confirmed this. They can be used with non-Apple Bluetooth devices and there is a pairing button on the case. They just have the proximity pairing function on Apple devices.
Originally Posted by
Dodge DeBoulet
The fact that all of the major US carriers are giving them away to attract customers is a pretty solid indicator. Used to be you couldn't get an iPhone for less than $300-$400, well after the AT&T exclusive expired.
The specs are official, and they've been met with a resounding "meh." So I'm betting that most will simply wait until Apple realizes its mistake and comes back with something that isn't so, uh, "courageous."
This is not quite an apples to apples comparison (no pun intended). The the revenue models for phone companies have changed in recent years from subsidies to buying the phones at "full price", usually through an effective 0% interest 24-month loan as most people would prefer not to shell out $650 up front vs $25-30 a month.
The current "free" deal for each of these carries involves trading in your existing iPhone 6 or 6s which has a value of about 200-400 dollars. The "free" deal also locks you into a 24-month contract. If you leave before 24 months or you want to upgrade next year, you must pay off the remaining unamortized cost of the phone.