Fake Steve has picked on the iPhone Ireland ripoff. Just don’t take the hollywood Oirish accent stuff too personally.

Jaysus! Howja make a fookin phone call with this fookin thing?

After the Sunday Business Post highlighting the rip off of the iPhone in Ireland, lots of other stuff is cropping up now.

Apparently is was in the Mirror today and here is a selection of links discussing the same thing.

The high price of iPhones in Ireland - News.com

Irish telco firm blasts O2/iPhone price package - Silicon Republic

O2 Ireland defends controversial iPhone plans - Mac NN

O2 Ireland defends high iPhone costs

Dear Ms. Danuta Gray

iPhone hits Ireland with rip-off tariffs

O2 - The Irish iPhone Rip-off

iPhone launch 14th March on O2 Ireland…

The Sunday Business Post have highlighted the rip off going on with the iPhone in Ireland.

I can’t find an online link but they highlight the difference between the packages available in the UK and in Ireland. As they put it, “When it comes to ‘Eire surcharge’ that mobile operators traditionally levy on Irish customers, its business as usual with the iPhone. Basic package customers pay four ties the tariff per minute than British customers do and five times the texting rate. From the phone’s basic cost to its data allowances, we will pay more for less than our counterparts on the same operator in Belfast or London. Only on calls outside package limits is the Irish customer better off.‘

The thing is, there are so many minutes in the packages in the UK it makes no difference that the outside package minutes cost more.

Basic Package

I have just read on AppleInsider that O2 will not be implementing Visual Voicemail in Ireland. Thats just nuts. One of the few features that might have kept me wanting a legit is gone.

Two things happened in the last two days. This morning the iPhone was announced for Ireland, as I pretty much expected O2 got it, they had it in the UK so it made sense.

However, also as you would expect the prices are a joke. €399 for the 8GB and €499 for the 16GB. It sells at these prices elsewhere in Europe so I suppose no surprise there.

The other thing that happened was that the Euro reached a new high against the dollar, $1.51. So €399 is now $602, and €499 is $753.49. In the states these two handset models sell at $399 and $499. So even accounting for VAT, we are still looking at over a $100 premium on the handset alone.

Then there are the tarrifs which are as follows:

Additional Data 2c per MB

Voicemail 15C

Well the 1GB data limit it clearly a joke, I don’t think much needs to be said on that. We get ripped off for mobile data in Ireland unless you get one of their broadband modems. But if I can buy the modem and get 10gb for 24 euro I don’t understand how they couldn’t work that into their 100 Euro price plan.

Currently I am on the Business Time 500 plan. For €70 I get 500 minutes talk time, 150 anytime minutes or 250 texts, extra calls are 17c and extra texts 8c.

So price wise the €65 iPhone plan would be the equivalent plan. However, for the privilege of paying out a few hundred for a phone, I would have 150 minutes less talk time, 100 less text and actually pay MORE!! for additional calls and texts.

Only in Ireland.

It has to be said the idea of sticking to my existing plan, getting in a phone from the states, unlocking it and ignoring the fact that I have mobile safari on the phone is still looking like a viable option. Its still likely I will end out getting an iPhone but with these plans they have hobbled the use of a great device.