In just one weekend after the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were released by Apple Inc., the company already made a record-breaking sales of over 10 million units.
This is a welcome surprise, even for Apple CEO Tim Cook, who released a statement saying, "Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend. While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before, we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible."
This is a better figure compared to last year's opening weekend sales for iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, which reached a peak of nine million units sold.
Apple only released the new flagship phones in selected countries during the announced Sept. 19 date, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Puerto Rico, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The rest of the world will get their hands on the much-awaited units before the year ends.
But just how much is a brand new iPhone 6 without contract obligations from a network carrier in the U.S. and the U.K.?
According to Apple's official website, a 16 GB iPhone 6 costs $199, the 64 GB costs $299, and the 128 GB is priced at $399 in the U.S. market. That is quite affordable for an Apple phone, right? However, that is simply not the case, since the prices posted in Apple's website is only applicable for units brought with a network contract.
In reality, as ZDNet reports, people actually pay more than the advertised price because of hidden costs. This includes the usage plans of the network, the activation fees, as well as the monthly installment fees for the actual phone unit.
That is why the real price of a 16 GB iPhone 6 at AT&T is actually $560 to $800, Sprint offers it at $680 to $920, Verizon prices range from $470 to $830, and T-Mobile charges $660 all for a two-year contract. If the smartphone will be brought contract-free from any carrier in the U.S., it will only cost $650.
On the other hand, The Epoch Times reports that the U.K. price range for an unlocked iPhone 6 begins at £539 for a 16 GB model, £619 for a 64 GB model, and 789 for a 128 GB unit.
