Vodafone have announced their iPhone plans. We’re now in the elite club of being among the most expensive places in the world to own an iPhone. We’ve even made the US tech press

Check this lovely table made by a chap over on Geekzone. It shows the total cost of owning an iPhone in NZ over the 24 month contract period.

There’s already at least one petition out there. I signed, but willingly accept it was probably a complete waste of time. There’s also a great grilling of some Vodafone wank on Campbell live for you guys to watch.

I don’t understand the reasons behind their expensive plans. Vodafone have a unique opportunity to draw a very large number of people to contract, and an equally large number of people away from Telecom. What was surely a slam-dunk businesses opportunity, one that comes along maybe once in a decade, has been casually thrown away.

I used to be a fairly big fan of Vodafone. They’ve offered a good service and I’ve loved seeing them put the screws on Telecom. But after today’s price announcement I’m rapidly losing any appreciation I had for the company. For the first time ever I’m thinking I’ll keep an eye on Telecom offers in the future.

Well done Vodafone, you’ve annoyed the hell out of a long, long term customer and you’ve missed a great business opportunity.