The Wonder of Tech: The iPhone comes to Virgin Mobile – your dream come true?

If your desire has long been to have an iPhone on Virgin Mobile, your wait is over.

Sounds perfect, right? Maybe. There are some important factors to consider before you rush out and grab an iPhone on Virgin Mobile.

1. It's an iPhone.

2. Beyond Talk is a very inexpensive plan.

3. You get unlimited data, which is hard to come by these days. However, as I note below in the Cons section, Virgin Mobile's so-called unlimited data isn't purely unlimited.

4. You don't have to sign a contract. For those of you who are commitment-phobic or have other reasons for not wanting to sign up for a multi-year plan, Virgin Mobile might be a great fit.

5. Virgin Mobile international rates to call foreign countries can be quite low. For example, its rates to call China are 2 cents per minute.

6. For $15 extra you can use your iPhone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.

1. You have to pay full price for the iPhone. No subsidized pricing for the device.

Note: If you're planning on putting apps, music and videos on your iPhone (and that's why most people get an iPhone), get the 16 GB model. An 8 GB iPhone can fill up quickly, and the storage capacity is not expandable.

2. No 32 GB or 64 GB iPhones are available (though you can get the iPhone in black or white).

3. Unlimited data isn't truly unlimited. Your speeds are reduced to 2G/Edge (very slow) after you use 2.5 GB of data in a month, or 3.5 GB of data if you have the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot option. The good news is that you won't have overage charges if you go above that amount of data.

4. You can't use Virgin Mobile phones outside the US.

5. Virgin Mobile has a limit of two iPhones per customer.

6. The iPhone has 3G speeds, not 4G.

7. Virgin Mobile is a locked system. Even though you're paying full price for the phone, your iPhone will be locked to Virgin Mobile. You cannot use the phone on another network nor can you use a non-Virgin Mobile iPhone on the Virgin Mobile network. If you were to pay full price to buy the iPhone from Apple, you would get an unlocked phone that you could use with other networks, though not on Virgin Mobile.

Virgin Mobile is owned by Sprint and uses the Sprint network. This Sprint coverage map will show you whether you have good voice and data coverage where you use your phone. Sprint network coverage won't help you if you travel to Montana, most of Maine, Wyoming, Nevada and many other U.S. states. Your Virgin Mobile phone will not work outside the U.S.

No matter how low the price is, Beyond Talk isn't a good deal for you if you don't have network coverage where you need it.

Although you have to pay full price for a Virgin Mobile iPhone, the Beyond Talk plan is so much less expensive than other iPhone plans that you will save money in the long run by getting the iPhone on Virgin Mobile. In fact, you can make up the price difference between the iPhone on Virgin Mobile and on the other networks in under a year.

Here is a price comparison chart between the networks:

The savings are significant over two years, even with paying full price for the iPhone. Note that you can get other Beyond Talk plans on Virgin Mobile, including unlimited voice minutes for $50 a month or 450 minutes for $45 a month, which include unlimited data and text messages and which are still less expensive than the Verizon and AT&T plans.

I have included the $30 a month automatic payment price for Virgin Mobile's costs. If you did not use that option, the cost for Virgin Mobile's plan would be $120 higher over two years.

If you have to have an iPhone, well, then you have to have an iPhone. But you should know that Virgin Mobile has expanded their selection of phones to include two top-rated Android models, the HTC V Evo and the HTC One V. I have used both the Virgin Mobile Evo and the sister phone to the One V – both are excellent phones. Note that the Beyond Talk plan is $35 a month, no discount for automatic payment is available.

If you want an iPhone, Virgin Mobile has inexpensive rates and unlimited data and text plans that will save you a lot of money in the long run. You will have a larger initial cash outlay, but you will make that up in a few months. Be aware that there are some limitations on using the phone and that there are some worthy Android phones available for much less money. But if you want an iPhone on Virgin Mobile, your dream has come true!