I decided the carrier option was best when T-mobile started offering no contract, zero interest loans.
It allowed me to buy both an iPhone & an iPad (a few months later) and pay a small portion of the loan off each month over 24 months. Once the loan balances were paid my monthly bill dropped to less than my old carrier (AT&T) w/1 device. I’d say that unless $500–800/monthly falls under your “disposable income” category, and you don’t wait at least 2 full generations (3 years) between device upgrades, this would be the way to go.
Well, Yeah... because carriers are in charge of making phones work and they have payment plans (which is why Apple started a payment plan and upgrade system). They're also sometimes cheaper (when they subsidize or sell older models), which is why Apple is selling uses and older models. As usual when Apple isn't run by Jobs, the Apple product is getting diversified to distraction and the competitors are making more sales of Apple product.
I got my iPhone 6s via AT&T (formerly a Cingular store) and the place was understaffed and the space was poorly utilized (mostly wasted space). I went there to replace my iPhone 4, which has basically been made useless for the Internet, due to lousy website design and iOS 6 being abandoned. I mostly went to AT&T because I'm poor and my phone is on my dad's family plan (I'm paying for the phone itself). It got him a super cheap previous generation iPad, which he and my mother now use (they suck at computers but like Apple devices).
I later went to Apple for the silicone case that makes the iPhone 6 series physically usable, instead of inherently slippery, frail, and uncomfortably thin. Jony Ive has discovered greedy capitalism where you create a subcategory of accessories product by designing primary product stupidly. The AT&T store only had the leather Apple cases (no), and had poor stock in other cases. Of course I also tried to get a case at Best Buy, only to find that case manufacturers have jumped the shark in terms of ridiculous physical design and sheer ugliness (and physical sensation unpleasantness). So I spent $35 plus tax at the Apple Store to get a sensibly designed case to make the insensibly designed phone usable (without acting like it's a delicate piece of jewelry, which the OS design farts all over anyway).
I've noticed the people in my life who go to carriers are the over 50 yrs old crowd...I don't see the point going to carriers anymore...the apple website makes everything so simple...I was eligible for an upgrade, selected my carrier, and my account was linked together with Apple...so simple...
I'm with Virgin Mobile and I don't think Apple carries those iPhones. At least not online. Actually bought my old 4s at Radio Shack, activated for free on the spot. My MBA came from Apple online (special order), but my latest iMac from Adorama. Thanks AI, saved me $500.
This is because Android device manufacturers were willing to slash margin to get market share. It made sense for telcos to push their models: they made more money out of them.
Strange the latest thing I heard was the carriers are trying to steer the customers away from iPhones so how can they be selling more and besides which carriers are supplying their sales data to this research company.
And I am headed in the exact opposite direction. Getting AT&T to unlock my completely eligible for unlock iPhone 5 has been an exercise in frustration. The website form for doing it often doesn't work, and when it does, all I've ever gotten is an email saying my request was denied, once because I'd had too many devices unlocked (zero is too many), and once for "unspecified reasons."
I am never buying a phone from AT&T again. I like their service, but their customer service sucks.
Comments
I got my iPhone 6s via AT&T (formerly a Cingular store) and the place was understaffed and the space was poorly utilized (mostly wasted space). I went there to replace my iPhone 4, which has basically been made useless for the Internet, due to lousy website design and iOS 6 being abandoned. I mostly went to AT&T because I'm poor and my phone is on my dad's family plan (I'm paying for the phone itself). It got him a super cheap previous generation iPad, which he and my mother now use (they suck at computers but like Apple devices).
I later went to Apple for the silicone case that makes the iPhone 6 series physically usable, instead of inherently slippery, frail, and uncomfortably thin. Jony Ive has discovered greedy capitalism where you create a subcategory of accessories product by designing primary product stupidly. The AT&T store only had the leather Apple cases (no), and had poor stock in other cases. Of course I also tried to get a case at Best Buy, only to find that case manufacturers have jumped the shark in terms of ridiculous physical design and sheer ugliness (and physical sensation unpleasantness). So I spent $35 plus tax at the Apple Store to get a sensibly designed case to make the insensibly designed phone usable (without acting like it's a delicate piece of jewelry, which the OS design farts all over anyway).
That's my customer experience, Apple.
https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/apple-iphone-buy-one-get-one-free.html
My MBA came from Apple online (special order), but my latest iMac from Adorama. Thanks AI, saved me $500.
Pure guess work....
And I am headed in the exact opposite direction. Getting AT&T to unlock my completely eligible for unlock iPhone 5 has been an exercise in frustration. The website form for doing it often doesn't work, and when it does, all I've ever gotten is an email saying my request was denied, once because I'd had too many devices unlocked (zero is too many), and once for "unspecified reasons."
I am never buying a phone from AT&T again. I like their service, but their customer service sucks.