That's what really happens when people abuse the system. Because of those who hacked their iPhone we all lost the convenience of having our iPhone activated at home.
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
AT&T is a dinosaur company with a dinosaur business model. What did you expect?
They were the ones that were willing to give Apple's revenue sharing a chance. And they have increased their 3G network at a breakneck* speeds this past year.
* Sadly, that seems to be quite literal as they have reportedly suffered many deaths associated with their 3G rollout.
I have a corporate AT&T account (Premier member with FAN number). How will this affect my ability to walk in and walk out with a phone. In other words I personally cannot sign a contract obviously so wondered how this would work for those of us with these plans. My company pays for the phone line and I pickup the handset
Your company must have an AT&T business rep you can call. If you find out, please post back here as I'm sure others will want to know too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by robogobo
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
What is more elitist than someone who thinks the rules don't ever apply to them and can do what they want without regard for future consequences? What is more short-sided than complaining when the rules are tightened after previous actions have a negative affect?
Tell me this then.. When you walk into an Apple or AT&T store to buy your 8G IPHONE on July 11th... I'm willingly to bet the sign below it will say..$199 w 2 year contract. (and that's it)
Then walk over to any other phone in the AT&T store... and you'll see 2 prices... such as.. $250 without a contract. $50 with a 2 year contract.
The AVERAGE consumer will look at the 2 phones.. and it will not look as if the IPHONE is subsidized at all. It may be subsidized.. but by not displaying the unsubsidized pricetag.. or allowing people to buy an unsubsidized phone... they are effectively being secretive.
It's not that big of deal... But i think Apple requests this from AT&T so I don't blame them. Apple doesn't like ever putting things on SALE... and have two sticker prices on an IPHONE makes it look cheap.. or in a class with all the other phones.
Only displaying one price... gives the IPHONE something more unique over the rest of the phones in the store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
You can do that. But consider the potential restocking fee and/or activation fee. If you are over the return date you will be stuck one way or another, so be careful to know exactly when you have to return it by.
There is nothing secret about it. AT&T and Apple are now using the traditional subsidization method. That has been made clear. The first iPhone used profit sharing. It's still the AT&T paying the manufacturer but the terms were different. That was made clear, we just didn't know the amount.
I really don't see why stores can't sell a full priced iPhone with no contract and let apple and at&t sell one with the "instant rebate" or subsidy or whatever you want to call it.
Sure people would buy the full priced one and unlock it, but what is stopping people from buying into a 2-year contract then canceling out for $175.
I guess the only difference is that in scenario A Apple and retailers are splitting the extra $200 while in scenario B at&t is getting the $175 cancellation fee.
This update works for me. If I can scrape the $$ together (and justify it), I'm in.
What I was looking for was:
--3G
--better battery
--real GPS
--3rd party apps
Got it, kinda got it, got it and gonna get it....
Your point 2 is negated by your point 1, or you would have to turn off point 1 in order to get better battery time than the first iPhone. Point 4 will be made available on the original iPhone.
Your point 2 is negated by your point 1, or you would have to turn off point 1 in order to get better battery time than the first iPhone.
I understand point one and two are in conflict. But they also work in concert: If they just came out with 3G and didn't substantially increase the batteries ability, then 3G would not be of interest to me. Therefore they had to do both--which aparently they have.
Furthermore, I don't have any real world experience with EDGE vs. 3G on an iPhone (who does?) so I dont know if it would be worth it. The increase in EDGE battery life looks substantial enough to make me feel better if 3G speed doesn't change my life.* [Right now I get 3G speeds on my LG but I use the internet so infrequently on it that I haven't been able to discern a difference--it seems slow either way considering it is only downloading crappy text pages]
Quote:
Point 4 will be made available on the original iPhone.
Well, here I missed the point of the original question. He asked about version 1 iPhone owners upgrading. In my haste, I read his question as fence sitters jumping in as a result of the new version. My apologies--thanks for keeping me honest!
*meaning that I could turn off 3G to get the full benefit of the extended battery life in the event that 3G speeds have been oversold.
de la Vega said the new "fraud prevention" measures "will significantly mitigate" the risk to AT&T that grey marketers would be able to purchase the greatly subsidized handsets from the carrier and then turn around and unlock them from the AT&T network, resulting in an estimated $200 immediate loss that AT&T would be unable to recoup.
Hmm this is where i have the problem with the whole iPhone strategy. What De la Vega calls 'fraud prevention' i call freedom of choice. Whilst Apple probably did very well out of the first carrier agreements on the mk1 iPhone, it's clear some harsh lessons have been learned.
And i have no doubt the next iPhone will see far superior sales than the previous model due to this flexibility. The biggest barrier i see in the early stages is getting the message across to consumers who don't follow these forums that the deal on iPhone has changed.
I'd bet the vast majority of People who Apple are hoping to target don't even know about the new 3G phone and most will still think it's locked into long term contracts, the very contracts that kept them away in the first place.
This registration process needs to be seamless without conditions or it'll fail. Better still, sell the 3G iPhone at a fixed price worldwide, as Mr Jobs has already stated, and let the carriers beg for our business.
Agreements done behind closed doors don't always work in the real world. My bet is this 3G iPhone is going to bring Apple very close to NO1 status but it'll only achieve that when someone has the balls to offer the consumer what they really want...freedom of choice!!
Hmm this is where i have the problem with the whole iPhone strategy. What De la Vega calls 'fraud prevention' i call freedom of choice. Whilst Apple probably did very well out of the first carrier agreements on the mk1 iPhone, it's clear some harsh lessons have been learned.
And i have no doubt the next iPhone will see far superior sales than the previous model due to this flexibility. The biggest barrier i see in the early stages is getting the message across to consumers who don't follow these forums that the deal on iPhone has changed.
I'd bet the vast majority of People who Apple are hoping to target don't even know about the new 3G phone and most will still think it's locked into long term contracts, the very contracts that kept them away in the first place.
I'm not following the flow of your post. Are you saying that new iPhone will offer more freedom of choice than the previous one? If so, that is not true. Proof of which is the grey market that appeared from the ability to buy the handset for $400 and then not activate it.
The new device will require a CC to be purchased and the IMEI will be tied to you. If you don't activate it with 30 days they take your first born or something. There appears to be no pre--paid plan and an unsubsidized price has not been mentioned at this point. The 24 month agreement is the only option available right now.
That is considerable less choice. And it's a higher overall cost; but as JeffDM has pointed out to me before, the average consumer only looks at the initial price of the handset.
edit: I'm just realizing you are from the UK. My post was US-centric. Forget everything I just wrote.
I understand point one and two are in conflict. But they also work in concert: If they just came out with 3G and didn't substantially increase the batteries ability, then 3G would not be of interest to me. Therefore they had to do both--which aparently they have.
Furthermore, I don't have any real world experience with EDGE vs. 3G on an iPhone (who does?) so I dont know if it would be worth it. The increase in EDGE battery life looks substantial enough to make me feel better if 3G speed doesn't change my life.* [Right now I get 3G speeds on my LG but I use the internet so infrequently on it that I haven't been able to discern a difference--it seems slow either way considering it is only downloading crappy text pages]
*meaning that I could turn off 3G to get the full benefit of the extended battery life in the event that 3G speeds have been oversold.
It's not just data though. If it's set to 3G, talk time apparently go down too. They don't seem to have a way to dynamically switch communication modes depending on what's being used. Unfortunately, I don't see a way to just buy EDGE service, the data fees appear to be $30/mo no matter which mode you use.
I'm personally not sure what I'm going to use. I'm only 5-10 miles from the edge of a ~#50 US metropolitan region and AT&T is disclaiming any ability to serve me, they just say I'm out of their range. I might just try to track down an original one and port it to T-Mobile.
I don't see a way to just buy EDGE service, the data fees appear to be $30/mo no matter which mode you use.
Some speculation...
1) They don't have a system that can prevent your account is only authorized to use EDGE or know it can be easily hacked.
2) They've spent billion a setting up a 3G this past year so they are trying recoup those costs as fast as possible and think iPhone usdrs will pay the extra fees for the improved bandwidth.
3) That additional fees are to help pay the subsidized cost if the iPhone's new lower pricepoint.
I'm personally not sure what I'm going to use. I'm only 5-10 miles from the edge of a ~#50 US metropolitan region and AT&T is disclaiming any ability to serve me, they just say I'm out of their range. I might just try to track down an original one and port it to T-Mobile.
Same thing here. 3G is more than 15 miles away from where I live. However, I do have free Wifi hotspot almost all the places I visit daily. I really like the price of the new iPhone ($10/month is not that big of a deal), the GPS feature, and most important the battery life (I am sure I will have 3G off all the time). I just hope that the the plastic they used is more resistant to scratching than the Aluminum. The only problem is whether to go for black or white?
My contract with Verizon expires end of June... So i was planning on switching to AT&T the first of June... signing up and getting myself a free $200 phone. THEN when the IPHONE comes out July 11th.. heading over the the apple store and buying myself an IPHONE for $199.
So i get a free $200 backup phone out of AT&T without any contract extension.. well a 11 day extension. I heard the cell companies can't extend contracts beyond 2 years.. they can't tack on 2 more years and make it a 4 year contract.
Anyone else know if this is true? Will AT&T hassle me if i take advantage the way I plan to?
Yes, it is absolutely true.
I know first hand, as I just did exactly that this weekend. I signed up for a two year plan, ported my old Verizon number over to my new AT&T phone, and walked out of the store with a brand new 3G phone that cost me NADA. The rep I worked with also claimed that AT&T will NOT be unlocking the phone in the store, but rather sending you home to unlock it through iTunes - just like version 1.0. Either way, I feel I still came out ahead. My Verizon LG phone was turning to a useless brick all by itself and I did not want stay with Verizon due to the iPhone being "AT&T only" here in the States.
I must say that the quality of my calls has been a huge improvement, courtesy of the new phone and the new network. I went this way so I to really check out the area coverage before springing for the $299 iPhone. From my point of view I had nothing to lose as the new AT&T phone was free. I must say that so far, so good. No dropped calls; solid coverage for my area; crystal clear reception. Life is good!
I know first hand, as I just did exactly that this weekend. I signed up for a two year plan, ported my old Verizon number over to my new AT&T phone, and walked out of the store with a brand new 3G phone that cost me NADA. The rep I worked with also claimed that AT&T will NOT be unlocking the phone in the store, but rather sending you home to unlock it through iTunes - just like version 1.0. Either way, I feel I still came out ahead. My Verizon LG phone was turning to a useless brick all by itself and I did not want stay with Verizon due to the iPhone being "AT&T only" here in the States.
I must say that the quality of my calls has been a huge improvement, courtesy of the new phone and the new network. I went this way so I to really check out the area coverage before springing for the $299 iPhone. From my point of view I had nothing to lose as the new AT&T phone was free. I must say that so far, so good. No dropped calls; solid coverage for my area; crystal clear reception. Life is good!
How much was the activation fee? Are you going to return it within the 30 days? Or did they say the phone is free and you can upgrade to an iPhone without having to pay the cancelation fee to get the iPhone because you are eligible for an upgrade for nearly two years?
How much was the activation fee? Are you going to return it within the 30 days? Or did they say the phone is free and you can upgrade to an iPhone without having to pay the cancelation fee to get the iPhone because you are eligible for an upgrade for nearly two years?
1) $36 activation fee - applied to first months bill
2) No, I will keep it as a "spare" for now (I do a bit of fly fishing in rather remote areas - no need to ruin my new iPhone on those ventures) Come to think of it, why in the world would I return a phone that they gave me for free? It's not like they would give me a discount on the iPhone if I did.
3) There is no $ penalty to switch plans to the iPhone plans. You do agree to another two years on the adjusted plan, whichever one you chose. The only thing that would trigger a penalty would be if the new iPhone plan you chose is cheaper than the regular plan you would be using for now.
Edited for clarity: The "another two years on the adjusted plan" refers to them restarting the clock on your two year commitment - not adding an additional two year plan.
1) $36 activation fee - applied to first months bill
2) No, I will keep it as a "spare" for now (I do a bit of fly fishing in rather remote areas - no need to ruin my new iPhone on those ventures) Come to think of it, why in the world would I return a phone that they gave me for free? It's not like they would give me a discount on the iPhone if I did.
3) There is no $ penalty to switch plans to the iPhone plans. You do agree to another two years on the adjusted plan, whichever one you chose. The only thing that would trigger a penalty would be if the new iPhone plan you chose is cheaper than the regular plan you would be using for now.
Edited for clarity: The "another two years on the adjusted plan" refers to them restarting the clock on your two year commitment - not adding an additional two year plan.
We are all aware that the two years start over, but you don't seem to be aware that the device isn't free. AT&T expects you to pay for it one way or another. Your plan suggests that you can keep updating your handset while retaining the previous model at at time frame you choose, with your only financial cost being an activation fee and the restarting of your 2-year contract. If that were the case you could then be selling all these phones on eBay for a hefty profit. Does that seem like something that makes sense?
AT&T's internal memo released less than two weeks ago—though this has been the common practice with any subsidized item since its inception—is that you are not eligible for the upgrade until a certain date (id est, you have more than paid for the handset) or you have paid the contract cancelation fee, which covers the cost of the handset.
Upgrade Eligibility and Qualified Upgrade Pricing
Upgrade eligibility will be determined based on standard upgrade eligibility rules. Customers must be upgrade eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing. However, not all customers will be qualified upgrades. AT&T has not determined the price of the 3G device for non-qualified upgrades.
Note: When the 3G device launches, all active postpaid customers in good standing with a 2G iPhone will be eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing for a 3G device regardless of service tenure. (Customers that would not otherwise be eligible due to tenure will be made eligible at launch).
We are all aware that the two years start over, but you don't seem to be aware that the device isn't free. AT&T expects you to pay for it one way or another. Your plan suggests that you can keep updating your handset while retaining the previous model at at time frame you choose, with your only financial cost being an activation fee and the restarting of your 2-year contract. If that were the case you could then be selling all these phones on eBay for a hefty profit. Does that seem like something that makes sense?
AT&T's internal memo released less than two weeks ago—though this has been the common practice with any subsidized item since its inception—is that you are not eligible for the upgrade until a certain date (id est, you have more than paid for the handset) or you have paid the contract cancelation fee, which covers the cost of the handset.
Upgrade Eligibility and Qualified Upgrade Pricing
Upgrade eligibility will be determined based on standard upgrade eligibility rules. Customers must be upgrade eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing. However, not all customers will be qualified upgrades. AT&T has not determined the price of the 3G device for non-qualified upgrades.
Note: When the 3G device launches, all active postpaid customers in good standing with a 2G iPhone will be eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing for a 3G device regardless of service tenure. (Customers that would not otherwise be eligible due to tenure will be made eligible at launch).
Yes, that is all correct. And I went into my AT&T store and they explicitly told me that I could not upgrade to the iPhone of I got a new phone now. I have Verizon now and was thinking of switching before the release to simplify things on the release, but they said if I were to do that, I would have to get no cell phone until the iPhone, and at that time, it would be treated as an upgrade.
justflybob: you may be shit out of luck as to getting a new iPhone for the subsidized price. You can break contracts in the first thirty days, I believe, but that will require returning the handset you just got and signing a new contract.
justflybob: you may be shit out of luck as to getting a new iPhone for the subsidized price. You can break contracts in the first thirty days, I believe, but that will require returning the handset you just got and signing a new contract.
That is his best option. Eat the activation fee and pay a restocking fee (if applicable).
Comments
That's what really happens when people abuse the system. Because of those who hacked their iPhone we all lost the convenience of having our iPhone activated at home.
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
AT&T is a dinosaur company with a dinosaur business model. What did you expect?
They were the ones that were willing to give Apple's revenue sharing a chance. And they have increased their 3G network at a breakneck* speeds this past year.
* Sadly, that seems to be quite literal as they have reportedly suffered many deaths associated with their 3G rollout.
I have a corporate AT&T account (Premier member with FAN number). How will this affect my ability to walk in and walk out with a phone. In other words I personally cannot sign a contract obviously so wondered how this would work for those of us with these plans. My company pays for the phone line and I pickup the handset
Your company must have an AT&T business rep you can call. If you find out, please post back here as I'm sure others will want to know too.
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
What is more elitist than someone who thinks the rules don't ever apply to them and can do what they want without regard for future consequences? What is more short-sided than complaining when the rules are tightened after previous actions have a negative affect?
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
You don't speak for me, thank you very much. I agree with the OP.
Tell me this then.. When you walk into an Apple or AT&T store to buy your 8G IPHONE on July 11th... I'm willingly to bet the sign below it will say..$199 w 2 year contract. (and that's it)
Then walk over to any other phone in the AT&T store... and you'll see 2 prices... such as.. $250 without a contract. $50 with a 2 year contract.
The AVERAGE consumer will look at the 2 phones.. and it will not look as if the IPHONE is subsidized at all. It may be subsidized.. but by not displaying the unsubsidized pricetag.. or allowing people to buy an unsubsidized phone... they are effectively being secretive.
It's not that big of deal... But i think Apple requests this from AT&T so I don't blame them. Apple doesn't like ever putting things on SALE... and have two sticker prices on an IPHONE makes it look cheap.. or in a class with all the other phones.
Only displaying one price... gives the IPHONE something more unique over the rest of the phones in the store.
You can do that. But consider the potential restocking fee and/or activation fee. If you are over the return date you will be stuck one way or another, so be careful to know exactly when you have to return it by.
There is nothing secret about it. AT&T and Apple are now using the traditional subsidization method. That has been made clear. The first iPhone used profit sharing. It's still the AT&T paying the manufacturer but the terms were different. That was made clear, we just didn't know the amount.
Sure people would buy the full priced one and unlock it, but what is stopping people from buying into a 2-year contract then canceling out for $175.
I guess the only difference is that in scenario A Apple and retailers are splitting the extra $200 while in scenario B at&t is getting the $175 cancellation fee.
dude, and I think I speak for most of us, take your rule following, short sighted, elitist ass right back out the door.
No comments except for what my fellow posters said.
This update works for me. If I can scrape the $$ together (and justify it), I'm in.
What I was looking for was:
--3G
--better battery
--real GPS
--3rd party apps
Got it, kinda got it, got it and gonna get it....
Your point 2 is negated by your point 1, or you would have to turn off point 1 in order to get better battery time than the first iPhone. Point 4 will be made available on the original iPhone.
Your point 2 is negated by your point 1, or you would have to turn off point 1 in order to get better battery time than the first iPhone.
I understand point one and two are in conflict. But they also work in concert: If they just came out with 3G and didn't substantially increase the batteries ability, then 3G would not be of interest to me. Therefore they had to do both--which aparently they have.
Furthermore, I don't have any real world experience with EDGE vs. 3G on an iPhone (who does?) so I dont know if it would be worth it. The increase in EDGE battery life looks substantial enough to make me feel better if 3G speed doesn't change my life.* [Right now I get 3G speeds on my LG but I use the internet so infrequently on it that I haven't been able to discern a difference--it seems slow either way considering it is only downloading crappy text pages]
Point 4 will be made available on the original iPhone.
Well, here I missed the point of the original question. He asked about version 1 iPhone owners upgrading. In my haste, I read his question as fence sitters jumping in as a result of the new version. My apologies--thanks for keeping me honest!
*meaning that I could turn off 3G to get the full benefit of the extended battery life in the event that 3G speeds have been oversold.
de la Vega said the new "fraud prevention" measures "will significantly mitigate" the risk to AT&T that grey marketers would be able to purchase the greatly subsidized handsets from the carrier and then turn around and unlock them from the AT&T network, resulting in an estimated $200 immediate loss that AT&T would be unable to recoup.
Hmm this is where i have the problem with the whole iPhone strategy. What De la Vega calls 'fraud prevention' i call freedom of choice. Whilst Apple probably did very well out of the first carrier agreements on the mk1 iPhone, it's clear some harsh lessons have been learned.
And i have no doubt the next iPhone will see far superior sales than the previous model due to this flexibility. The biggest barrier i see in the early stages is getting the message across to consumers who don't follow these forums that the deal on iPhone has changed.
I'd bet the vast majority of People who Apple are hoping to target don't even know about the new 3G phone and most will still think it's locked into long term contracts, the very contracts that kept them away in the first place.
This registration process needs to be seamless without conditions or it'll fail. Better still, sell the 3G iPhone at a fixed price worldwide, as Mr Jobs has already stated, and let the carriers beg for our business.
Agreements done behind closed doors don't always work in the real world. My bet is this 3G iPhone is going to bring Apple very close to NO1 status but it'll only achieve that when someone has the balls to offer the consumer what they really want...freedom of choice!!
Hmm this is where i have the problem with the whole iPhone strategy. What De la Vega calls 'fraud prevention' i call freedom of choice. Whilst Apple probably did very well out of the first carrier agreements on the mk1 iPhone, it's clear some harsh lessons have been learned.
And i have no doubt the next iPhone will see far superior sales than the previous model due to this flexibility. The biggest barrier i see in the early stages is getting the message across to consumers who don't follow these forums that the deal on iPhone has changed.
I'd bet the vast majority of People who Apple are hoping to target don't even know about the new 3G phone and most will still think it's locked into long term contracts, the very contracts that kept them away in the first place.
I'm not following the flow of your post. Are you saying that new iPhone will offer more freedom of choice than the previous one? If so, that is not true. Proof of which is the grey market that appeared from the ability to buy the handset for $400 and then not activate it.
The new device will require a CC to be purchased and the IMEI will be tied to you. If you don't activate it with 30 days they take your first born or something. There appears to be no pre--paid plan and an unsubsidized price has not been mentioned at this point. The 24 month agreement is the only option available right now.
That is considerable less choice. And it's a higher overall cost; but as JeffDM has pointed out to me before, the average consumer only looks at the initial price of the handset.
edit: I'm just realizing you are from the UK. My post was US-centric. Forget everything I just wrote.
I understand point one and two are in conflict. But they also work in concert: If they just came out with 3G and didn't substantially increase the batteries ability, then 3G would not be of interest to me. Therefore they had to do both--which aparently they have.
Furthermore, I don't have any real world experience with EDGE vs. 3G on an iPhone (who does?) so I dont know if it would be worth it. The increase in EDGE battery life looks substantial enough to make me feel better if 3G speed doesn't change my life.* [Right now I get 3G speeds on my LG but I use the internet so infrequently on it that I haven't been able to discern a difference--it seems slow either way considering it is only downloading crappy text pages]
*meaning that I could turn off 3G to get the full benefit of the extended battery life in the event that 3G speeds have been oversold.
It's not just data though. If it's set to 3G, talk time apparently go down too. They don't seem to have a way to dynamically switch communication modes depending on what's being used. Unfortunately, I don't see a way to just buy EDGE service, the data fees appear to be $30/mo no matter which mode you use.
I'm personally not sure what I'm going to use. I'm only 5-10 miles from the edge of a ~#50 US metropolitan region and AT&T is disclaiming any ability to serve me, they just say I'm out of their range. I might just try to track down an original one and port it to T-Mobile.
I don't see a way to just buy EDGE service, the data fees appear to be $30/mo no matter which mode you use.
Some speculation...
I'm personally not sure what I'm going to use. I'm only 5-10 miles from the edge of a ~#50 US metropolitan region and AT&T is disclaiming any ability to serve me, they just say I'm out of their range. I might just try to track down an original one and port it to T-Mobile.
Same thing here. 3G is more than 15 miles away from where I live. However, I do have free Wifi hotspot almost all the places I visit daily. I really like the price of the new iPhone ($10/month is not that big of a deal), the GPS feature, and most important the battery life (I am sure I will have 3G off all the time). I just hope that the the plastic they used is more resistant to scratching than the Aluminum. The only problem is whether to go for black or white?
My contract with Verizon expires end of June... So i was planning on switching to AT&T the first of June... signing up and getting myself a free $200 phone. THEN when the IPHONE comes out July 11th.. heading over the the apple store and buying myself an IPHONE for $199.
So i get a free $200 backup phone out of AT&T without any contract extension.. well a 11 day extension. I heard the cell companies can't extend contracts beyond 2 years.. they can't tack on 2 more years and make it a 4 year contract.
Anyone else know if this is true? Will AT&T hassle me if i take advantage the way I plan to?
Yes, it is absolutely true.
I know first hand, as I just did exactly that this weekend. I signed up for a two year plan, ported my old Verizon number over to my new AT&T phone, and walked out of the store with a brand new 3G phone that cost me NADA. The rep I worked with also claimed that AT&T will NOT be unlocking the phone in the store, but rather sending you home to unlock it through iTunes - just like version 1.0. Either way, I feel I still came out ahead. My Verizon LG phone was turning to a useless brick all by itself and I did not want stay with Verizon due to the iPhone being "AT&T only" here in the States.
I must say that the quality of my calls has been a huge improvement, courtesy of the new phone and the new network. I went this way so I to really check out the area coverage before springing for the $299 iPhone. From my point of view I had nothing to lose as the new AT&T phone was free. I must say that so far, so good. No dropped calls; solid coverage for my area; crystal clear reception. Life is good!
Yes, it is absolutely true.
I know first hand, as I just did exactly that this weekend. I signed up for a two year plan, ported my old Verizon number over to my new AT&T phone, and walked out of the store with a brand new 3G phone that cost me NADA. The rep I worked with also claimed that AT&T will NOT be unlocking the phone in the store, but rather sending you home to unlock it through iTunes - just like version 1.0. Either way, I feel I still came out ahead. My Verizon LG phone was turning to a useless brick all by itself and I did not want stay with Verizon due to the iPhone being "AT&T only" here in the States.
I must say that the quality of my calls has been a huge improvement, courtesy of the new phone and the new network. I went this way so I to really check out the area coverage before springing for the $299 iPhone. From my point of view I had nothing to lose as the new AT&T phone was free. I must say that so far, so good. No dropped calls; solid coverage for my area; crystal clear reception. Life is good!
How much was the activation fee? Are you going to return it within the 30 days? Or did they say the phone is free and you can upgrade to an iPhone without having to pay the cancelation fee to get the iPhone because you are eligible for an upgrade for nearly two years?
How much was the activation fee? Are you going to return it within the 30 days? Or did they say the phone is free and you can upgrade to an iPhone without having to pay the cancelation fee to get the iPhone because you are eligible for an upgrade for nearly two years?
1) $36 activation fee - applied to first months bill
2) No, I will keep it as a "spare" for now (I do a bit of fly fishing in rather remote areas - no need to ruin my new iPhone on those ventures) Come to think of it, why in the world would I return a phone that they gave me for free? It's not like they would give me a discount on the iPhone if I did.
3) There is no $ penalty to switch plans to the iPhone plans. You do agree to another two years on the adjusted plan, whichever one you chose. The only thing that would trigger a penalty would be if the new iPhone plan you chose is cheaper than the regular plan you would be using for now.
Edited for clarity: The "another two years on the adjusted plan" refers to them restarting the clock on your two year commitment - not adding an additional two year plan.
1) $36 activation fee - applied to first months bill
2) No, I will keep it as a "spare" for now (I do a bit of fly fishing in rather remote areas - no need to ruin my new iPhone on those ventures) Come to think of it, why in the world would I return a phone that they gave me for free? It's not like they would give me a discount on the iPhone if I did.
3) There is no $ penalty to switch plans to the iPhone plans. You do agree to another two years on the adjusted plan, whichever one you chose. The only thing that would trigger a penalty would be if the new iPhone plan you chose is cheaper than the regular plan you would be using for now.
Edited for clarity: The "another two years on the adjusted plan" refers to them restarting the clock on your two year commitment - not adding an additional two year plan.
We are all aware that the two years start over, but you don't seem to be aware that the device isn't free. AT&T expects you to pay for it one way or another. Your plan suggests that you can keep updating your handset while retaining the previous model at at time frame you choose, with your only financial cost being an activation fee and the restarting of your 2-year contract. If that were the case you could then be selling all these phones on eBay for a hefty profit. Does that seem like something that makes sense?
AT&T's internal memo released less than two weeks ago—though this has been the common practice with any subsidized item since its inception—is that you are not eligible for the upgrade until a certain date (id est, you have more than paid for the handset) or you have paid the contract cancelation fee, which covers the cost of the handset.
We are all aware that the two years start over, but you don't seem to be aware that the device isn't free. AT&T expects you to pay for it one way or another. Your plan suggests that you can keep updating your handset while retaining the previous model at at time frame you choose, with your only financial cost being an activation fee and the restarting of your 2-year contract. If that were the case you could then be selling all these phones on eBay for a hefty profit. Does that seem like something that makes sense?
AT&T's internal memo released less than two weeks ago—though this has been the common practice with any subsidized item since its inception—is that you are not eligible for the upgrade until a certain date (id est, you have more than paid for the handset) or you have paid the contract cancelation fee, which covers the cost of the handset.
Yes, that is all correct. And I went into my AT&T store and they explicitly told me that I could not upgrade to the iPhone of I got a new phone now. I have Verizon now and was thinking of switching before the release to simplify things on the release, but they said if I were to do that, I would have to get no cell phone until the iPhone, and at that time, it would be treated as an upgrade.
justflybob: you may be shit out of luck as to getting a new iPhone for the subsidized price. You can break contracts in the first thirty days, I believe, but that will require returning the handset you just got and signing a new contract.
justflybob: you may be shit out of luck as to getting a new iPhone for the subsidized price. You can break contracts in the first thirty days, I believe, but that will require returning the handset you just got and signing a new contract.
That is his best option. Eat the activation fee and pay a restocking fee (if applicable).