16GB iPhone to be released this afternoon

[gloss]

Also, how can apple sell a 32 GB touch for $499.00 and charge $999.00 for a 64 GB SSD on the MBAir?? Its the same technology.

Go to Newegg.com and check on prices for 64GB SSDs.

Go ahead. I'll wait here.

 

[SheriffParker]

i couldn't be more happy with the vista upgrade, while the only two friends i know that have leopard have complained nonstop about it.

lol

 

[knoxtown]

lol

I agree. Vista is much better then Leopard......

 

[rayward]

i love my iphone (i'll be handing my 8gb down to my g/f and picking up the 16gb version), but i strongly disagree with your post. i couldn't be more happy with the vista upgrade, while the only two friends i know that have leopard have complained nonstop about it.

Microsoft are so embarrassed by Vista, that they've dropped the name. They use the generic "Windows" brand now, rather than the tainted new iteration because of the instant negative connotations of "Vista".

I'm glad it works for you.

 

[jbellanca]

Just went my local Apple Store and got a new 16GB iPhone!!! They just came in about an hour ago and timed it just right! Looks identical to my old 8GB one. Haven't tried swapping the SIM cards yet though -- will do that tonight probably when I get back to my hotel tonight from work. I'm traveling right now and won't be "home" home to set it up on my iMac until Thursday night... maybe I'll set it up on my (ugh) Windows laptop I have for work tonight... shouldn't be an issue, right? The memory's already formatted so I don't think I'll have the same issues as with the iPod's switching between Windows & Mac.

I was planning on waiting for the 3G version, but not I'm having doubts as to whether it will be in June vs. later in the year, and with this bump, I'm thinking later. And my partner's been dying for an iPhone so now I can pass my 8GB on to him and have this one for myself. lol, and probably still get a 3G when it's out, I'm so impatient!

 

[ntrigue]

They would have had to release 32Gb in order for me to upgrade (that's my library size).

NM, they I want GPS hardware and 3G. Then you will see my iPhone on eBay.

 

[sr5878]

I think that Apple's tendency to update products when they can, rather than when they should, is one of their strengths. They typically (not always) don't hold back upgrades in order to milk the market cycle of the current product, and they (typically, not always) don't rush buggy crap to market because they're falling behind.

This is why, for example, that the small step to Leopard is smooth as silk while the giant leap to Vista is a brand name killer.

lets talk about the cinema displays...

and the non-LED screens in the macbook (same screen size as mba, so ???)

what about multitouch trackpads?

if you're looking for THAT business model, check out dell. i for one think their business model is excellent, and i wish apple could do the same with their products.

 

[DAKnits]

I waited for MacWorld to buy my IPhone, and I'm a little disappointed that they waited to release this -- of course I would have waited a month to get my Iphone, and I'm obviously not going to upgrade it only a month later, so I'm not sure how the timing of this release makes good business sense. I can't imagine any of the customers who bought right after MacWorld are going to buy another IPhone only a month later, so how did they capture additional consumers by releasing this two weeks after MacWorld? I think it only engenders some ill will towards the company, but that's JMHO. However, I do love my IPhone and I'm very happy I got it.

 

[theHunter]

Just got my 16GB iPhone

I bought my 8GB iPhone 13 days ago, I went to the AT&T store where I bought it when I heard that the 16GB was out and was told that I would have to talk to Apple about it that they did not have any. I then called customer support and was told that if I wanted to upgrade to a 16GB I would have to return the 8GB and then buy the 16GB paying the extra $100 and a 10% restocking fee. Well since my store did not have one I returned the 8GB with the intention of ordering online, but I called another AT&T store about 20 miles away and they said they had plenty of them. I got the phone changed the sim and activated through iTunes with out any issues and was even able to restore it with the backup of my previous phone which reloaded all the settings and shortcuts.

 

[robrose20]

Go to Newegg.com and check on prices for 64GB SSDs.

Go ahead. I'll wait here.

I'm checking now .... please wait!

 

[robrose20]

Go to Newegg.com and check on prices for 64GB SSDs.

Go ahead. I'll wait here.

Thanks for waiting ... holy moly its like $1500.00 .....

I guess my real question is how can Apple afford to sell them at $999.00

They have a 128 GB SSD for about 3 grand ... damn. I'm in the wrong business.

 

[gloss]

Thanks for waiting ... holy moly its like $1500.00 .....

I guess my real question is how can Apple afford to sell them at $999.00

They have a 128 GB SSD for about 3 grand ... damn. I'm in the wrong business.

Heh. I think people that complain that Apple is 'ripping them off' with the SSD upgrade just aren't aware of consumer SSD prices. They're enormously expensive - I'm sure Apple gets some sort of a discount as it's buying in bulk and they have the flash memory market cornered to begin with, but we're not talking baubles here.

Also, I think SSDs (as opposed to Flash thumb drives and CF/SD cards) use much more expensive high-endurance flash memory, which can last through nearly three times as many write cycles as those cheaper manifestations, an obviously important trait for a primary disk drive. So that may help explain why you can get an 8GB SD memory card for $50 but you pay $1000-1500 for a 64GB SSD.

 

[citron230]

yes!

I ordered an 8GB iPhone Saturday, it is going to be delivered tomorrow. I have already called apple to send cancel the order and ordered my 16GB iPhone. Sweet!

 

[butterfly0fdoom]

exactly!

this is to avoid having to refund 8gb purchases with the price difference...
they learned this one from the 100USD price drop i reckon

No, Apple learned that their customers are too complain-y. They weren't obligated to give the refund, there was too much backlash for a commonplace occurrence that Apple decided to publicize (because even if they did it secretly, it'd get publicized anyway). You didn't see RAZR early adopters demanding refunds from Motorola when they cut the prices on the RAZR or any other company that has ever released an extremely expensive mobile phone.

 

[Keane Fan]

So do you think the 3G release in the rumored June is a no-go?

 

[72930]

So do you think the 3G release in the rumored June is a no-go?

No, but I think September is more likely.

 

[jbellanca]

So for all you wondering how this all works, I got the new 16GB phone, switched SIM cards, so my OLD SIM card is in the NEW iPhone, and plugged it into iTunes to activate it. All is good, and the new SIM card is in the old phone. Only thing -- it DID renew my contract -- it was very clear about starting a new 2 year contract. For me, that's fine, I don't care, but thought you'd all like to know.

Hmm, then again, it also said all my VM would be deleted, and they show up on my new iPhone...

 

[Emerson Biggins]

I've been waiting for something with a larger memory, but more important voice dialing. I figured the newer version would have it. Would a simple upgrade when one is released take care of it? Really with so many contacts, voice dialing is a must. I can't figure out why they are so slow with this.

 

[TCaptain]

I had a great experience upgrading my iPhone. I called around Dallas, where I live, and found one of the stores (Knox Street) that had them in stock this morning. I went down there and met with a guy at the genius bar to transfer my activation or something along those lines. Given that this was the first day of the 16gb iPhones being out, he had some troubles figuring out how to do the transfer quickly. He went to the back and did not return for 30-45 mins. I had a book with me, so it was no problem. When he came back, he apologized and said that in order to make it up to me, they would make it an even trade. Instead of paying the $100 difference and 10% packing fee, I got 8 gb more memory for waiting for a half an hour. I wish more people valued my time so highly.
I have dealt with Apple's customer support several times about several different products over the past two or three years, and I have always found to be well above average. This experience is just another example of that.

 

[theNEOone]

So for all you wondering how this all works, I got the new 16GB phone, switched SIM cards, so my OLD SIM card is in the NEW iPhone, and plugged it into iTunes to activate it. All is good, and the new SIM card is in the old phone. Only thing -- it DID renew my contract -- it was very clear about starting a new 2 year contract. For me, that's fine, I don't care, but thought you'd all like to know.

Hmm, then again, it also said all my VM would be deleted, and they show up on my new iPhone...

as an fyi to anyone else that wants to switch phones but doesn't want to renew their contract, do the following:

- call at&t first
- let them know you have a replacement iphone and want to activate it w/o renewing your contract
- make sure the CSR notes your account w/ the necessary changes
- activate your phone as you normally would through itunes (which causes you to “renew” your contract temporarily)

what happens is that at&t will issue a “commitment change” which means that someone goes behind the scenes and changes your account terms so that they revert to what they were before you “signed a new contract.” i was told that I would get a call to confirm the changes within 1 week. i’ll update this post when i get that phone call, and let everyone know how this goes.

notes:
- normally, when you change plans, any rollover minutes exceeding your normal monthly minutes in your plan are wiped out. i.e., if you have 1450 rollover minutes and renew your plan to a 900 min/month plan, you lose 550 rollover minutes (i.e. you only get to keep 900). i had about 3000 rollover minutes that i didn’t want to lose, which was my main motivation for doing this (i really didn’t care that I had to renew, although i feel better not having to….) so….if you have rollover minutes that you want to keep, make sure you tell the CSR to makes a note of your current rollover minutes, so that when they revert to your old commitment terms, they also revert to your previous rollover minutes
- note, i didn't mention that it was the new 16gb, i only said that i got a replacement phone from apple. i have no idea what will happen if you say that you bought a newer/”upgraded” iphone


=|

 

[Bootsie]

I had a great experience upgrading my iPhone. I called around Dallas, where I live, and found one of the stores (Knox Street) that had them in stock this morning. I went down there and met with a guy at the genius bar to transfer my activation or something along those lines. Given that this was the first day of the 16gb iPhones being out, he had some troubles figuring out how to do the transfer quickly. He went to the back and did not return for 30-45 mins. I had a book with me, so it was no problem. When he came back, he apologized and said that in order to make it up to me, they would make it an even trade. Instead of paying the $100 difference and 10% packing fee, I got 8 gb more memory for waiting for a half an hour. I wish more people valued my time so highly.
I have dealt with Apple's customer support several times about several different products over the past two or three years, and I have always found to be well above average. This experience is just another example of that.

Wow, that is great, you are very lucky!

 

[rumbletum]

For the UK peeps, I went to Birmingham Apple Store today to return my 8gb phone (14 day period runs out tomorrow) and they let me change no problem, put the new sim in, connected to my Mac and all my settings, texts etc were all transferred across to the new one.

The chap who served me also said (not sure if I believed him) that they probably would have let me swap if I'd been outside the 14day period.