Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

3G Iphone Dilemma

V

vkramer

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 15, 2008
171
0
Im purchasing two 32gb 3g iphones (in such event that these are real) on day 1, but cannot activate them till August 7th (thats when my stupid Tmobile contract runs out)

Its gonna be the longest 2 months EVER!!!!

:(

anyone else in this boat?
 
Dude, you may as well just wait til your contract runs out... who knows what you might get with the first batch? Higher price? Poor quality control?
 
Agreed. Calm down and and take a clear look: spend say $1000 (500 per phone) up front wait till August and activate. Or buy in August, hopefully get a subsidy, (200-300 per phone now) and save anywhere from $400-$800. Im in the same boat as you and original was so pumped to buy it right away, but think about it, apple always rewards those who wait with cheaper and better...
 
I am in the same boat as you contract wise, but I see you up at bow feverishly paddling while i'm leisurely adjusting the sail and about to catch wind :D

I'm just giving you a bad time. I figure I'll be about 50 days from the end of my Sprint contract when the new iPhone comes out and I would very much like to get my hands on one day one, but there is no point.

All it will do is sit in the box for nearly two months collecting dust and I won't even be able to use it as an iPod / WiFi device in the interim.

Sure you could have money aside in an ING account making about $4.38 in the interim (woohoo! right?) but at least I won't have it sitting next to me tempting me to blow $200 breaking contracts or breaking it messing with it.

Plus it'll buy some time for some awesome cases to come out.
 
Why are you so willing to spend $1k on phones but not willing to pay for 2 months of your remaining Tmobile service? What are we talking here, $150 tops? Just sign up with AT&T already.
 
vkramer said:
Im purchasing two 32gb 3g iphones (in such event that these are real) on day 1, but cannot activate them till August 7th (thats when my stupid Tmobile contract runs out)

Its gonna be the longest 2 months EVER!!!!

:(

anyone else in this boat?
Click to expand...

... No...
 
Since you appear to be one of those who goes with the Legit iPhone plans what you can do is:

1)JB Unlock 3G iphone
2)Put in your t-mobile stupid contract sim

on day contract runs out do:
3)Virginize the iPhone
4)Remove the stupid t-mobile sim
5)put original sim back in from ATT and activate it as if it was brand new.
 
I think its a law or something now that the price to buy out of a current contract is greatly reduced as the end of your contract nears. If you only have 2 months left you should call them up and make them an offer. (id say make an offer like "ill pay for 1 of the 2 months" cya). If your that hot to get an iPhone (I know i am) its worth a phone call.
 
Why not just get set up with AT&T and the iPhones, and when your t-mobile contract expires port the numbers over the aT&T phones.
 
vkramer said:
Im purchasing two 32gb 3g iphones (in such event that these are real) on day 1, but cannot activate them till August 7th (thats when my stupid Tmobile contract runs out)

Its gonna be the longest 2 months EVER!!!!

:(

anyone else in this boat?
Click to expand...


LOL....



Thats funny, because I am in the same EXACT boat... just that my contract expires on August 10th :D


This is what Im doing though. Ill probably buy the 3G iPhone as soon as I hear it can be unlocked and jailbroken. Use it for Tmobile and until I sign up with AT&T. I'll probably be signing up with AT&T in July though because I have to port my number and I plan on leaving Tmobile as soon as possible. So after my contract expires I cancel immediately without ever being left phoneless :)
 
I'm in the same boat... I missed the first iPhone release because to my surprise, i still had 1 year left on my t-mo contract. Well, its June again and that contract ends at the end of this month. So, I might have my iPhone for a few days before i can activate it.
 
vkramer said:
Im purchasing two 32gb 3g iphones (in such event that these are real) on day 1, but cannot activate them till August 7th (thats when my stupid Tmobile contract runs out)

Its gonna be the longest 2 months EVER!!!!

:(

anyone else in this boat?
Click to expand...


My Verizon contract runs out next January but I'm gonna pay the $175.
 
take that $1000 dollars, put in on a credit card so you aren't earning interest for that time, or put it in a higher earning savings account, ie ING or EmigrantDirect. Rates arent great right now but better than nothing. Plus there will be plenty of phones and no wait in August like there would be on day one.
 
A caution to those looking to port numbers over: I believe iTunes / AT&T will cancel your old contract automatically when you port over your old number. Therefore, to avoid penalties etc., you need to wait until after your existing contract has expired - and you're going month-to-month with your old carrier - before porting the number.
 
xhambonex said:
Agreed. Calm down and and take a clear look: spend say $1000 (500 per phone) up front wait till August and activate. Or buy in August, hopefully get a subsidy, (200-300 per phone now) and save anywhere from $400-$800. Im in the same boat as you and original was so pumped to buy it right away, but think about it, apple always rewards those who wait with cheaper and better...
Click to expand...

In agreement with xhambonex and as mentioned in another thread today, might be better holding your guns for a while...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/350348/

That's reaction you get from people owning one phone. Think how full of joy you will be having got two of them!
 
Why would you buy an iphone on day one and not be able to use it, much less two of them? Just to say you got one a day one?

Did you sleep in economics in college?
 
This thread gave me a pretty good chuckle this morning. OP might as well buy their iPhones, wrap them up and give them to his/herself on contract expiration day as an early X-Mas present :rolleyes:
 
One phone is for me, one is for my wife.
I wanna buy them early incase there is a shortage, and its only like a month wait.

Also do you people think that the subsidy will happen on iTunes via mail in rebate? or at an AT&t store via instant rebate.
 
Also - Does T-mobile do the prorate thing. Like if break my contract a month early will I still have to pay $200 fee, or will it be less.
 
vkramer said:
One phone is for me, one is for my wife.
I wanna buy them early incase there is a shortage, and its only like a month wait.

Also do you people think that the subsidy will happen on iTunes via mail in rebate? or at an AT&t store via instant rebate.
Click to expand...

There's no certainty as to the rebate yet, but as the purchase and activation of an iPhone are handled completely separately, I suspect it'll be a mail-in rebate...which sucks.

As for shortage, I think that you'll be fine if buying a month after iDay2. Also, there may be refurbs available by then, so you could save a bit of cash that way too.

I really see no good reason to buy one on Day #1, and sit on it while your current contract expires.
 
You're going to miss T-mobile.

If you have a relative living in a no coverage zone, call t-mo up and tell them that you are moving to a place of no coverage and give them your relative's address (for final bill). If you're nice enough the ETF might be waived.
 
Aside from the contracts...

With your first-day-of-sale iPhones sitting gathering dust until your T-Mobile contract runs out, they're also using up their warrantee and AppleCare (if you spring for that) coverage...

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want something to go bad with the phone 11 months into *using* it, but actually the 13th month of owning it, and thus, no warrantee...:eek:

There won't be a shortage. Last year, a month out from the release, you could find them at all Apple stores and AT&T stores. Spot shortages can always happen, but they'll be out there.

:apple::apple:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back