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After the contract ends

Sweetbike40

Sweetbike40

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 29, 2007
1,100
0
NY/NJ
i asked 2 salesmen at apple today and they could not answer this question.

if after 2 years with ATT and an iPhone i want to upgrade my phone to lets say a new and improved iPhone.... can i still use the "old one" with all it's features but without a contract/or phone or is it a paperweight now?
 
Sweetbike40 said:
i asked 2 salesmen at apple today and they could not answer this question.

if after 2 years with ATT and an iPhone i want to upgrade my phone to lets say a new and improved iPhone.... can i still use the "old one" with all it's features but without a contract/or phone or is it a paperweight now?
Click to expand...

I'd be very surprised if anyone had an answer to that question -- even Jobs himself.

Some things just have to be played out.
 
Sweetbike40 said:
i asked 2 salesmen at apple today and they could not answer this question.

if after 2 years with ATT and an iPhone i want to upgrade my phone to lets say a new and improved iPhone.... can i still use the "old one" with all it's features but without a contract/or phone or is it a paperweight now?
Click to expand...

Interesting question.

I'm pretty certain you can use it without the phone features, since that's what happens right now if you remove the SIM card.

My guess is, since AT&T has a 5-year exclusive, you would probably be able to use the "old" iPhone with the "new" SIM, but you'd still have to hack it if you wanted to use it with T-Mobile.
 
your phone is already activated, but without att its got no phone or edge connection. as an ipod it would work but not much else. its the same for anyone who cancels the contract and pays the $175 fee.

...in 2 years the iphone v3 will be out with 100gigs and only being 1mm thick. it will have gps, mms, be able to do almost everything your mac can currently do and still be only $399. you wont want your old iphone anymore :D
 
aerospace said:
your phone is already activated, but without att its got no phone or edge connection. as an ipod it would work but not much else. its the same for anyone who cancels the contract and pays the $175 fee.

...in 2 years the iphone v3 will be out with 100gigs and only being 1mm thick. it will have gps, mms, be able to do almost everything your mac can currently do and still be only $399. you wont want your old iphone anymore :D
Click to expand...

I enjoyed thinking of that future iPhone. 1 mm thick! Awesome. :)
 
i'm sure its possible to make a 1mm thick phone now, getting all the functions in a phone that small is another story. plus how much of the iphone is battery, like 50% currently.
 
aerospace said:
i'm sure its possible to make a 1mm thick phone now, getting all the functions in a phone that small is another story. plus how much of the iphone is battery, like 50% currently.
Click to expand...

the battery could be integrated into the 1 mm thick phone's every surface, sucking free energy from the universe itself!
 
I think that one of the great things about the iphone. When i was done with all my other phones the just get donated or go into a drawer never to be seen again. When you ready to upgrade to gen 2 iphone you should still be able to use a touch ipod. Cool.:cool:
 
aerospace said:
your phone is already activated, but without att its got no phone or edge connection. as an ipod it would work but not much else. its the same for anyone who cancels the contract and pays the $175 fee.

...in 2 years the iphone v3 will be out with 100gigs and only being 1mm thick. it will have gps, mms, be able to do almost everything your mac can currently do and still be only $399. you wont want your old iphone anymore :D
Click to expand...



I don't think Apple will release iPhone 2 until a few weeks before the current contracts start ending. That way they can get a whole bunch of people to upgrade in a swarm, and then drop the price of that iPhone by $200. :)

Okay I was kidding about the last bit. :rolleyes:
 
aerospace said:
your phone is already activated, but without att its got no phone or edge connection. as an ipod it would work but not much else. its the same for anyone who cancels the contract and pays the $175 fee.
Click to expand...

There is a lot else that it would do. It would basically be like the ipod touch, with 1/2 the memory. However, it has a speaker which is nice. It still would have wifi so websurfing would be there. It has the mail app. Try putting your iphone into airplane mode....there you have it.

You don't have to wait 2 years, just cancel the account and pay the fee to find out....
 
phones in the draw

I was asking about this because of the draw i have filled with phones. Each phone i bought, at the moment i thought was the greatest thing in the world and would never part with it. NOT. Something else came along. BUT they were not that expensive. Dirt cheap with a new contract. With the iPhone you pay top dollar and i wouldn't want to just toss that into the draw. Maybe give it someone who doesn't have an iPod touch.
 
Sweetbike40 said:
I was asking about this because of the draw i have filled with phones. Each phone i bought, at the moment i thought was the greatest thing in the world and would never part with it. NOT. Something else came along. BUT they were not that expensive. Dirt cheap with a new contract. With the iPhone you pay top dollar and i wouldn't want to just toss that into the draw. Maybe give it someone who doesn't have an iPod touch.
Click to expand...

Worst case scenario, with all of the unlocks out there currently, I'm sure that by 2009, there will be no problem using it as a touch ipod without a contract. It just might take a little behind the scenes work to do it.

2 years is a very long time though. By then an 8 gig touch ipod might seem a bit long in the tooth.
 
Sobe said:
Worst case scenario, with all of the unlocks out there currently, I'm sure that by 2009, there will be no problem using it as a touch ipod without a contract. It just might take a little behind the scenes work to do it.

2 years is a very long time though. By then an 8 gig touch ipod might seem a bit long in the tooth.
Click to expand...

I would typically agree with you, but I am not so sure. Hopefully, Apple is hard at work on a touch better than the model about to be released, but remember the debacle with the iPod video. We got an 80gb upgraded version, and then it jsut stopped until now. I realize they were hard at work on the iPhone and all, but hopefully, we'll see osme upgrades to the new iPods (specifically the touch) come at amuch faster rate than before.

Thoughts?
 
As of now, Steve is saying the iPhone is to stay locked on AT&T. So if you don't continue to use it on AT&T, or sell it to someone who needs to use it on AT&T, it's a paperweight (unless you start to hack it).
 
well from someone that has been with Cingular AT&T for 8 years, when you contract ends they do not cut off your service, in fact you can continue on your old plan u just wont be under contract or be liable if say t-mobile come out with aphone u want more than the iphone, and they wont bother you.. the only time they care is if you wanted to get free upgrade phones then you will have to sign a new contract.

my guess is to worry about it when they come out with a new iphone.... wouldn't it be funny if steve just said **** This and just decide to be done with the phone business leaving everyone wanting more and crying at the same time..... I would just die from the histeria......we need iphone colors.... well that's what i need because i'm having a pink fettish and colorware stinks!
 
gkarris said:
As of now, Steve is saying the iPhone is to stay locked on AT&T. So if you don't continue to use it on AT&T, or sell it to someone who needs to use it on AT&T, it's a paperweight (unless you start to hack it).
Click to expand...


wrong, the phone is still activated, so you will be able to access all features except ones that need data....sooo you will still be able to use ipod mode and wifi.
 
mets1125 said:
Speedracer is correct. As long as it gets activated the phone part my not work (unless you hack it) but the rest of the features still work.
Click to expand...

Haven't any of you read what's going on with activation, unlocking, and use of the phone outside of AT&T (or the appoved carriers)?

If your contract ends, so does revenue generation for Apple and AT&T. The plan is to keep the phones locked down (unusable in any way, shape, or form) unless you are on an active contract with the approved carrier.

When your contract ends, they intend to lock your phone down (on the next update), unusable at all, unless you, using Steve's words, "break in."

Bottom line:

Your contract ends
Your iPhone works without the phone
Your phone gets its next update
Your phone will now only ask you to "connect to iTunes..."
 
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