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Apple Now Selling Contract-Free iPhone in Retail Stores?

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Apr 12, 2001
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AppleInsider is reporting that Apple retail stores are now offering the iPhone 3G with no contract commitment required. The 8 GB model is priced at $599 and the 16 GB model is priced at $699. The move comes just as AT&T deploys a similar offer, which was leaked last week and quickly confirmed by AT&T.

Apple's offer comes with fewer restrictions than AT&T's, as Apple retail stores are apparently not limiting sales to one per customer and are not requiring that purchasers be current AT&T customers.
While the phones are still technically locked to AT&T service, it is possible (but not supported) to unlock the phones for use with other mobile service providers. In the US, that is largely limited to T-Moble and Metro PCS, although both GSM providers do not support the 3G network the iPhone 3G needs to connect at faster than EDGE speeds.
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Article Link: Apple Now Selling Contract-Free iPhone in Retail Stores?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/03/26/apple-now-selling-contract-free-iphone-in-retail-stores/
Does this allude to possible CMDA/TDMA versions being offered on other non-GSM networks? I recall some rumors about unknown Apple products referenced in the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware (iProd was believed to mean iProduct, a generic term for an as of yet unannounced product). As I do not know the specifics of Apple and AT&T's contractual agreement regarding carrier rights, it does seem odd that Apple is selling a non-contractual iPhone (as such, would any SIMM card work or would there still be an unlocking procedure such as yellowsnow required for non-AT&T usage?).
 
Interesting, though I'm not sure what the point would be. The iPhone is not particularly special without the 3G data plan, and if I'm going to sign up for that, I might as well also take the contract and subsidized $199 price.
 
I'm an att employe, and thats not what we got as news. you can only get it if you are an existing att costumer to replace an existing iPhone that is broken and or lost. It cannot be used to start a new service with att thus you must purchase the 3G at the $199 price. the no contract phone can also be purchased to use as an add a line for a family talk. if they just sold iPhones to any one who wasn't an att costumer then the phone would be unlocked or shipped to other countries for a profit which is illegal. and since it is an att exclusive phone they have more reason to do so.
 
Good thing that Apple has decided to do that, but not a good price for me. If I was buying an iPhone, I would get the $199 subsidized price.
 
$700

Wow... for my phone to be replaced it'd cost me $700...

I think i'd just upgrade my macbook.
 
bedifferent said:
Does this allude to possible CMDA/TDMA versions being offered on other non-GSM networks? I recall some rumors about unknown Apple products referenced in the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware (iProd was believed to mean iProduct, a generic term for an as of yet unannounced product). As I do not know the specifics of Apple and AT&T's contractual agreement regarding carrier rights, it does seem odd that Apple is selling a non-contractual iPhone (as such, would any SIMM card work or would there still be an unlocking procedure such as yellowsnow required for non-AT&T usage?).
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There won't be a non GSM iPhone and the non-contract phones are still locked
 
MacRumors said:
The 8 GB model is priced at $599 and the $16 GB model is priced at $699.
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4d87b0ae3154402270e6c6b057a252ca.png



No one else see this?
 
I know its late, and I'm tired ......let me see if I have this straight....I can get an Iphone that doesn't have a contract with AT&T :). It can be broken to use other providers. :) But the 2 main ones other than AT&T don't have the G3 speed needed to run the thing.:( Oh and its around $500-$600 :( My Question....What is the up side of this?:eek:
 
Great news if true for those of us with T-Mobile.

We can use T-Zones for non-3G internet at $5.99/month. It saves us about $19/month. If you keep your iPhone for about 3 years, then you recover the cost. Or for those of us who want an iPod Touch with simply a phone without a wireless data plan, you still come out ahead.
 
is there any chance to buy them at this cost and profit? who else in their right mind would buy a 3g with a new model most likely announced in just 1,764 hours?
 
Roy Hobbs said:
There won't be a non GSM iPhone and the non-contract phones are still locked
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Right now that is the case, but based on a lot of speculation (rumor mill of course), if Apple is selling a non-contract based iPhone then what is stopping Apple from producing a CMDA/TDMA version for sale on other carriers? If the door to a non-contractually bound iPhone is opened before June, perhaps Apple is testing the waters for new iPhones that may be sold through non-GSM carriers.
 
Wirelessly posted (PANTECH-C810/M044.33 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) UP.Link/6.3.1.20.0)

and i thought the early upgrade fee of 399 was ridiculous! i thought i would wait to see how todays news would shake out, but im still buying a 199 refurbished.
 
Guess they're trying to get the most $$$ out of the current iPhones before the next ones come out.

Unless they plan to keep the contract-less iPhones the next round, then that'd be kind of neat, even though I'd stick with AT&T anyway, so I'd get the subsidized one.
 
notjustjay said:
Interesting, though I'm not sure what the point would be. The iPhone is not particularly special without the 3G data plan, and if I'm going to sign up for that, I might as well also take the contract and subsidized $199 price.
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Yeah, but do the math, how much are you really spending with the contract? Somewhere in the thousands right?
 
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