AppleCare Replacements after 4/12

[mike5411]

Hi there!

I currently have an AT&T iPhone 5 with AppleCare+. It was on AT&T but then I canceled my contract, paid the etf, got it unlocked through them, and now I am using it on T-Mobile.

I am currently having a hardware issue with the phone where the screen appears to be "separating". By this I mean when I press the screen along the left click. The sound is ever so slight but it sounds like the glue is coming lose.

My first question is how would an in warranty replacement work? I have a fear that Apple will give me an iPhone locked to AT&T and AT&T will not want to help me unlock the new phone since I am not a customer anyone. Then I would be stuck with a phone I couldn't use!

Second, as we all know, the T-Mobile iPhone is launching soon. How soon after the iPhone launch would the tweaked AT&T phones start appear in the replaces? Where I live I get pretty good reframed 3G so I don't really want to swap my phone just for this. However if after a certain date I would happened to get a tweaked AWS version, then I might as well wait. I think that the replacements may be a gamble for a while with getting an AWS one, but it makes me wonder because Apple is claiming that all 24 hour stores will get it at 12:01. That makes me think the software may be different and the brown box replacements would then have AWS on the same date.

Thank you,
Mike

 

[Brian Y]

Hi there!

I currently have an AT&T iPhone 5 with AppleCare+. It was on AT&T but then I canceled my contract, paid the etf, got it unlocked through them, and now I am using it on T-Mobile.

I am currently having a hardware issue with the phone where the screen appears to be "separating". By this I mean when I press the screen along the left click. The sound is ever so slight but it sounds like the glue is coming lose.

My first question is how would an in warranty replacement work? I have a fear that Apple will give me an iPhone locked to AT&T and AT&T will not want to help me unlock the new phone since I am not a customer anyone. Then I would be stuck with a phone I couldn't use!

Second, as we all know, the T-Mobile iPhone is launching soon. How soon after the iPhone launch would the tweaked AT&T phones start appear in the replaces? Where I live I get pretty good reframed 3G so I don't really want to swap my phone just for this. However if after a certain date I would happened to get a tweaked AWS version, then I might as well wait. I think that the replacements may be a gamble for a while with getting an AWS one, but it makes me wonder because Apple is claiming that all 24 hour stores will get it at 12:01. That makes me think the software may be different and the brown box replacements would then have AWS on the same date.

Thank you,
Mike

a) Your new phone will use the same activation profile as your old one (the replacement process will move it over on iTunes). If your current phone has been unlocked, your new one will be too.

b) You won't get a new AWS one, you'll get the exact same model as you have. If you have a non-aws one, you'll get a non-aws one as a replacement.

 

[mike5411]

a) Your new phone will use the same activation profile as your old one (the replacement process will move it over on iTunes). If your current phone has been unlocked, your new one will be too.

b) You won't get a new AWS one, you'll get the exact same model as you have. If you have a non-aws one, you'll get a non-aws one as a replacement.

Thank you. I was quite concerned at first regarding the phone being unlocked. That was my main concern.

 

[bradlwlk]

a) Your new phone will use the same activation profile as your old one (the replacement process will move it over on iTunes). If your current phone has been unlocked, your new one will be too.

b) You won't get a new AWS one, you'll get the exact same model as you have. If you have a non-aws one, you'll get a non-aws one as a replacement.

The models aren't changing though. It will still be Model A1420, only a slight internal hardware tweak. I don't see it cost effective for Apple to carry the AWS and non AWS A1420 in stock. It seems silly. Then again, I am hoping this is not the case, as I paid retail on an Unlocked 64GB model, and want to use the AWS on T-Mobile. The refarm isn't ready here, but we have prime AWS coverage on HSPA+42mbs and when using it on the Galaxy S3 and T-Mobile data sticks, it's wicked fast. Kicks the Verizon/AT&T LTE networks in the back.

 

[Applejuiced]

I think eventually all the replacements will be AWS enabled but that can take time. Until all the current old A1420 in stock are gone.

 

[Brian Y]

The models aren't changing though. It will still be Model A1420, only a slight internal hardware tweak. I don't see it cost effective for Apple to carry the AWS and non AWS A1420 in stock. It seems silly. Then again, I am hoping this is not the case, as I paid retail on an Unlocked 64GB model, and want to use the AWS on T-Mobile. The refarm isn't ready here, but we have prime AWS coverage on HSPA+42mbs and when using it on the Galaxy S3 and T-Mobile data sticks, it's wicked fast. Kicks the Verizon/AT&T LTE networks in the back.

Yes, but old hardware will be refurbished. They aren't going to just throw out the non aws hardware they get back.

The aws phone will have a different part number and won't be used interchangeably with non aws ones.