AT&T iPhone 3G $199/$299 Pricing Policy

[marksman]

Never though I'd say this but I feel for you people over the pond. AT&T are deciding whether you are 'good enough' to have an iPhone.

Nothing of the sort is going on. AT&T wants people to have the iPhone and they are not judging people to not get one, short of people not being capable of having one.

The only two reasons why you can't get an iPhone from AT&T:

1) You have bad credit and refuse to put down a large deposit.
2) You contractually obligated yourself to a contract with AT&T already and must fullfill that contract before you can get a new phone.

There is no evil-doing here. Anyone who has a problem with getting an iPhone on July 11th will because of something they chose to do. There are no innocent victims here.

That's the best news I've heard since the keynote . I'd rather pay the cost up front then get stuck with a monkey on my back.

Even if there is an unsubsidized price, everything AT&T has said is you will still be required to sign a 2 year contract.

So you will have a monkey and a much more expensive bill for the iPhone.

AT&T is not intersted in selling phones to anyone who has no intention of using their wireless service.

 

[cryo]

Nothing of the sort is going on. AT&T wants people to have the iPhone and they are not judging people to not get one, short of people not being capable of having one.

The only two reasons why you can't get an iPhone from AT&T:

1) You have bad credit and refuse to put down a large deposit.
2) You contractually obligated yourself to a contract with AT&T already and must fullfill that contract before you can get a new phone.

There is no evil-doing here. Anyone who has a problem with getting an iPhone on July 11th will because of something they chose to do. There are no innocent victims here.

I haven't seen this info. anywhere on AT&T's website. Nothing has come from AT&T yet.

 

[radiogod69]

I'm getting to the point where I've had it with all the rumors, it's gotten too confusing to the point down is up and up is down. I refuse to believe any of this until an official announcement has been made by Apple and/or att on pricing. Until then its all speculation regardless if its an internal leaked memo or not.

 

[SlyMac]

Not really - those would be non-contract prices.

You still have to sign up for the 2 year contract, even if you buy an unsubsidized phone.

Other countries allow you to purchase the phone with no contract and possibly even unlocked.

Man, I completely forgot that you still have to sign a new contract and sign up for the 30.00 per month data plan. AT&T has already said that there wouldnt be a "No Contract" version. That might just keep the price at 400 for the 8GB (maybe even less if i cross my fingers). Good post.

 

[MBHockey]

Oh, I understand the contract. No problem. But that doesn't mean it is good customer service. It wouldn't be the first time I've switched carriers. lol Iphone ver1 purchasers signed a contract also and ATT is letting them off the hook with a free upgrade or a subsidized price. So why do they get the good deal is ATT was sold them the first phone "at cost" If it appears in the end they making exceptions for some existing customers but not for other then I'll weigh my options like everyone else. The last time around they waived my upgrade and made it available at 18 months even thought the contract was 24 months. So they do this stuff all the time.

Good customer service? You clearly still don't understand the situation here. It's not about screwing customers, which you so clearly seem to want to believe. And yes, original iPhone customers paid full price for the phone and entered a two year contract (where you are allowed 1 unsubsidized phone purchase on AT&T). Since these owners haven't taken advantage of this yet, for the iPhone 3G they can.

Maybe someone needs to draw pictures?

 

[SlyMac]

I'm getting to the point where I've had it with all the rumors, it's gotten too confusing to the point down is up and up is down. I refuse to believe any of this until an official announcement has been made by Apple and/or att on pricing. Until then its all speculation regardless if its an internal leaked memo or not.

Well, Apple has already skipped around the price in their keynote. They just announced a 199/299 price like that was it and didnt bother saying anything about the changes to the way the iphone is sold.

 

[cryo]

Well, Apple has already skipped around the price in their keynote. They just announced a 199/299 price like that was it and didnt bother saying anything about the changes to the way the iphone is sold.

Actually, Jobs left an opening: he said this would be the price in "almost" every country in which the phone is released. Of course the U.S., home to Apple, would be the exception. It's how we do business!

 

[zync]

The reality is, although I think I have an intelligent idea, I sill cant see a way to fit this into selling iphones at an apple store. Where will an apple store be able to playa around with all the nooks and crannies of your att contract. Its one thing, if you just activate a simple contract at an apple store, but once it gets past that, I begin to wonder how possible it is.

For example:

Let's say joe shmo has a wife who has junky phone and joe has a junky phone, and they have a wonderful att family plan. Joe Shmo and his wife are both not due for upgrades. Joe Shmo wants an iphone, so he goes to an apple store and buys one (whatever the price). He needs them to activate it, replace it into his att family plan, and add data, and also deal with whatever repercussions of him not being due for upgrade.

I am confused just reading over this situation. How is some apple store clerk gonna deal with att's business???

That would have been me up until 2:15 today when I got laid off with four other people. Now I have to figure out how to afford my mortgage longer than six months. I'm an animator, there's not a lot of jobs around here for that. The four of us might get others and create a new, better, company. But who knows how that will do. I guess I'm not getting my iPhone. That sucks.

 

[gri]

what if

I got an ATT family plane with my wife and we both got a subsidized phone (myself a free nokia that came with the plan at that time) as I knew I would buy an iPhone soon but not quite yet. After all, I knew it would be full price anyway, right? So now I am screwed because I got a subsidized phone early on...?

 

[jaredisme]

This is completely stupid. I don't have to wait 2 years to upgrade my phone for any other phone as far as I know, my family and I have upgraded out phones multiple times over the past 3 years.

And also, when my mom used to have an iPhone she had gotten a new phone only about a year before and she didn't have to pay any extra.

 

[reinman78]

tmobile does so have 3g.

tmobile does so have 3 g in germany, They are launching their umts/hspda network in the US in the summer of 2008.

 

[supmango]

Even if there is an unsubsidized price, everything AT&T has said is you will still be required to sign a 2 year contract.

So you will have a monkey and a much more expensive bill for the iPhone.

AT&T is not intersted in selling phones to anyone who has no intention of using their wireless service.

Assuming there is an unsubsidized price, and the iPhone is no different from any other phone out there, if you purchase the iPhone unsubsidized then it would not be an extension of your contract. The policy clearly states this fact. Rewriting the policy to include the 2 year extension would be a violation of each persons current agreement.

 

[Paix247]

Question

my situation:

-Had an iPhone from launch day, just sold it on ebay last week.

-Used my "upgrade" discount from wireless.att.com to get an cheap phone to use for now...

-I still have my iPhone data plan, and it is listed under my account with "expires August 2, 2008" written next to it.


Do you think I'll be able to get the new iPhone at $199/$299?

 

[supmango]

That would have been me up until 2:15 today when I got laid off with four other people. Now I have to figure out how to afford my mortgage longer than six months. I'm an animator, there's not a lot of jobs around here for that. The four of us might get others and create a new, better, company. But who knows how that will do. I guess I'm not getting my iPhone. That sucks.

That sucks, they always seem to do that to people on Friday's. I have an engineer friend who has been laid off 4 times and it always happens on a Friday. Let me know if you get that new company together.

 

[ThePDAJunkie]

Honestly, I would rather have a Pleo then an Iphone. NO contract,
Free upgrades and it's cute. The cell phone industry is just like
the oil companies, which means 1 phone = 1 Barrel of oil and
lets see how high we can jack up the price or twist the costs.

ThePDAJunkie
Ipaq 211 Owner

 

[Plutonius]

Hows about we use a little common sense... The more people that buy the iphone, the higher the profits that come in from data plans etc. over time. Unlike many subsidized phones, the iphone requires people to get at least a 30$ data plan. Att is said to be making a killing on these plans.

So think about this one... Assuming that everyone doesn't get subsidies thats currently under att contract with a subsidized phone... thats tons of potential iphone buyers that may not be able to afford to upgrade. I do think that people in that situation will have to succumb to some penalty or charge to upgrade early to a subsidized iphone, but it wouldnt be in the best interests of att to make that charge more than 50 or so dollars.

The idea to just extend their contract even longer, was a good one. That would guarantee that att makes up all the money lost on the subsidies, while also coming out with a good profit.

You are assuming that the people who do not meet the requirements for a subsidized iPhone will not be getting one.

You are also forgetting that the people who are not eligible for a subsidized iPhone are most likely not eligible because the accepted a previous subsidized contract from AT&T. AT&T gave them the previous subsidized contract with the assumption that the person would be paying back the subsidized phone over the length of the contract. If they let everyone buy the iPhone for the subsidized price, AT&T would be losing money from the previous subsidized phones.

One solution might be to allow the people to pay off their current phone subsidy before buying an iPhone at the subsidized price (essentially that's what they are doing by charging more for the unsubsidized iPhone).

I'm sure AT&T has a team of people crunching numbers for maximizing profits for AT&T (not Apple).

 

[cryo]

You are assuming that the people who do not meet the requirements for a subsidized iPhone will not be getting one.

You are also forgetting that the people who are not eligible for a subsidized iPhone are most likely not eligible because the accepted a previous subsidized contract from AT&T. AT&T gave them the previous subsidized contract with the assumption that the person would be paying back the subsidized phone over the length of the contract. If they let everyone buy the iPhone for the subsidized price, AT&T would be losing money from the previous subsidized phones.

One solution might be to allow the people to pay off their current phone subsidy before buying an iPhone at the subsidized price (essentially that's what they are doing by charging more for the unsubsidized iPhone).

I'm sure AT&T has a team of people crunching numbers for maximizing profits for AT&T (not Apple).

Now that sounds like a plausible idea that hasn't been brought up yet, so then it will affect individual subscribers in an individual way, instead of just making all contracted customers pay the same higher price. Still will probably keep me from buying one, though, in July.

 

[arn]

One solution might be to allow the people to pay off their current phone subsidy before buying an iPhone at the subsidized price (essentially that's what they are doing by charging more for the unsubsidized iPhone).

That's the reason that there is an Early Termination Fee ($175), so people pay back the subsidy of the phone they bought if they decide they don't want to fulfill the contract.

arn

 

[jojasary]

quick question, do you need to have the iphone in hand on the day you buy the iphone 3g? I kinda sold mine last week and now I have the iphone sim in an old sony ericson. I still have the iphone data plan. Am I OK??

 

[kidtronix]

You are fine. Pay the $5000 termination fee, the $1200 activation fee and stick your head back in the sand.

Try reading the main page of Macrumors.com the lead story is all about this.

There was a polite way and a jackass way to reply to this, thanks for choosing the jackass way.

Newb.

 

[thechidz]

quick question, do you need to have the iphone in hand on the day you buy the iphone 3g? I kinda sold mine last week and now I have the iphone sim in an old sony ericson. I still have the iphone data plan. Am I OK??

I doubt they will have a way to see that your specific iphone is being used by someone else...

 

[Sweetbike40]

my situation:

-Had an iPhone from launch day, just sold it on ebay last week.

-Used my "upgrade" discount from wireless.att.com to get an cheap phone to use for now...

-I still have my iPhone data plan, and it is listed under my account with "expires August 2, 2008" written next to it.


Do you think I'll be able to get the new iPhone at $199/$299?

Since you got the new phone with a discount, i'd imagine you won't qualify for a discount on the iPhone. Hopefully you can return it within 30 days. Return it now if it will go past 30 days once the 11th hits. That is what i would do.

 

[czardmitri]

I don't think slaves signed contracts voluntarily to be in the situation there were in....think about what you say.

Perhaps we are just indentured servants.

 

[diamond.g]

Perhaps we are just indentured servants.

To our overlords at Apple Inc...


Wait did I just say that outlou--

This user has been sacked by Apple Elite Ninja....

 

[ememorris]

ok im sure this has been covered but i couldnt fine it...i was an iphone user up untill 2 months ago when my iphone got stolen. i canceled my data plan as i was not going to need it untill 3g came out. Do i qualify for the subsidized pricing?