If it's refurbished, someone else should have paid the subsidy. Otherwise they'd be charging for two subsidies which is probably illegal somehow. Did you have to sign a contract? Or did you just start service?
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AT&T iPhone 3G $199/$299 Pricing Policy
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If it's refurbished, someone else should have paid the subsidy. Otherwise they'd be charging for two subsidies which is probably illegal somehow. Did you have to sign a contract? Or did you just start service?
Key word here is "might".
I'm a current customer, non-iPhone owner. Current phone I have is the Cingular 8125, which I did upgrade to, subsidized from an unlocked Nokia 7250i, and signed for a new 2 year plan. I am currently eligible for the iPhone, subsidized.
So if you bought a subsidized phone, and the plan for that phone ended (leaving you month/month), you would be eligible. My wife upgraded her RAZR in April, and isn't eligible until December 2009.
BL.
That 29.99 price point is subsidized. If youve had the 99.99 plan for 12 months or more you may be good though. Just call ATT or go online and ask.
I had to sign a 2-yr contract... but according to the upgrade criteria it sounds as if that will be wiped out considering the price of my plan for the past 3 months.. no?
Ah. Then it is probably subsidized. I think you need to have been in contract for 12 months at the $99 dollars then. But who knows? There's new info everyday and it seems that half say it's for everyone anyway. The fact that Jobs got up there and said that leads me to believe that everyone will get that price and AT&T is full of it.
Actually I just looked @ the same refurb curb on att and it's now priced at $99 after what they call a "refurb discount"... perhaps I just got one for $29.99 when they had a huge stock and were trying to unload them? None of the refurbs seem to be subsidized other than the obvious "refurb discount" due to it being a used phone.
Also.. the exact wording of the credit eligibility says that they've had a plan for $99+ and been in a contract IN the last 12 months.. which is different than having been in a contract at $99+ FOR the last 12 months. Legally speaking, if this phrase is actually what is to be used by AT&T, the wording of this makes it seem like at any point in the last 12 months if you've been in a contract and not upgrade, and also had a plan of $99+ at some point in those 12 months, you should be able to get the $199/299 prices..
See-->"Customer has had a standard calling plan plus data services costing $99 a month or more, and who has been in contract (and not upgraded) in the last 12 months. "
Oh that. You're missing the distinction. You're reading it as, in A contract. What it's saying is IN CONTRACT. Legally you're "in contract" if you're currently in a contract. You have to be in contract for twelve months to satisfy that requirement. You've only been in contract for 3.
This wording exists because customers—who are month-to-month—who have satisfied their two year contract are considered to be out of contract.
We can speculate all we want. The problem is that nobody has given any solid answers. You can say that one of the higher ups at att said there would be an unsubsidized price. Others speculate that he was wrong, and that apple made it clear everyone would get the same price at 199/299. Some have called att and been told that they are eligible for the subsidized price even though they are not technically eligible for an upgrade at the moment. Some have received the opposite answer. Many apple employees have told customers that they know nothing except of the 199/299 price points.
The problem hear is that 50% of the people that have commented on this question, have given one answer. The other 50% have received another.
Obviously, nobody knows. I'll tell you one thing though, the longer we go without an answer, the better the chance of everyone receiving the identical price point at 199/299. My reasoning for that is simply that most people (we're not most people) who heard about the announcement are assuming that the price is what they heard the day the iphone was announced... "199/299." The longer we go without answer, the bigger the problem will be if att comes up with some ludicrous unsubsidized price (Especially if the unsubsidized price is still for a locked phone, which is what's assumed since att has mentioned no unlocked phones being available ).
The reality is we can't speculate on price for an unsubsidized phone (if there will be one) because most phones that aren't subsidized by the carrier, dont require a 2 year contract. The whole point of the subsidy, is to lock people in for 2 years.
This will have some serious repercussions if done wrong... Just watch. I've gone back and forth, but considering the circumstances, I think that ATT exec is gonna change his plans for an unsubsidized phone, instead just taking the hit from old subsidized unfinished contracts, while feasting on an even larger base of iphone users that will be paying $70+ per month in monthly charges. It might be the best business decision.
The problem hear is that 50% of the people that have commented on this question, have given one answer. The other 50% have received another.
Obviously, nobody knows. I'll tell you one thing though, the longer we go without an answer, the better the chance of everyone receiving the identical price point at 199/299. My reasoning for that is simply that most people (we're not most people) who heard about the announcement are assuming that the price is what they heard the day the iphone was announced... "199/299." The longer we go without answer, the bigger the problem will be if att comes up with some ludicrous unsubsidized price (Especially if the unsubsidized price is still for a locked phone, which is what's assumed since att has mentioned no unlocked phones being available ).
The reality is we can't speculate on price for an unsubsidized phone (if there will be one) because most phones that aren't subsidized by the carrier, dont require a 2 year contract. The whole point of the subsidy, is to lock people in for 2 years.
This will have some serious repercussions if done wrong... Just watch. I've gone back and forth, but considering the circumstances, I think that ATT exec is gonna change his plans for an unsubsidized phone, instead just taking the hit from old subsidized unfinished contracts, while feasting on an even larger base of iphone users that will be paying $70+ per month in monthly charges. It might be the best business decision.
This is exactly what I have been telling people on various forums, and nobody wants to believe it. AT&T has a potential PR nightmare on their hands, and it's their own fault for waiting to release the details and letting their CSRs spout whatever they want to inquirers. All it takes is for a person to say, "Your CSRl on this date, told me I could upgrade for $199," and AT&T has their hands tied, and it's their own doing. Even though I am locked in a contract with 9 months left before I can upgrade, with a subsidized phone, they would still profit off me with the $199 next month and, more importantly, a new data plan I have never had before. Multiply that times the number of potential new iPhone customers and new data customers, and they are going to make a killing.
AT&T's press release currently mentions that fewer than 20% of CURRENT AT&T subscribers have a data plan. Why would they mention that in the iPhone 3G press release if they didn't intend to attract many more data plan subscribers, many of whom could current AT&T customers without a data plan? Letting the current iPhone customers upgrade won't bring them that new revenue (at least not to the tune of $30 more per month), and only so many people are going to ditch their carriers for AT&T right now, when a better iPhone will be out in another year, I'm guessing.
I am prepared to spend money next month, when the hype is big, because I am drooling over this phone. Make me wait until March of '09, and not only does my compulsion to buy the phone wane, but I stay ticked off at AT&T, and I'm ticked right now because they can't get their details out, now two weeks after Apple announced the phone. Here they are showing people they are upgrade eligible on their website, and we don't even know the details yet!
The ATT customer service manager i spoke with on the phone sounded like the most informed ATT employee i've heard about this. I don't know if he was just speculating based on the mandatory 2 year commitment, but he knows that there will not be a no-commitment price on this (as we all know).
The "honest explanation" i got from him was as such: If ATT is mandating a 2yr contract on this, AND mandating the $30/mo. data plan, the hit they would be taking from letting current in-contract non-iPhone customers upgrade at will would not be that large a hit, if a hit at all. There's no reason to expect an unsubsidized price for the phone, since all contracts will be mandatory. You don't place mandates on unsubsidized phones.
what i take from this is; many people who are considering upgrading to the iPhone are not business-phone users. by a show of hands (or posts) how many of you would be downgrading your current plan to get the iPhone (i.e. paying more than $30 for data + whatever for txts). My guess (and ATT's) is none or VERY few. so, assuming most people will be adding at least the $10 to their contract, ATT stands to make their extra $240 over the next two years, above and beyond what they would reap from your current contract. allowing you out of your current commitment is a guaranteed jump in monthly revenue for them.
Cell phone companies may exist for the sole purpose of screwing we the consumer, but they won't do so if it hurts their bottom line.
The "honest explanation" i got from him was as such: If ATT is mandating a 2yr contract on this, AND mandating the $30/mo. data plan, the hit they would be taking from letting current in-contract non-iPhone customers upgrade at will would not be that large a hit, if a hit at all. There's no reason to expect an unsubsidized price for the phone, since all contracts will be mandatory. You don't place mandates on unsubsidized phones.
what i take from this is; many people who are considering upgrading to the iPhone are not business-phone users. by a show of hands (or posts) how many of you would be downgrading your current plan to get the iPhone (i.e. paying more than $30 for data + whatever for txts). My guess (and ATT's) is none or VERY few. so, assuming most people will be adding at least the $10 to their contract, ATT stands to make their extra $240 over the next two years, above and beyond what they would reap from your current contract. allowing you out of your current commitment is a guaranteed jump in monthly revenue for them.
Cell phone companies may exist for the sole purpose of screwing we the consumer, but they won't do so if it hurts their bottom line.
That's why it just seems to make sense to let as many people as possible upgrade to the iPhone data plan. People keep telling me no way, they'll lose money, which I totally disagree with, since I know in my case they would profit off me handsomely.
This makes the most sense to me.
I was at the Apple store today and one of the employees told me that although they have no information yet, they expect that if you are non-iPhone current-customer that you will just be asked to sign another 2 year contract. Even though he doesn't really have anything to back it up, he told me he isn't believing anything ATT is saying right now until the Apple says something (Apple has the last word).
Looks like Apple has indeed cut costs on the iPhone for the new 3G, so that might be at least some part of the price decrease.
http://www.businessweek.com/technol...?chan=top+news_top+news+index_news+++analysis
http://www.businessweek.com/technol...?chan=top+news_top+news+index_news+++analysis
I'm going to be PO'd if...
All I know is I've been an AT&T customer for several years now and like many, have been waiting for the iPhone price point to come down a little and if on 7/11 I go to get my iPhone and the price isn't $199/$299 I'm going to be severely irate,not just with AT&T but Apple for allowing this kind of bait and switch to happen in the first place.
All I know is I've been an AT&T customer for several years now and like many, have been waiting for the iPhone price point to come down a little and if on 7/11 I go to get my iPhone and the price isn't $199/$299 I'm going to be severely irate,not just with AT&T but Apple for allowing this kind of bait and switch to happen in the first place.
My guess is that the new iphone is really going to be 999.99/1099.99 and the 199/299 was just for a battery replacement.
Are you really trying to pick a fight on a forum? I think your taking this way to seriously.
Right, I'm the one who took it seriously.
Anyway Apple would be shooting themselves in the foot if they sold it for that price.
Come on...settle down ladies 
There's no reason to argue over this. The final policies will become clear in the days leading into the launch. To worry about it now is useless.
There's no reason to argue over this. The final policies will become clear in the days leading into the launch. To worry about it now is useless.
Correct.
I meant it as a joke to the person i was replying too. In no way do i think the price would be 999/1099. That would be stupid.