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

[jrbdmb]

It is true that it won't improve anything. However IF (and this is a big if) everyone in a slave contract with AT&T who wanted a new iPhone 3G decided to cancel their current contract and not buy a new iPhone, they might actually feel that one. Still wouldn't do anything about the immediate situation, but it might make Apple rethink the scenario for future business relations with AT&T (yes I know about Apple's slave contract for 5 years with AT&T as well). Granted, none of this will happen because it would require the masses to THINK instead of taking it up the #$@😱.

That's sure is some thinking there ... "Hey AT&T, I don't care if you just lost $250 selling me a cut-rate Blackberry three months ago, I want you to lose another $250 selling me a cut-rate iPhone 3G! What, you won't do it? OK, you bastards, I'll show you, here's my $175 ETF!"

🙄

 

[gkarris]

many who criticize people on this should read this.....it the EXPECTATION that AT&T has created that is causing the problem. People would have been ok if you had told them in the first place but to come out later and change the pricing is what piss people off.

Actually, Steve Jobs made the expectation at his keynote speech...

 

[bigmc6000]

renew another 3 yr contract and you already know the data plan will be $40 buck and if AT&T is smart they will sell the phone at $249 and $349 instead.

It's a 2 year contract - there is a federal limit at 2 years. Also - considering how much you're going to be paying for your monthly iPhone bill you'll likely be able to upgrade after 18 months (with subsidy). I still don't get all the b!tching on here. It's standard rules and they are allowing the iPhone V1 owners to upgrade. Just don't get the shock and/or outrage - what the heck did people think was going to happen??

 

[kidtronix]

I got my iPhone when they sold out the 4Gb, around October. Will I have to opt out of my contract with AT&T for that phone, or will I be able to just add this new 2-year plan and end my old? Since it's the same company, you'd think it'd be easy, but all this cell phone companies are out to screw you.

 

[bjornm]

Actually, Steve Jobs made the expectation at his keynote speech...

Where in the keynote did Steve Jobs give the expectation that AT&T would terminate contracts for free? That seems to be what people want here. I missed that specific message in the keynote.

What I understood was that everyone would be able to buy an iPhone for $199. That still holds true.

 

[bigmc6000]

Actually, Steve Jobs made the expectation at his keynote speech...

You've got to be kidding me. You really thought the $199 was unsubsidized??? The current iPhone that lacked 3G and GPS was going for $400. You think Apple planted a bunch of money trees and no longer worries about making money?

 

[Harley05]

I got my iPhone when they sold out the 4Gb, around October. Will I have to opt out of my contract with AT&T for that phone, or will I be able to just add this new 2-year plan and end my old? Since it's the same company, you'd think it'd be easy, but all this cell phone companies are out to screw you.

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.

 

[bigmc6000]

I got my iPhone when they sold out the 4Gb, around October. Will I have to opt out of my contract with AT&T for that phone, or will I be able to just add this new 2-year plan and end my old? Since it's the same company, you'd think it'd be easy, but all this cell phone companies are out to screw you.

You'll upgrade to the 3G iPhone and your 2 year contract will start over. It won't just keep adding on. The federal gov't limits cell phone contracts to 2 years.

The only thing is they *might* take away most of your rollover mins except for however many your plan is. I.E. I have the 450 min plan so I'm only going to get 450 rollover mins even tho I've accrued over 1k. If you're plan is 650 you'll get 650 - so on and so forth.

And please people - don't b!tch about rollover mins. Nobody else even has them!!

 

[jrbdmb]

I don't know who is at fault but I really think AT&T is really screwed up. they should have told the public about the difference in pricing immediately after Jobs announced the iPhone. Now they are creating outrage in the community.

No, they are creating outrage in a small number of Apple fanbois and tech dweebs who spend all trolling MacRumors and other iPhone hangouts. Most cell phone customers know they can't another free or cut-rate phone if they just recently got one - this not a BFD to 99.9% of customers.

 

[bigmc6000]

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.

You're a newbie and you're already grilling people? Geeze - cut the guy some slack... Why so mean? TGIF!! 🙂

 

[bjornm]

My plan

This is what I am going to do:

July 10: Buy a subsidized phone from AT&T. Either a high end at a cheap price or maybe a "free phone", http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-sales/promotion/free-phones.jsp

July 11: Buy a new iPhone and force AT&T to let me upgrade for free, i.e. buy at the subsidized price at $199 and terminate the old contract for free.

July 12: Sell the other phone on eBay. "Brand new Samsung - NIB - LOOK".

I expect AT&T to subsidize the first phone with $200. I will sell it for $50 less and make $150.

What? AT&T won't let me do this?

 

[Rspaight]

Any expected price on the iPod Touch after July? $149 sounds good to me.

Who's going to subsidize an iPod touch?

(Or, put another way, to whom are you going to pay $xx a month for two years in order to make up for the discount on the iPod touch?)

Or are you joking? (In which case, well done.)

 

[jrbdmb]

you will be perfectly fine, because when you are upgrading from an iphone, they dont add on to your old contract, they just give you a brand new one, and void your old one at no charge.

Why would they do that? This 2G-to-3G iPhone upgrade plan is a one-time deal as the 2G was not subsidized by AT&T. When I get my 3G in July I fully expect to be stuck with it for 20 months or so before being able to upgrade to a new iPhone.

 

[gkarris]

You've got to be kidding me. You really thought the $199 was unsubsidized??? The current iPhone that lacked 3G and GPS was going for $400. You think Apple planted a bunch of money trees and no longer worries about making money?

I didn't say that....

Steve said the MAXIMUM price would be $199.... that's what the ruckus is about, current AT&T customers previously subsidized will be paying more...

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I keep going back and forth on the 3G.

No need to anymore!

AT&T is going to cost Apple a lot of customers this time around.

Nice work, you idiots.

 

[jrbdmb]

Apple messed up by going in to business with att in the first place. the original iphone should have been sold by apple unlocked, but i guess they didnt have enough confidence that consumers would be willing to pay over $500 for a cell phone. judging by their focus on price in the keynote id say they still hold that belief. its a shame.

It's not a shame, it's a fact. The average cellphone buyer has proven unwilling to shell out $400, let alone $600 for an iPhone. Why do you think Apple cut the original price so quickly? After the initial rush by fanbois, demand dried up for a $600 iPhone. More bought the $400 iPhone, but not as many as Apple wanted. So they make agreements with the cell phone companies to subsidize the 3G, and sell more phones for Apple.

If Apple had come out with the iPhone unlocked for $600, it would have bombed. Only a tiny % of Americans even know what an unlocked phone is, let alone want to buy one.

 

[bigmc6000]

I didn't say that....

Steve said the MAXIMUM price would be $199.... that's what the ruckus is about, current AT&T customers previously subsidized will be paying more...

And? Apple is playing in a different sandbox when they are talking about Phones. Blackberry advertises their Pearl for $99 yet there is no lawsuit going around for false advertisement. That's just how the cell phone industry works. If you thought the Max price would really be $199 then you thought the $199 was unsubsidized. As another poster said this is just annoying the people here on MR - most of which are probably going to get the thing anyway. I haven't seen a single piece on a news site talking about how atrocious the new iPhone pricing structure is. Once again that masses don't really care because it's common sense to them. Same reason iTunes is #1 - the masses don't care about DRM and the masses aren't audiophiles. Apple is winning in both cases.

 

[gkarris]

And? Apple is playing in a different sandbox when they are talking about Phones. Blackberry advertises their Pearl for $99 yet there is no lawsuit going around for false advertisement. That's just how the cell phone industry works. If you thought the Max price would really be $199 then you thought the $199 was unsubsidized. As another poster said this is just annoying the people here on MR - most of which are probably going to get the thing anyway. I haven't seen a single piece on a news site talking about how atrocious the new iPhone pricing structure is. Once again that masses don't really care because it's common sense to them. Same reason iTunes is #1 - the masses don't care about DRM and the masses aren't audiophiles. Apple is winning in both cases.

What? 😕

Do you have the ability to read minds?

 

[babyj]

Okay, okay. Now what if next year when the 3rd generation iPhone comes out. Will iPhone users get the discount? I know you can't tell me that, but it could be something to talk about.

It will be the same as it is now. When then 3rd gen iPhone comes out if you're still under contract (with a subsidised 2nd gen iPhone) then you won't be able to get it without paying a premium - which will depend on the same factors that will apply to people getting a 2nd gen iPhone now who are already under contract with AT&T at the moment.

 

[diabolic]

AT&T is going to cost Apple a lot of customers this time around.

Not nearly as many customers as the $199 price will bring in from other carriers.

The only people this affects are already AT&T customers that are locked into a contract with a subsidized phone. Technically, their existing phone isn't paid for until the contract runs out, so it's pretty unreasonable to expect AT&T to eat the cost of the previous subsidy just so people can have the $199 price. That's how the subsidies work on all carriers.

 

[bmms8]

there are so many idiots on this board who think that apple or ATT is cheating them. ill say it again, you all cheated them by unlocking phones and what not. this is a business for them, why cant some of you understand this. they dont make phones to truly make you happy, they make phones to make themselves happy. there is nothing wrong with advertising the phones as 199/299 with a two year agreement. if you think otherwise, i just dont know what else to say...

 

[bigmc6000]

What? 😕

Do you have the ability to read minds?

There's no other reason for you to think that everyone could buy the phone for $199 - so the conclusion is you, apparently, thought the $199 was unsubsidzed.

 

[gkarris]

There's no other reason for you to think that everyone could buy the phone for $199 - so the conclusion is you, apparently, thought the $199 was unsubsidzed.

That doesn't make ANY sense. I never said in any post here that the $199 price was unsubsidized...

The fact of the matter is, Steve said the max price is $199. AT&T charging customers $199 + $175 is more than the $199....

 

[diamond.g]

ill say it again, you all cheated them by unlocking phones and what not.

Out of sheer curiosity, how does one cheat AT&T out of anything when buying a unsubsidised phone?

 

[bigmc6000]

That doesn't make ANY sense. I never said in any post here that the $199 price was unsubsidized...

The fact of the matter is, Steve said the max price is $199. AT&T charging customers $199 + $175 is more than the $199....

No, you didn't. But that fact that you're having a problem with people who are currently under contract not getting to get the phone for $199 implies that you thought the $199 was unsubsidized.