Any way to get one without a contract...?
yeah anyone know if you can get a brand new/refurb iphone 3g from any store without a contract? i.e. buying it off the shelf
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AT&T Offering Refurbished 16 GB iPhone 3Gs for $149
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yeah anyone know if you can get a brand new/refurb iphone 3g from any store without a contract? i.e. buying it off the shelf
Yes. AT&T and Apple both sell them without contract, GoPhibe for 499 and 599 USD, 8 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes, respectably.
It is my understanding that if you get it from Apple they let you leave the store without activation/contract. You go home, plug in your GoPhone SIM, and it just works.
Of course, you can also plug in a TurboSIM card.
Argh! I was all set to buy a refurb iPhone but the ATT online store is out of the white 16GB ones. Does anyone know if and possible when they might get more? (i.e., you've seen it go in and out of stock).
Video
I just spoke to a higher up in Apple and he told me that when the new OS comes out, the 3G's should have video capability. I acted surprised and said "going to video is just a software upgrade?" and he said yeah, it'll come with the new OS. He also said that the reason the Touch doesnt have a camera is because Apple's biggest Touch customer asked that it didnt... He also said this site (MacRumors) and MacSurfer are the two best sites on the net for Apple news as far as accuracy.
My 2 cents
I just spoke to a higher up in Apple and he told me that when the new OS comes out, the 3G's should have video capability. I acted surprised and said "going to video is just a software upgrade?" and he said yeah, it'll come with the new OS. He also said that the reason the Touch doesnt have a camera is because Apple's biggest Touch customer asked that it didnt... He also said this site (MacRumors) and MacSurfer are the two best sites on the net for Apple news as far as accuracy.
My 2 cents
Quick question: how does one go about verifying if a refurb they purchased has never been registered? Any tips to tell if it was never used/registered, like a link to the site? Much appreciated!
Should I do it?
I have been forcing myself to not buy an iPhone anticipating the June announcement. But with the 16g refurb going for $149? Should I do it?
Currently I'm a Verizon customer & am planning on switching to AT&T for the iPhone. So I'll be eilgible for a new contract discount.
Should I get the 16g now & upgrade down the road when the price drops or wait another month for the 3rd gen iPhone? This is killing me!! HELP!
M.S.
I have been forcing myself to not buy an iPhone anticipating the June announcement. But with the 16g refurb going for $149? Should I do it?
Currently I'm a Verizon customer & am planning on switching to AT&T for the iPhone. So I'll be eilgible for a new contract discount.
Should I get the 16g now & upgrade down the road when the price drops or wait another month for the 3rd gen iPhone? This is killing me!! HELP!
M.S.
I did the same thing this week, except I went with the refurb 8gb. I also am making the switch from Verizon to AT&T. I finally decided that nothing would really be so wonderful in the new iphone that would make me want to spend more money. I'm perfectly happy with what the iphone seems to have now
Mine is scheduled to be delivered on Monday it looks like!
I'd wait and see what they say at WWDC. Could be that the new version is only a month or two away!
too late...
Sorry, folks -- the AT&T online site says they are "temporarily out of stock" on refurbs for the 8GB and both the B & W 16GB iphones.
Sorry, folks -- the AT&T online site says they are "temporarily out of stock" on refurbs for the 8GB and both the B & W 16GB iphones.
Get an iPhone without contract.
I believe if you purchase one from an individual or from maybe eBay, you can add it to your plan with the required iPhone data plan and not be under a contract. Seems that new iPhones on eBay without a contract are bringing pretty big bucks.
Would be best to ask AT&T, but I'm pretty sure they only require a contract if you purchase it from AT&T or an authorized retailer.
As far as holding off until summer to purchase a new one: I don't really see a reason to hold off. I believe the only thing that's going to change for iPhone is the new 3.0 OS. All current iPhone users can upgrade to OS 3.0 for FREE! The only ones being charged for the upgrade are iPod Touch users... $9.95 for the upgrade.
Any way to get one without a contract...?
I believe if you purchase one from an individual or from maybe eBay, you can add it to your plan with the required iPhone data plan and not be under a contract. Seems that new iPhones on eBay without a contract are bringing pretty big bucks.
Would be best to ask AT&T, but I'm pretty sure they only require a contract if you purchase it from AT&T or an authorized retailer.
As far as holding off until summer to purchase a new one: I don't really see a reason to hold off. I believe the only thing that's going to change for iPhone is the new 3.0 OS. All current iPhone users can upgrade to OS 3.0 for FREE! The only ones being charged for the upgrade are iPod Touch users... $9.95 for the upgrade.
Yes. AT&T and Apple both sell them without contract, GoPhibe for 499 and 599 USD, 8 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes, respectably.
It is my understanding that if you get it from Apple they let you leave the store without activation/contract. You go home, plug in your GoPhone SIM, and it just works.
Of course, you can also plug in a TurboSIM card.
I was informed by my AT&T store that it's impossible to purchase from AT&T, Apple or an authorized reseller (Best Buy, WalMart) without a contract. It doesn't matter how much you pay, if you buy from either of those sources, you're going to be entered into a contract. Your best bet is to get it on eBay and hope you get a genuinely good seller... read their feedback extensively! Seems iPhones on eBay (new ones) bring pretty high price tags for this reason.
Oh, and I don't believe GoPhone SIM cards will work. As soon as you turn on the iPhone, it communicates with AT&T and pretty much automatically upgrades you to the iPhone Data Plan. If you're going to attempt that, do it with caution.
Something else to be cautious about: If you do not have unlimited text on your plan, you could get caught in a "loop" with your text plan. Since I don't text much, I only have the 200 message plan. I noticed I was charged for 18 text messages but wasn't over on my 200 plan. The AT&T store took care of it with no problem, but had I not caught it, it would've been expensive at the end of the month at $0.20 each.