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Yep -- that is exactly why AT&T will not sell the iPhone 3G to someone who isn't "upgrade eligible" at the subsidized price ($199/$299). Well put.

What if that someone upgraded a few months ago & so is not eligible for an upgrade but bought an iPhone a couple of weeks ago? Having the iPhone trumps the upgrade eligibility, right?
 
Yep -- that is exactly why AT&T will not sell the iPhone 3G to someone who isn't "upgrade eligible" at the subsidized price ($199/$299). Well put.

The only reason I can think they WOULD do this is because think of how many people want the new iPhone, but are still in a 2 year contract. Even people who signed up last year before iPhone was first released in June are technically still not eligible until December of this year.

That's a nice chunk of people who will not be buying the new iPhone and a nice reason to think Apple won't be reaching its 10M mark by the end of 2008, at least not in America alone.
 
What if that someone upgraded a few months ago & so is not eligible for an upgrade but bought an iPhone a couple of weeks ago? Having the iPhone trumps the upgrade eligibility, right?

I'm don't quite understand your scenario -- but even if I did, I don't work for AT&T so what I say is quite irrelevant :)
 
Upgrade and Eligibility info...posted by our very own Arn (if you haven't seen it yet):

I have to agree with him -- this looks like the way it will be and echoes what the AT&T rep said in his email to me earlier today.

Arn saying it is good enough for me. He is always on point.

Edit: Gizmodo is now reporting the same:

http://gizmodo.com/5016912/ineligible-att-customers-need-to-pay-full-price-for-iphone-3g

To be fair, I was using the Gizmodo report as reference.

What if that someone upgraded a few months ago & so is not eligible for an upgrade but bought an iPhone a couple of weeks ago? Having the iPhone trumps the upgrade eligibility, right?

Having the original iPhone makes you "upgrade eligible" from my understanding.

All this could change, but that's my understanding of it as of right now.

arn
 
To be fair, I was using the Gizmodo report as reference.
Having the original iPhone makes you "upgrade eligible" from my understanding.
arn

Probably not quite right. Having an original iPhone makes you eligible for an upgrade only to a iPhone 3G, not to any other phone, as "upgrade eligible" would normally imply.

But if one weren't "upgrade eligible" because of some other AT&T phone, I wonder whether one could just pay the cancellation fee for their current AT&T contract to make themselves upgrade eligible, and then buy an iPhone 3G on the spot, transferring their number from the account just cancelled. AT&T gets bundle of money for the cancellation+transfer, but the purchase receipt still says only $199 on the itemization line for the iPhone.
 
upgrade for current iphone owners

the way i see it, it would be almost criminal for att to try and make current iphone owners pay the full price for an iphone 3g and heres why.

when i bought my iphone on DAY 1, i paid the FULL PRICE AND SIGNED A TWO YEAR CONTRACT. no subsidies, no discounts, NOTHING. so att didnt lose any money in subsidies. i can understand making someone wait until they are eligable if att paid for part of their phone. but in this case att didnt lose anything as a matter of fact they should want me to upgrade to an iphone 3g so then they get at least 36 months out of me.

any comments?
 
the way i see it, it would be almost criminal for att to try and make current iphone owners pay the full price for an iphone 3g and heres why.

when i bought my iphone on DAY 1, i paid the FULL PRICE AND SIGNED A TWO YEAR CONTRACT. no subsidies, no discounts, NOTHING. so att didnt lose any money in subsidies. i can understand making someone wait until they are eligable if att paid for part of their phone. but in this case att didnt lose anything as a matter of fact they should want me to upgrade to an iphone 3g so then they get at least 36 months out of me.

any comments?

Yeap I totally agree. Furthermore I can't believe that we are still hearing all kinds of differing info when it comes to plan/upgrades etc for the new iphone. "The" man said 199/299 so that is how it should be, ATT is making cash off the contract existing and new, not the phone. Why should they care if your a current customer/ wanna be iphone user or someone who recently switched?????
 
the way i see it, it would be almost criminal for att to try and make current iphone owners pay the full price for an iphone 3g and heres why.

when i bought my iphone on DAY 1, i paid the FULL PRICE AND SIGNED A TWO YEAR CONTRACT. no subsidies, no discounts, NOTHING. so att didnt lose any money in subsidies. i can understand making someone wait until they are eligable if att paid for part of their phone. but in this case att didnt lose anything as a matter of fact they should want me to upgrade to an iphone 3g so then they get at least 36 months out of me.

any comments?

36 months? I hope you mean 24 months which is the maximum term. The only thing that AT&T WANTS you to do is pay your bill montly.
 
so after having my iPhone for 1 year

AT&T doesnt want me to pay $199 and have another 2 year contract? (1 year longer then original?) and also pay $10 more a month??
 
yes 36 months...they got my business for 12 months without having to subsidize anything. so by subsidizing the iphone 3g they will get me for another 24 months. sounds like a no brainer to me for ATT.
 
so after having my iPhone for 1 year

AT&T doesnt want me to pay $199 and have another 2 year contract? (1 year longer then original?) and also pay $10 more a month??

If you currently own a iPhone then you're automatically elgible to upgrade.

yes 36 months...they got my business for 12 months without having to subsidize anything. so by subsidizing the iphone 3g they will get me for another 24 months. sounds like a no brainer to me for ATT.

Understood.
 
the way i see it, it would be almost criminal for att to try and make current iphone owners pay the full price for an iphone 3g and heres why.

any comments?

I don't see what the problem is. If you bought the 1st gen iPhone, you can buy the iPhone 3G for the $199/$299 price.

so after having my iPhone for 1 year

AT&T doesnt want me to pay $199 and have another 2 year contract? (1 year longer then original?) and also pay $10 more a month??

If you bought the original iPhone, you can buy the 3G iPhone for the $199/$299 price.

Am I missing something? If you are confused, read this: https://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/06/16/atandt-iphone-3g-upgrades-and-activation/

arn
 
I spoke with Apple and an ATT rep today over the phone and they have both reiterated that you can get the iphone for $199 regardless of upgrade. They also said to ignore the stories coming out. I'm holding faith that they are correct.
 
I spoke with Apple and an ATT rep today over the phone and they have both reiterated that you can get the iphone for $199 regardless of upgrade. They also said to ignore the stories coming out. I'm holding faith that they are correct.

I'd like to believe them but a little thing called logic prevents me :)
 
So.. Question.. I sold my iphone a couple months ago to make room for 3g iphone... Currently i'm using my old Piece of s%^& does that mean that i am eligible for the upgrade?
 
UPDATE: WRONG?

wtf, why can't we just get some solid information?

Last year on June 25, FOUR DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH, Macrumors was quoting Boy Genius Report that said the data plan would be $35-$45 per month including either 2000 or unlimited texting. That was false. So, they're still over 3 weeks ahead of the time when details were provided last time.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/319238/
 
I'd like to believe them but a little thing called logic prevents me :)

It would make logical since if I had to pay the full price and not get a new 2 year contract. According to this I have to pay the full price and extend my contract? If we are going to base this on every other phone I would buy this phone for it's full price and then I wouldn't have to extend my contract. That's the whole point of buying a phone for it's full price. The fact that AT&T is making everyone get a 2 year contract makes me think that the price will be $199/$299. Then again AT&T could just be ******s.
 
So (as I've said before) I can sign up as a new customer on July 10, buy a subsidized Tilt or Centro or Blackberry, flip it on eBay for a big profit, then show up on the 11th and buy a subsidized 3G? Sorry, but I just can't imagine AT&T permitting this.

As far as those saying AT&T would not be "turning away business", you are talking about potential 3G buyers already under contract.

I did it... kinda. I signed up for AT&T (payed 50 bucks for a black jack) 3 weeks later the iphone dropped to 400 so i sold my blackjack for 200 and bought the iphone,NEW CONTRACT, sold it last week for 375, now getting new iphone for 200 since im eligible for subsidy cause i started a new contract when i bought the iphone.
 
So (as I've said before) I can sign up as a new customer on July 10, buy a subsidized Tilt or Centro or Blackberry, flip it on eBay for a big profit, then show up on the 11th and buy a subsidized 3G? Sorry, but I just can't imagine AT&T permitting this.

No, as I said, you would commit to a new 2 year contract on top of the other 2 year contract, in my opinion. Four years total, which I'm sure AT&T would love.

And I don't buy any of the "memos" coming out.
 
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