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If you go and pick it up at an apple store, how should they know what you are and are not eligible for? I 100% believe that the iphone is being subsidized by all the cell companies around the world. What I am struggling with is how apple has made no mention themselves except of the 199 and 299 price points. Essentially, they have said that if you walk into an apple store and buy an iphone, those are the prices, giving no hint to any unsubsidized price.

I mean in all seriousness, are apple stores gonna let everyone buy these phones at 199 and 299, except for people on AT&T that are currently on subsidized phones and are not due for upgrade. I just find it bizarre thinking about average Joe Shmo going to pick up a new iphone. He gets to an Apple Sales clerk, and the clerk asks his name, and phone number. He politely gives it to the clerk. The clerk replies, "Excuse me, but it seems that you are currently an AT&T subscriber that is not eligible for an upgrade, so that will cost you a few hundred dollars more on top of the 199 regular price."

The other problem with this idea of an unsubsidized price, is that apple has spent so much time touting "199 and 299." On the day the new iphone comes out, are they gonna add tiny letters to the bottom of the iphone page stating that if you are currently an AT&T subscriber that is not eligible for an upgrade, it will be 300 dollars more?

There are some serious gaps in what apple has been saying, and what we have been hearing from at&t.

That's exactly why it doesn't make sense. I doubt we'll have to pay that 500 or 600 price if you are a current subscriber. Just go to an Apple store and buy.
 
Verizon is not a likely partner to Apple

I will buy an iPhone when Apple takes their blinders off and lets the iPhone work with Verizon too. The fact that it only works with AT&T really pisses me off in a huge way. It's not like Verizon is a small company operating out of a garage. Extra subsidizing $ from AT&T or not, Apple can kiss my #$%& until they open up to Verizon.

You do realize that Verizon probably is last on Apples list of operators they'd like to do business with. The reason being that Verizon had the chance to get exclusive right to the iPhone but decided that it was more important to maintain the way they do business than to get exclusive right to sell the phone that generates more hype than all the other phones together.

Article in USA Today

I'm with Verizon and I cannot wait to leave due to lack poor signal and a blunder that defines them as one of the big losers in recent Telecom history.
 
Someone earlier in the thread had mentioned that the phones couldn't possibly be subsidized since it's being carried by multiple phone companies worldwide; my belief is that ALL companies are having to eat the extra cost to some extent to be able to sell it at Apple's mandated global max price. Hence, subsidizing.

.

Based on what we all know from press releases etc. That is exactly what is happening.
 
Apple has an exclusivity agreement with Att, that is valid for the next few years.

Actually, neither aapl nor T has released the terms of that "exclusive" contract so no one really knows what the length of that "exclusive" term is. Many think actually closer to 2 - 3 years from day 1. People should stop spreading bad rumors as fact.
 
Ok, I talked to an Apple Representative, and they told me that AT&T did not subsidize the iPhone 3G. They couldn't have because Apple dropped the price from $399 to $199 in all the countries that the iPhone will be sold in. I don't know where everyone is getting the information that AT&T subsidized the iPhone because they didn't. If they were cutting the price from $199 to lets say free if you sign a 2 year contract, THEN they have subsidized it but not now.


Unbelievable. Wanna buy a bridge?
 
Actually, neither aapl nor T has released the terms of that "exclusive" contract so no one really knows what the length of that "exclusive" term is. Many think actually closer to 2 - 3 years from day 1. People should stop spreading bad rumors as fact.

Whatever... the point i was trying to make was that the likelihood is that they are still under some form of exclusivity agreement as of right now. Your timeframe complies with my point.
 
That's exactly why it doesn't make sense. I doubt we'll have to pay that 500 or 600 price if you are a current subscriber. Just go to an Apple store and buy.

They will not have forgotten to plug that hole. There won't be that easy of an out. If a subscriber isn't eligible for an upgrade, they will pay more than 199/299, one way or the other.
 
I will buy an iPhone when Apple takes their blinders off and lets the iPhone work with Verizon too. The fact that it only works with AT&T really pisses me off in a huge way. It's not like Verizon is a small company operating out of a garage. Extra subsidizing $ from AT&T or not, Apple can kiss my #$%& until they open up to Verizon.

I hear you - but to be fair, Verizon turned DOWN the iPhone and Verizon was approached by APPLE first!


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-01-28-verizon-iphone_x.htm

Numerous HITS when searched:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=verizon+turns+down+iphone&fr=yfp-t-501-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
 
If that's how much AT&T are knocking off the iPhone, O2 must be taking a pretty big hit in the UK too.
 
That's exactly why it doesn't make sense. I doubt we'll have to pay that 500 or 600 price if you are a current subscriber. Just go to an Apple store and buy.

Don't you have to sign up for a contract and activate it on the spot? Either way, there is no way they'll let you have the phone on the cheap and lose out by it - if you've already got a subsidised phone and / or tied to a contract you'll have to pay something extra.

On the spot activation doesn't take as long as you might think anyway - its the norm in the UK. If you're an existing customer of the network it only takes a few minutes, obviously a bit longer if you're a new customer. Carphone Warehouse sell phones for all networks and they can do the activation on the spot for all of them - it won't take much for Apple to put a similar system in place in their stores.
 
If I paid the unsubsidized price, does that mean I don't have to sign a contract?

come on it's one or the other right at&t? :rolleyes:
 
I don't get why this is such a bid deal (the current subscribers not being able to get the subsidy unless they're elligible). This is the way it works: AT&T payed, most likely, $200 the last time you upgraded your phone. They did that with the understanding that you would be with them for at least 2 years or whatever. If you're, say six months in, they haven't recouped that amount yet, so why would they give you another $325 subsidy? You already took yours. They lived up to their side of the agreement, and you need to live up to yours.
 
Yes we know that. But for the most part the iPhone has been different. Why do the original iPhone owners get to get the new iPhone for it's cheaper price? Yeah I know because they bought it unsubsidized. However, didn't they sign up for a new two year contract when they did that? Then what you said should apply to iPhone owners because they signed up for a two year contract.
 
Why do the original iPhone owners get to get the new iPhone for it's cheaper price? Yeah I know because they bought it unsubsidized. However, didn't they sign up for a new two year contract when they did that? Then what you said should apply to iPhone owners because they signed up for a two year contract.

This is not rocket science.
-Non-AT&T=no previous subsidy so no problem. Get subsidy w/ 2 year contract.
-AT&T iPhone=no previous subsidy so no payout to recoup so no problem. Subsidy w/ 2 year contract.
-AT&T non-iPhone=depends on how much subsidy received before, and what plan you now go with.

Has anything been said about what kind of subsidy might be available, if any, for an existing iPhone user who wants to buy and use 3G phone on their existing contract term (i.e., less than 2 years)?
I assume EDGE price plan remains in place for existing 2.5G phones/contracts. But,if you sell your 2.5G phone, will there still be an EDGE plan available for buyer ($20/mo. data), or will all new (2 year) plans be $30/mo data, even if no 3G or GPS?
 
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