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Exactly - if you want the new phone you have to A) pay for it B) lock yourself in for another two years and C) pay EVEN more for that privilege to the tune of $10/month extra.

It's tricky and conniving...and we should let AT&T know that this phantom charge is bogus.

I agree...the change is a bunch of bs. Untill now the data plans for 3G has been the same as EDGE. Only till now when the new iPhone has been released they jack up the price another 10$.
 
I just talked to an AT&T sales rep and this is what I was told...there is no subsidy for the new iPhone 3G - $199/$299 is the retail price, and that is the price that they will be selling the phones for. If you are an existing customer, you keep your current AT&T rate plan, but your data plan will go up to $30 for the new iphone and your contract will extend by another 2 years regardless of where you are at your current contract. If you a new customer, then you will be subject to the new iphone rate plan as well. I know that I didn't have to change my rate plan when I bought the 16GB iphone in February...I already had a family plan of $59.99 for two lines with 550 minutes...so I got to keep that family plan, but just add on the $20 iphone data plan for the iphone. The sales rep says same thing for the iphone 3G - I get to keep my existing rate plan..but my data plan will go up by $10 if I buy the 3G phone. Hope the info is correct.
 
No one that owns an iPhone now and is planning on upgrading is going to be eligible for an upgrade since their contract will not be up.

My contract is not up, but I AM eligable for an equiptment upgrade now. The iPhone contract did not change the date that I can received a free or discounted upgrade, as the iPhone did not come with that discount.
 
I just talked to an AT&T sales rep and this is what I was told...there is no subsidy for the new iPhone 3G - $199/$299 is the retail price, and that is the price that they will be selling the phones for. If you are an existing customer, you keep your current AT&T rate plan, but your data plan will go up to $30 for the new iphone and your contract will extend by another 2 years regardless of where you are at your current contract. If you a new customer, then you will be subject to the new iphone rate plan as well. I know that I didn't have to change my rate plan when I bought the 16GB iphone in February...I already had a family plan of $59.99 for two lines with 550 minutes...so I got to keep that family plan, but just add on the $20 iphone data plan for the iphone. The sales rep says same thing for the iphone 3G - I get to keep my existing rate plan..but my data plan will go up by $10 if I buy the 3G phone. Hope the info is correct.

Thats what I was told as well.
 
I don't think it has anything to do with fast data...they just want more cash.

Not shocking....hopefully the iPhone will be able to use AT&T family texting plan now, because it not longer has special plans(which were cheaper)
 
Figure it this way...

Old iPhone was $400 new one is $200 = $200 discount.

Over life of contract you will pay $240 more in data costs than before.


$200 savings - $240 data expense = $40 more than other iPhone

Thats hard to justify as some people will keep their iPhones for longer than 2 years.
 
you guys are seriously gonna get all hyped up over $10 a month extra... The blackberry unlimited data plan is $35 a month. you get a $200 cheaper phone, with 3G, and over the time of the contract pay $40 more for a 3G iPhone, big deal
 
It is absolute BS! I ALREADY have a contract with them. But to upgrade equipment I have to agree to pay them $10 more a month!? That's insane! We agreed to terms for data and voice when I signed up - I want to change equipment only - but no, I have to pay for the privilege. I'm calling to complain - maybe a retention specialist will help me out.
 
How can you hope that you will be paying more a month?

Well, of course I am not hoping that I will be paying more a month but really...if that is the rate that AT&T has set, there is really nothing that I can do as long as I want to upgrate my iPhone. Before, I got my iPhone in February, I had a PDA phone, and I paid more than $30 for the data plan and text messaging.
 
I guess its not that big of a change, I'm already paying 70 a month. Its a BS thing to do, but ATT I'm sure has an upper hand on what they want to charge, not Apple. I want to know, say I purchase the phone from Apple, then put in my sim card from my blackberry? Not sure what would happen. Self destruction probably.
 
Steve said that 56% of people who wanted an iphone didn't buy one due to cost. If the prices for service go up significantly I can't imagine people flocking to buy them. The cost of service was actually what kept me from buying the original, I could care less about the one-time cost of the hardware. I've come around to the pricing, but not if it goes up even further.

EXACTLY! The one time cost means next to nothing to me. Getting slammed every single month does. I was seriously considering getting this. Now, there is no way in the world I can justify paying $85 a month for cell service. This is absurd.
 
My understanding is that $30 is for 3G data, so presumably there is an EDGE-only data plan that is cheaper.
 
Good thing I have a prepaid...gonna drop them like a hot potato if they try to pull this s*** with my 2.5G iPhone plan.
 
That post its the nail on the head - I'd RATHER pay $400 once for the new iPhone hardware than be contractually obligated to pay $85/month for 450 minutes! And if I plan on keeping this for over two years - it just keeps going up and up and up and up and up. NONSENSE! BULL-****! AND if we kept the price at $400 for the phone not every tom, dick and harry would have one. But then again, most tom, dicks, and harry's can't afford $85/month for service either...so....I guess I'm still elite..woo-hoo. But bad form AT&T - bad form.
 
EXACTLY! The one time cost means next to nothing to me. Getting slammed every single month does. I was seriously considering getting this. Now, there is no way in the world I can justify paying $85 a month for cell service. This is absurd.

EXACTLY!
 
you do that, cheapest plan with data is $80 a month for 450 minutes
with at&t is $70 a month for 400 minutes, and you get an iPhone

Yeah, to be honest, I think most data plans are excessive for my uses. It is unfortunate that they do not provide more data options for users instead of flat rates, but then I suppose you can't make everyone happy. The prospect of spending 30+ dollars a month for the few times I check for maps and for 10kb email messages is nonsensical to me. That said, I think if someone finds themselves a heavy user of the internet service, then 30 dollars is not too steep of a price.
 
What's the source on the 10 dollar increase in data plans? is there any other info on plans besides the 10 dollar increase?
 
ATT data plans

The extra $10 per month is a deal breaker for me. A guy at a T MOBILE stand in a mall in Golden CO last Friday told me I could get the I Phone on T Mobile. I didn't pay any attention to him but now I will go back and get some details.
 
Wait what... why would you buy a 3G phone when you can't use it where you live (in before "Well I'll use it when I'm in areas that support 3G").
 
Thanks for the AT&T link. This might be a good thing for some of us. It says in the press release that they have DESOLVED the rev sharing agreement with Apple.

That said I hope the 30.00 INCLUDES unliminted SMS AND now those of us that get corportate discounts can get them on the new AT&T plans.

That would make things cheaper for me anyway....
 
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