Buying ATT iPhone 5 at full price
- Thread starter netddos
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Givmeabrek
macrumors 68040
You can get a no commitment upgrade and it will unlocked. 
lamenramen
macrumors regular
Yup. Pay $649, $749, or $849. You'll have an unlocked iPhone 5. Though the Apple people who aren't in the know, will tell you that it's locked. In fact, it is not locked. Trust the board on this one.
The main problem will be finding not just an iphone 5 period, but a store that will sell you one without a contract.
It appears that the Apple store is the only game in town, although some Best buy employee told me that they would sell me a device-only unit. That was when I realized that Best Buy and other places sell $50 ABOVE retail. That's a major no no. Above retail. Horrible. They may price match, but only for an iphone would someone consider pricematching just so that they could pay retail. That seems odd.
skywalkerr69
macrumors 6502a
They pay $50 above retail? wow thats bs
Coleman2010
macrumors 68000
So Apple Store will not sell it to if you if you don't sign up for 2 year contract again? I'm not even eligible for upgrade right now....how does this work? I'm using my iPhone 4s on ATT right now
lamenramen
macrumors regular
If you go to an apple store, ask for a device only AT&T iphone. Pay the price they ask, which is $649 $749 or $849. Leave the store.
Go home and connect it to iTunes; you will see that it is unlocked.
The Apple store will sell you an iPhone 5 without requiring a contract if you pay full price. Apple is not in the cell phone contract business; they do not care if you sign one or not (probably they do not get a kick back for sigining people up,I think). Apple wants to sell each phone for the retail price; who pays it they do not care. AT&T pays Apple $649 $749 or $849 (ok they probably get a discount) but they pay Apple a ton for each phone. When you buy full price, you are paying Apple $649 $749 or $849. So from Apple's perspective, they got the number of dollars that they want for the iPhone 5. This is why Apple is willing to sell to you for full price. AT&T makes money on cell phone contracts; they ream you for $2500 or so every 2 years. So they will gladly make the iphone 5 $300 or so so that you will sign a two year contract. From their perspective, they will make a guaranteed $2500 if they first fork over $300, netting them $2200. \
It's in everyone's best interest not to sign a contract and go to Tmobile for their $30 plan. I think it's more cost effective to fork over the full asking price that Apple wants and save loads on the plan, but to each his own. For however much I dislike Apple's controlling ways, I simply can't use Android. I've tried multiple times. I can use it, but I don't enjoy using it.