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Contract and Subsidy Issues for iPhone Users Looking to Upgrade to iPhone 3G S

xerenthar said:
either way, it's not the same.
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No but the "buy in" to the 3G was the same as the 3GS and that is my point.

The 1st iPhone had rules unto itself, never to be repeated. I think that is why people seem to be confused. They bought the first iPhone but because it wasn't subsidized AT&T was able to subsidize the 3G. Now they think they should get the same deal as last time but the situation has changed.

I think AT&T should just give people the subsidized pricing but lock them in for another 2-year contract on top of the remaining 1-year that most of the 3Gers still have. Those that want to lock in with AT&T well into the next decade should go for it. We don't even know how long this relationship with Apple and AT&T will last. Could end in 2010/2011 for all we know. Do you really want to be tied to this carrier when future generations of iPhone are available elsewhere?

AT&T is just acting as a credit card. Subsidized phones are never free, it is just borrowing against the future. That is what people seem to miss. You aren't getting anything for free. You are taking a loan out from AT&T. And they will make a profit, you can count on that!
 
mattster16 said:
Apparently nobody understands that they signed a contract that has terms and conditions and is a legally binding document?
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Yes yes I understand Mr. Advocate. Legally, legally... You know there are some countries in Europe where they have to sell the iPhones "officially unlocked" without any two-years contract? Only because you can dictate customers what you want here with those crazy "plans" does not mean that it's nothing but "legally".
 
Ramphex said:
http://www.petitiononline.com/3GSprice/

Let's get everyone to sign this.
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Let's everyone sign it and then we will know exactly who the ignorant people are... I am sorry but HELLOOOO!!!!! The first phone was NOT subsidized so no S&$T everyone will qualify for the 3G at the cheap price.!!!!

How about you go to Verizon and buy the storm and in 12 months ask for the new blackberry... You will pay full retail.. HAHA
 
iOrlando said:
i really dont understand why this is such an issue. With any other subsidized phone...if a newer model came out....you wouldnt just go to att and say...oh i have the old version of that...i would like the new one...please give it to me at that subsidized rate....

why are people all of a sudden shocked at this practice?
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Because I want what I want, when I want it, and the lowest price possible. Every time.
 
ToM-RSC said:
Grr, what annoys me is that they leave us to pay off the full amount just to upgrade. Why can't they just put 18 months on top of this contract that remains and pay the subsidized price, much simpler. :rolleyes:
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Grr I haven't paid for the first iphone yet but I still want the new one!!!! I want something for free now. GRRRR
 
mattster16 said:
Then don't buy an iPhone and don't use AT&T next time if you think it's unfair, problem solved.

Your last statement is false it should be:

Basically an 18 month contract doesn't work for a phone that gets updated every 12 months where many of its users think they are entitled to and need to purchase every upgrade released.

I have a hard time believing other phones only get upgraded every 18 month btw. The razr comes to mind, seems like there was a new model of those every time I turned around. The difference being razr users didn't need to always have the newest model.

The sense of entitlement on these boards is amazing.
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You don't NEED the newest iPhone model either. I have a three year old iBook which is GREAT. NO, it's NOT the new one but don't be so friggen greedy and wastefull. My first gen iPhone kicks ass over my wifes 3G battery wise. I think it's actually better than hers. When it dies, I'll get a new one but I don't NEED it now.
 
adomanico18 said:
they better figure out a deal for all of us 3G users!
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Why?

This is no different than any other subsidized phone with a 2 year service commitment. I don't like the system and I won't "defend it" as a business model, but I don't understand your expressions of entitlement. Why do they need to figure anything out for all you "3g users"? You signed a contract, they gave Apple hundreds of dollars on your behalf (the subsidy) and now AT&T is merely holding you to your contract. Simple.
 
Chaos123x said:
Apple should just buy the US branch of T-mobile.
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VERY good suggestion!

tho i do no nothing of these kind of ventures, i'm pretty sure it'd make them very unique for phones and laptops etc. maybe they will when the tablet thingy emerges...

Imagine a product with FREE connection or subscriptions with included priority upgrades, i'd sign. heck it would free me up hr's a day from this site!

product launch would be it arriving at your door, you just chose your level.
 
Honestly, my beef with AT&T isn't over upgrade pricing (I still have the orginal iPhone so I'm not concerned) but with their ridiculous lack of support of MMS at launch and tethering. I'm sure that MMS won't cost anything additional for what we are already getting raped on as far as SMS is concerned, but tethering. If a company like Rogers can support tethering for NO ADDITIONAL cost, why won't AT&T? I figure they should just put a cap at 5 GB for data and allow tethering and charge people more after that point. I would do that.
 
WickedRabbit said:
This is a pretty standardized practice people and you shouldn't be shocked that you can't upgrade a WHOLE YEAR EARLY if you bought a 3G last year. People are shocked because this is just Apple fanboys wanting to be treated 'special' and that's all it is. People know the rules, but apparently if it's Apple they are buying then the rules mustn't apply.
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This is very true, but for many people this means they will skip this generation of IPhone completely. I'm going to skip this generation as it seems ridiculous to wait until December when I'm eligible, and buy the next generation in June or July. That puts me right back in this situation for the following generation of phone.
 
mwp98223 said:
Why?

This is no different than any other subsidized phone with a 2 year service commitment. I don't like the system and I won't "defend it" as a business model, but I don't understand your expressions of entitlement. Why do they need to figure anything out for all you "3g users"? You signed a contract, they gave Apple hundreds of dollars on your behalf (the subsidy) and now AT&T is merely holding you to your contract. Simple.
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Att or Apple.

I don't think Att is worried, Apple may be.

The stock takes a hit whenever they don't meet margins, and if I'm right about the developer issues.

Apple may be discussing strategy.

Than again I think they had to figure this in. Not much mention of ATT in the keynote.
 
stockcerts said:
This is very true, but for many people this means they will skip this generation of IPhone completely. I'm going to skip this generation as it seems ridiculous to wait until December when I'm eligible, and buy the next generation in June or July. That puts me right back in this situation for the following generation of phone.
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Thats a great idea! You have a great phone now and in another year you will get a new iphone 4G. You figured it out all on your own!! Yeah!!!
 
I'm confused if people are angry because they can't get the full subsidy or if they are angry that they can't get any subsidy. I upgraded to 3G from the original on launch day and I am eligible for $399 and $499 pricing. Is this because I owned an original iPhone too, or are all people who got a 3G on launch day eligible for this pricing as well. I think I should be eligible for full subsidy for reasons I already posted, but my complaint is a much smaller one as long as a 3GS can be had for $399.
 
Pretty amusing thread. You have the chest pounders "I was right....knew all along that people who purchased the 3G on launch day wouldn't get the subsidized price on the new Iphone" "You signed a contract....what do you expect?" "This is how the cell game works....all carriers do it" "Did you really expect to get subsidized after only 12 months?.....WHINERS"

These are probably the same people who complain about the fees that At&T charges, yet they are ready to defend At&T on this....

People act like AT&T will lose money if they give you a subsidy again(after only a year) when the fact is they will only make less money on you. Doesn't take 24 months for At&T to make the subsidy money back.
 
joev said:
QFT.

I think it's time to make a complaint to the Trading Standards Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority about advertising "unlimited" 3G data access (which actually means 250MB/mth otherwise they cut you off as an "unfair user") and then gouging £15/month for using it.

O2 have always been the worst carrier in the UK, exhorbitantly pricing their (shoddy) services. They do more to damage Apple's reputation (by association) than anything Microsoft could ever do.

How Apple can still be in bed with them is beyond me but I predict they'll come to regret it. O2's pricing, flaky network and poor service is going to kill the iPhone market in the UK (the biggest Mobile market in Europe)... perhaps they make better margins on the Palm Pre deal? ;)
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I 100% agree with you there, O2 seem to not be improving any of their network. I live in Southampton, just off the High Street and am told by O2 that the Cell is across the road from me, which I can see a bunch of from my window. So how come I can get 1 bar of 3G for about a minute then it drops to 2G??? They have no answer for that. Also a 1 hour train journey from Southampton to London today provided me with at best about 15 mins of actual usable O2 coverage. I am begging Apple to please switch over to Vodafone. O2 has just become a big joke!
 
michelle21 said:
Att or Apple.

I don't think Att is worried, Apple may be.

The stock takes a hit whenever they don't meet margins, and if I'm right about the developer issues.

Apple may be discussing strategy.

Than again I think they had to figure this in. Not much mention of ATT in the keynote.
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Don't worry about apple's margins. They will do just fine without the loud 3G whiners.
 
Shock

If you buy anything that is subsidized then you cannot expect to get anything newly subsidized until the last one has expired, is this not normal!
 
mattster16 said:
Then don't buy an iPhone and don't use AT&T next time if you think it's unfair, problem solved.

Your last statement is false it should be:

Basically an 18 month contract doesn't work for a phone that gets updated every 12 months where many of its users think they are entitled to and need to purchase every upgrade released.

I have a hard time believing other phones only get upgraded every 18 month btw. The razr comes to mind, seems like there was a new model of those every time I turned around. The difference being razr users didn't need to always have the newest model.

The sense of entitlement on these boards is amazing.
Click to expand...

Sense of entitlement? Mmmh, strange way of putting it - I do believe I'm the paying customer here and I've spent $2500 on two years of iphone and plan to spend another $1000 over the next twelve...not complaining about that...but being locked into an 18 month contract which falls mid-refresh-cycle is irksome - add to that my only way out being to PAY for airtime I don't use TWICE. I fully expect to pay for my upgrade fairly and when I want to ( i.e at the time of a new iPhone release) - where is the 'sense of entitlement' issue in that? please explain?
 
mvpkent said:
I'm confused if people are angry because they can't get the full subsidy or if they are angry that they can't get any subsidy. I upgraded to 3G from the original on launch day and I am eligible for $399 and $499 pricing. Is this because I owned an original iPhone too, or are all people who got a 3G on launch day eligible for this pricing as well. I think I should be eligible for full subsidy for reasons I already posted, but my complaint is a much smaller one as long as a 3GS can be had for $399.
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You are 1 year into a 2 year contract. It is due to this that you don't qualify for a full subsidy. We are left to assume you are being asked to pay $200 over sticker (so to speak) because you do qualify for a partial subsidy. Things get a little hazy as some people are claiming they are being asked to pay higher than $399. I assume those people are less than 1 year into their 2 year, so they qualify for no subsidy whatsoever. Lots of assuming going on though.
 
Why Upgrade

Personally I do not see the killer reason to upgrade from a 16GB 3G. The new features are nice but not to die for. Especially as I will get a boat load of the ones I wanted just by getting the 3.0 OS (thanks Apple).

I don't think speed is a real issue for me. Most of the time I seem to be at home on wi-fi or stuck on edge at work.

My current iPhone camera for uploading to Facebook is great. I have a Powershoot G9 if I want great photo's to keep or high quality video.

The rest of it is just icing. I would rather keep my money and upgrade to the next version and be really impressed.

BTW I am getting my new Mac Pro tonight to replace my old G5. Now there will be a real upgrade!
 
surferfromuk said:
Sense of entitlement? Mmmh, strange way of putting it - I do believe I'm the paying customer here and I've spent $2500 on two years of iphone and plan to spend another $1000 over the next twelve...not complaining about that...but being locked into an 18 month contract which falls mid-refresh-cycle is irksome - add to that my only way out being to PAY for airtime I don't use TWICE. I fully expect to pay for my upgrade fairly and when I want to ( i.e at the time of a new iPhone release) - where is the 'sense of entitlement' issue in that? please explain?
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You lost me. Have you owned the iphone for two years (the $2500 part)?
 
jmorrison0722 said:
This is normal. In fact, 3G owners are in fact being given a partial subsidy if they are being quoted $399. I think that's actually a nice thing ATT is doing...not making you wait the full 24 months to get anything.
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I completely agree.
 
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