Fido: no upgrades for existing iPhone owners

[brewno]

I just called Fido to pre-order the new iPhone and Fido said I could get the 3GS only if theres 6 months left on my contract (and I'd have to sign for another 3 years). Obviously thats the case for all iPhone owners because it's only been 1 year of our 3 years contract. No value for customers whatsoever.

 

[cpnotebook80]

I just called Fido to pre-order the new iPhone and Fido said I could get the 3GS only if theres 6 months left on my contract (and I'd have to sign for another 3 years). Obviously thats the case for all iPhone owners because it's only been 1 year of our 3 years contract. No value for customers whatsoever.

my question is,how are they suppose to get ppl to get the new iphone, when the majority of ppl who do want one, already have one from last year.
the population didnt increase in size in one year that they are hoping for newbies to adopt one since many did that already.Also, maybe they arehoping that people will shell out for termination costs etc and pay the premium to get the new one. mmm.
Im still hearing ppl getting the old 3g iphone since its cheaper especially university and college students.
But I dont see how they will get ppl to buy the 3gs, We probably would be able to upgrade next year or year after when the 5th iphone revision comes out with all its bells and whistles!!

 

[Goona]

my question is,how are they suppose to get ppl to get the new iphone, when the majority of ppl who do want one, already have one from last year.
the population didnt increase in size in one year that they are hoping for newbies to adopt one since many did that already.Also, maybe they arehoping that people will shell out for termination costs etc and pay the premium to get the new one. mmm.
Im still hearing ppl getting the old 3g iphone since its cheaper especially university and college students.
But I dont see how they will get ppl to buy the 3gs, We probably would be able to upgrade next year or year after when the 5th iphone revision comes out with all its bells and whistles!!

I'm sure they would be targeting those just coming off contracts, people who are new to smartphones, or those who want to switch to a different phone from a different carrier.

 

[cere]

I'm sure they would be targeting those just coming off contracts, people who are new to smartphones, or those who want to switch to a different phone from a different carrier.

You are probably right, but that is a massively flawed plan. If that is their plan, then there is no reason to carry the new model and no reason for Apple to have done the refresh to begin with. Those same people have been targeted for the last year and if they haven't bought one yet, why would the choose to now? As I said, you are probably right, but they are leaving out a large market segment and the one that is more likely to buy a 3Gs than those that have not already bought one.

Having said all of that, to the OP, Fido/Rogers is going to make the 3Gs available at a device only price. So, you can buy one if you like and not have to re-sign for another 3 years. They have yet to release what the price would be, but it should be inline with what AT&T is offering.

Unless you are expecting to get another subsidy on the 3Gs, in which case, you are SOL until your contract allows it. If I had my way, Fido/Rogers would implement an upgrade path that would allow a discount for existing owners, based on how long you have been a customer, how long into your contract you are and the size of your monthly bill. Basically, a prorated discount to get you into a new phone sooner than your contract allows. But, I don't expect this and certainly have no illusions of being entitled to it.

 

[brewno]

It's really stupid of them, because most of us would sign again for another 3 years.

 

[JosephBergdoll]

You signed a contract... and chances are if you break it this year to get this year's iPhone, you'll break the 3 year one next year to get next year's too...

 

[mavis]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G (white): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

It's really stupid of them, because most of us would sign again for another 3 years.

I'm sure they'd love to have you sign another three year contract, once you, you know, finish the FIRST one.

 

[OttawaGuy]

Having said all of that, to the OP, Fido/Rogers is going to make the 3Gs available at a device only price. So, you can buy one if you like and not have to re-sign for another 3 years. They have yet to release what the price would be, but it should be inline with what AT&T is offering.

The version of the iPhone 3G S bound for Canadian provider Rogers and its sister carrier Fido may cost disproportionately more for existing customers than it will in the US, according to claims made by Fido representatives. While the three-year pricing is technically lower priced than the US counterpart, Fido reportedly says the newer device will cost a minimum of $799 CAD non-contract for a 16GB model and $899 for a 32GB version, or significantly higher than the equivalent $567 and $680 prices in the US.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/06/15/rogers.3g.s.price.leak/

 

[cere]

It's really stupid of them, because most of us would sign again for another 3 years.

As has been said, sure you would, but you haven't worked off your current contract.

I really wonder, if Apple released a new model 3 or 4 times a year, would these people expect their carriers to let them out of their multi year contract, every 3 or 4 months? That is essentially what you are asking for, for them to terminate your existing contract, having benefited from a subsidy, so that they can have the pleasure of signing you for another contract and providing yet another subsidy.

 

[jhCanuck]

more details, please

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/06/15/rogers.3g.s.price.leak/

Say you pay $899 for a new iPhone.... then what?

Isn't the Rogers' 6/gig special deal dependent upon a three-year contract?
What does the no-contract iPhone mean when it comes to carrier service?
Are their special no-contract prices based on the fact that it is not a subsidized phone?

Can you bring in an iPhone from some other country and use it here --
or is one obliged to pay the premium price set by Rogers/FIDO?

too bad we have to ask so many questions about a process that ought
to be transparent....and make sense.

 

[cere]

The version of the iPhone 3G S bound for Canadian provider Rogers and its sister carrier Fido may cost disproportionately more for existing customers than it will in the US, according to claims made by Fido representatives. While the three-year pricing is technically lower priced than the US counterpart, Fido reportedly says the newer device will cost a minimum of $799 CAD non-contract for a 16GB model and $899 for a 32GB version, or significantly higher than the equivalent $567 and $680 prices in the US.
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/06/15/rogers.3g.s.price.leak/

Wouldn't surprise me. That would be dumb of them though. While many of their current iPhone customers are wrongly angry that they aren't being allowed to double up on subsidies, to price it so punitively for those that are willing to forgo the subsidy is a very poor decision. It is simple profit taking and taking advantage of their exclusivity. The same as their decision to force iPhone customers into 3 year contracts. There is no reason other than to squeeze what they can.

I am not suggesting subsidizing the phone out of contract, but they need to be reasonable about how it is priced. For the hundreds of thousands of iPhone customers they currently have, inflating the price so high will ensure most of their customer will wait for their contracts to expire so they can get the next model on subsidy...also giving them time to consider alternatives when the time comes. It also gives these existing customers a reason to consider alternative carriers, especially if Rogers exclusivity isn't permanent.

Why not just price it at $5k and at least be honest about trying to take advantage.

 

[jhCanuck]

As has been said, sure you would, but you haven't worked off your current contract.

I really wonder, if Apple released a new model 3 or 4 times a year, would these people expect their carriers to let them out of their multi year contract, every 3 or 4 months? That is essentially what you are asking for, for them to terminate your existing contract, having benefited from a subsidy, so that they can have the pleasure of signing you for another contract and providing yet another subsidy.

The reality is Apple clearly intends to upgrade the iPhone annually...
and a company that offers only 3-year contracts is not in synch with the product. By the time 3G iPhone contracts in Canada are renewable according
to Rogers/FIDO it will be mid-summer 2011. A lot of sales will be lost if that is the only option... does that serve anyone's best interests?

 

[cere]

Say you pay $899 for a new iPhone.... then what?

Isn't the Rogers' 6/gig special deal dependent upon a three-year contract?
What does the no-contract iPhone mean when it comes to carrier service?
Are their special no-contract prices based on the fact that it is not a subsidized phone?

Can you bring in an iPhone from some other country and use it here --
or is one obliged to pay the premium price set by Rogers/FIDO?

too bad we have to ask so many questions about a process that ought
to be transparent....and make sense.

You do have to sign a contract for the data promo, but just for the data.

Fido(maybe rogers) offer their plans without a contract, so you would pay the same monthly as those that bought it subsidized, but wouldn't not be locked into a contract.

You can't use an iPhone (3G, 3Gs) from another country unless it is unlocked, which the newer basebands prevent.

Really, the only benefit of buying at the device only price, is that you can walk away from Rogers/Fido whenever you want. Most people don't tend to bounce between carriers in Canada anymore, so they know this isn't much of a concern. However, with the new carriers planning to start rolling out soon (1-2 years) this might not be the time you want to be locked in for 3 years. If you feel you will be with Rogers/Fido for at least 3 years, then the contract might be worth it, especially given the inflated, artificial pricing they appear ready to go with for device only.

 

[cere]

The reality is Apple clearly intends to upgrade the iPhone annually...
and a company that offers only 3-year contracts is not in synch with the product. By the time 3G iPhone contracts in Canada are renewable according
to Rogers/FIDO it will be mid-summer 2011. A lot of sales will be lost if that is the only option... does that serve anyone's best interests?

I completely agree. Rogers has done everything they can to squeeze every possible advantage for themselves from their exclusivity with the iPhone in Canada. Their practices are overt gouging and I am not a fan of them in anyway. Their 3 year contract are a perfect example of their willingness to take advantage of the situation.

And I agree that not offering a path for existing customer to upgrade at an affordable price is a mistake on their end. They will gain nothing but bad will from existing iPhone customers. Their business plan is severely flawed. They will lose customers over this. My argument is only that existing customers signed a contract knowing that it was three years, to get a subsidy on their current iPhones and are wrong to feel entitled to another discount. (although, since they didn't offer device only pricing for the 3G, the only other choice was no iPhone, so...)

The carrier exclusivity is the problem and Apple should recognize this. The bad will the carriers are generating will carry over to the iPhone and to Apple. That there is no competition for carriers for the iPhone, means that Apple's customers, the ones Apple has spent their time and efforts marketing to, are subject to the whims of the carrier. And if those carriers piss off those customers that Apple has convinced to buy the iPhone, then that is Apple's long term loss. It really is Apple allowing their partners to undo their hardwork.