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If most of us are on 2 year contracts how can we get a new iPhone ?

N

needthephone

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2006
813
0
sydney
I know many people will have their 3G on a two yr contract. Only one year has passed. Usually you can only upgrade after two years. I was planning on my wife taking my old iPhone and I will get the new one.

Strikes me that not everyone will have someone to give their old phone to.

So what will they do? The phones are oniy half paid for aren't they?


This may sound dumb but everyone I know with an iPhone is wondering the same thing.....
 
You can get a new phone, you just have to sign up for another two-year plan.

This is the same thing that happened last year, when the iPhone 3G was released.

There are certain conditions (such as - you have to have been on the AT&T iPhone plan for 8 months or something) but if you are eligible, you will get the same exact price and rate as someone buying an iPhone for the first time.

For example - I bought 1G iPhone in September 2007. iPhone 3G came out in July 2008. I bought iPhone 3G for same price ($299 I think for 16G) and just had to sign up for another 2 year contract.
 
It'll be totally up to your operator how it's handled.

It is just a phone though. If you're a Nokia fan on a 2 year contract you can't just say to your carrier there's a new Nokia out and you want it. They will laugh in your face...or charge you the earth for it.
 
jlblodgett said:
For example - I bought 1G iPhone in September 2007. iPhone 3G came out in July 2008. I bought iPhone 3G for same price ($299 I think for 16G) and just had to sign up for another 2 year contract.
Click to expand...

The original iPhone was not subsidized. That's why you were able to get the subsidized price of the iPhone 3G.

I'm pretty sure that this year, that will not be the case. You will have to wait until you're eligible for an upgrade, or you could just pay full price for it.
 
I'm in Australia on a 2 yr plan with optus. This is first iPhone we've had . Surely if they just say have a new one what happens to the old ones? Won't they only be half paid for? Won't apple or optus loose millions? Seems like the same sort of too good to be true economics which brought the world to it's knees. Pay whatever you can afford on your house as house prices will never fall . Ok maybe not a good analogy but I can't see how it's going to work unless everyone pays off what they owe on the iphone first.

I must be missing something but my wife can't upgrade her crappy 50$ of flip phone as she is 21 mnths into a two yr contract. Sorry but I'm puzzled???
 
themoonisdown09 said:
The original iPhone was not subsidized. That's why you were able to get the subsidized price of the iPhone 3G.

I'm pretty sure that this year, that will not be the case. You will have to wait until you're eligible for an upgrade, or you could just pay full price for it.
Click to expand...



You may be right. I don't guess I've seen anything from AT&T about new pricing plans, yet.. Those should be coming soon.

I would think that if they allow a person to sign up for a new 2-year contract, they would probably be eligible for the subsidized price.
 
Hmm......... difficult one.

here in the UK most of us will have signed for a 18 month contract. O2 (The UK provider) is unlikley to allow us out of our contracts early.

The original iphone was paid for by most if not all of the people who bought it, as such no real subsidy, hence when the 3G came along they allowed these customers to "early upgrade" as long as they signed a new agreement.

Any NON iphone 2G customers couldn't take advantage of this early upgrade. Therefore I would guess that here in the UK if the new phone comes out before the end of your contract its just going to be............. tough! we are likely to be stuck. Hence with no disrespect I'm not getting to excited about the possible new phone.

However, one never knows and Apple may just pull something out the bag because otherwise I can see sales figures for O2 not being that great and then that in turn being the nail in the coffin for them being exclusive suppliers of the iPhone.

Just my 2 pence worth, or for those of you on the other side of the pond my 2 cents worth :)
 
Yes apple must be about to reinvent the phone buying model or risk dissapointing Us earlyish adopters, and the customers most likely to want the new model.

I can't see how it's going to work. Maybe no new model till next year ? Nab can't see that happening but how they get round this one is going to be interesting...
 
needthephone said:
Yes apple must be about to reinvent the phone buying model or risk dissapointing Us earlyish adopters, and the customers most likely to want the new model.

I can't see how it's going to work. Maybe no new model till next year ? Nab can't see that happening but how they get round this one is going to be interesting...
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? Anytime a company releases a new version of a phone, they don't allow people who want the new version to get it at the subsidized price unless they are eligible.

I don't see why you think the iPhone should be any different.
 
needthephone said:
Yes apple must be about to reinvent the phone buying model or risk dissapointing Us earlyish adopters, and the customers most likely to want the new model.

I can't see how it's going to work. Maybe no new model till next year ? Nab can't see that happening but how they get round this one is going to be interesting...
Click to expand...
It's a phone. You buy it on a subsidised contract. You buy it when you please, there is no hurting early adopters.

Look around you at how every other phone is sold, that is more than likely exactly how the iPhone is an will be, and rightly so.

I don't understand what you or anyone else is expecting to happen here? :confused:

You picked a phone, you signed a contract attached to that phone. That's the end of it until your contract is up, or you want to pay through the nose for a new one - at which point they will ask you to assume the position, bent over, and lubed up.
 
A) Wait till you're eligible for an upgrade.

or

B) Pony up some extra $ for an early upgrade.
 
edesignuk said:
It's a phone. You buy it on a subsidised contract. You buy it when you please, there is no hurting early adopters.

Look around you at how every other phone is sold, that is more than likely exactly how the iPhone is an will be, and rightly so.

I don't understand what you or anyone else is expecting to happen here? :confused:

You picked a phone, you signed a contract attached to that phone. That's the end of it until your contract is up, or you want to pay through the nose for a new one - at which point they will ask you to assume the position, bent over, and lubed up.
Click to expand...
You are totally right, don't disagree that is why my wife is getting my iPhone and I'll get the new one. But all my friends are somehow expecting the new model as soon as Its launched . They are ALL Expecting an upgrade. I said I couldn't see how it's going to work as we are locked into a contract. I can't see this being good for applevas it stifles sales. True nokis etc are in the same boat but they have been in the game for years and will have a steady replacement rate. So apple will have to do something to stimulate demand won't they ?
 
jlblodgett said:
I would think that if they allow a person to sign up for a new 2-year contract, they would probably be eligible for the subsidized price.
Click to expand...

No, that's not how it works. They're making up the cost of that subsidy over the 2-year life of your contract. If they give you another subsidy for signing another 2-year contract after only one year, they've only recouped half of the subsidy. I mean yes, they have you for another two years, and during that time they'll recoup the cost of subsidizing your NEW iphone, but they're still out half the cost of the subsidy on the 3G you got last year.
 
QCassidy352 said:
No, that's not how it works. They're making up the cost of that subsidy over the 2-year life of your contract. If they give you another subsidy for signing another 2-year contract after only one year, they've only recouped half of the subsidy. I mean yes, they have you for another two years, and during that time they'll recoup the cost of subsidizing your NEW iphone, but they're still out half the cost of the subsidy on the 3G you got last year.
Click to expand...

This is true. No special treatment should be expected for current 3G owners (myself included in this group) until we are told otherwise.

One question would be, for current 3G owners, would you upgrade if you could get one at subsidized prices, provided you signed-up for another 2 years? I don't really think I would. And it's not because I am unstaisifed with my 3G. As for the new iPhone, I expect it to be great, but I don't think it would be worth locking-up another 2 years. I expect over the next 1-2 years, we are going to see an explosion in new, awesome cellphones. We are already seeing the very beginning of this with the Pre. I don't really want to put blinders on for 2 more full years. I just like to keep my options open as much as possible.
 
I would. I plan to upgrade in December anyway, if not sooner.

kas23 said:
One question would be, for current 3G owners, would you upgrade if you could get one at subsidized prices, provided you signed-up for another 2 years? I don't really think I would. And it's not because I am unstaisifed with my 3G. As for the new iPhone, I expect it to be great, but I don't think it would be worth locking-up another 2 years. I expect over the next 1-2 years, we are going to see an explosion in new, awesome cellphones. We are already seeing the very beginning of this with the Pre. I don't really want to put blinders on for 2 more full years. I just like to keep my options open as much as possible.
Click to expand...
 
edesignuk said:
To be frank, they're all living in a dream world. That simply isn't how contract mobile phones work. Never has been.
Click to expand...

yes BUT the iphone is different than most mobile phones.. the iphone is "special" to ATT it has brought them MILLIONS and MILLIONS of new customers and if they want to keep their exculsivity for longer they will LET us 3g owners upgrade at a subsidized price.. or another carrier might get and people would move from ATT to different carrier.. so i think we will be able to upgrade cause att wants your money
 
fratboy said:
yes BUT the iphone is different than most mobile phones.. the iphone is "special" to ATT it has brought them MILLIONS and MILLIONS of new customers and if they want to keep their exculsivity for longer they will LET us 3g owners upgrade at a subsidized price.. or another carrier might get and people would move from ATT to different carrier.. so i think we will be able to upgrade cause att wants your money
Click to expand...

Well, everyone that has the 3G is stuck with AT&T for at least another year, so I don't think they're worried about people switching. The iPhone is not the first phone to be exclusive to a specific carrier.

Also, the iPhone is not different. How is it different than a Blackberry? (in terms of subsidies)
 
themoonisdown09 said:
Well, everyone that has the 3G is stuck with AT&T for at least another year, so I don't think they're worried about people switching.
Click to expand...

people are willing to pay ETF. not everyone but im sure if a good carrier got the iphone and competed price wise with att people would be willing to switch in a second... look how many people said that they would switch in a heartbeat if verizon got it(which i dont think will happen) .
 
fratboy said:
people are willing to pay ETF. not everyone but im sure if a good carrier got the iphone and competed price wise with att people would be willing to switch in a second... look how many people said that they would switch in a heartbeat if verizon got it(which i dont think will happen) .
Click to expand...

The iPhone will be exclusive to AT&T at least until sometime in 2010. They would not be worried about it this year anyways if that was the case.
 
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