Because it has to be a year and a half before they regain their subsidy from the iphone 3g you bought
Sorry everyone else answered 1st
apparently if you had 1st iphone then upgraded to 3g it will be 12months after you bought 3g
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 3GS Launch Day Details and AT&T Pricing
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Because it has to be a year and a half before they regain their subsidy from the iphone 3g you bought
Sorry everyone else answered 1st
apparently if you had 1st iphone then upgraded to 3g it will be 12months after you bought 3g
I am in the same situation and I've spoken to an AT&T CSR about what to do. I pre-ordered 2 iphones online at apple.com, 1 in my name and 1 in my wife's, and they are being shipped to my house for a June 19th delivery date. When I get them I'm going to the At&t store and they can then merge the 2 accounts into 1 family plan. This way you get to have the iphone in hand on June 19th, no stressing about whether or not there will be 2 iphones in stock when you get to the store, and you get your family plan. When you pre-order you are not officially setting up an account but rather you are being "pre-authorized".
Give that a shot.
I'm seeing a lot of different dates for cheap upgrade eligibility, and conflicting reports of the state of family plans.
AT&T wants me to wait until 12 months from my 3G purchase to get the regular pricing, not 18 (3g purchased 1 Sep 08, cheap upgrade eligibility on 2 Sep 09). If I buy before then, they want $399/$499 (i.e. $200 more) for the 16/32 gb versions.
My wife's iPhone O.G., on the same family plan, is eligible for the normal price on launch day, as I'd expect. I'd be very interested to see what they're quoting for people who bought original iPhones in the summer of 2008.
It it interesting that they're getting around their own stated ETF terms by simply saying that the new phone itself is more expensive if you are still under contract.
AT&T's ETF is $175, decreasing by $5 each month of the contract; I'd have to pay them about $120 to just break my contract at this point and walk away. If I want to buy a new iPhone and remain their customer, though, it'll cost me $200.
AT&T wants me to wait until 12 months from my 3G purchase to get the regular pricing, not 18 (3g purchased 1 Sep 08, cheap upgrade eligibility on 2 Sep 09). If I buy before then, they want $399/$499 (i.e. $200 more) for the 16/32 gb versions.
My wife's iPhone O.G., on the same family plan, is eligible for the normal price on launch day, as I'd expect. I'd be very interested to see what they're quoting for people who bought original iPhones in the summer of 2008.
It it interesting that they're getting around their own stated ETF terms by simply saying that the new phone itself is more expensive if you are still under contract.
AT&T's ETF is $175, decreasing by $5 each month of the contract; I'd have to pay them about $120 to just break my contract at this point and walk away. If I want to buy a new iPhone and remain their customer, though, it'll cost me $200.
I wonder if you can call AT&T and have them merge it over the phone rather then go into one of the stores. If you can, I would definitely do that. If not, I would just rather go in the day after the launch and pick one up.
LOL!
Interesting that Apple's commitment to an "affordable" iPhone (as it was put yesterday at the keynote) is more or less compromised by a: "while supplies last" caveat. What happens when the 8GB and 16GB 3G models are gone? Are they going to make the 3Gs' suddenly "affordable"?
No, I didn't think so, either.
He said only the 16GB is affected by the condition "while supplies last." My understanding is that they will continue to produce 8GB iPhone 3G's.
Apple Store?
Will the Apple Store be taking a similar approach? I have "reserved" an iPhone 3GS at my local Apple Store but their website has an asterisk saying that the iPhones will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Does anyone know if reserving the iPhone is going to help me get one on the 19th? I was kinda thinking that these pre-orders and reservations will help with that initial demand - that they we better distribute their inventory thanks to this delayed release, giving folks time to place their orders.
Will the Apple Store be taking a similar approach? I have "reserved" an iPhone 3GS at my local Apple Store but their website has an asterisk saying that the iPhones will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Does anyone know if reserving the iPhone is going to help me get one on the 19th? I was kinda thinking that these pre-orders and reservations will help with that initial demand - that they we better distribute their inventory thanks to this delayed release, giving folks time to place their orders.
Seems like a lot of demand- I'd hate to walk in on day 2 and my local At&t store be out of stock. Besides- with the iphones in hand on June 19th I could always walk into the At&t store with them in hand just to have them merge the accounts and not have to worry about them having them in stock. It's win-win for me.
I've owned BOTH the first gen iPhone (day one adapter) and the 3G iPhone (again, day one adapter), never have I been late on a payment, and I have an upgrade available in December 2009.
So I can safely say that option 3 is bogus information.
I guess you're right. Did you talk to someone from your local store or did you call the 800 number? I might do this.
people are upset about the prices being offered to most 3G owners. not to mention the lack of tethering and mms from at&t now. yes, it's not apple's fault and not really a fault of the 3GS, but go figure.
i think at&t could gain a lot of good will by offering the subsidized price to whomever wants to upgrade. sign them up for a new two-year contract and call it a day. but, at&t wants to be dumb about it. they and most cell phone companies, cable companies, etc. still have absolutely no clue about customer service. they think all the money is in the nickel and diming and forcing people into confusing contracts.
that's why any kind of exclusivity is dangerous. it just makes companies greedy, doesn't make them want to offer things like good service, and kills innovation. i'm a (mostly) happy 2G owner who just ordered the 3GS. i don't think at&t is any worse than other cell phone companies (they're all pretty bad), but it's like the unlikeable bully who's given the best toy in the world. they don't want to share, they only want to protect what they have, and they most certainly want to dictate how, when, where, and with whom you can play with.
Why don't they prorate their fees. So the new phone would be cheaper the longer you are into your contract. It does not seem fair that the new model be the same for someone 1 1/2 years into their contract as someone 2 months into their contract. They have received WAY more $$ from a customer 1 1/2 years into their contract.
Just my 2 cents. I will NOT be purchasing the 3Gs.
Just my 2 cents. I will NOT be purchasing the 3Gs.
For many of us who got the 1st gen iPhone and then the 3G iPhone pretty much when they first came out, we do it partly because we're loyal to Apple, partly for the hype, etc.
So, my account says I "may be" eligible on 7/13/2009, which is 1 year from when I bought the 3G. Making us wait almost a whole month after the release of the 3GS is ridiculous. What does 1 month do for AT&T other than make a LOT of enemies out of us?!
Plus, don't get me started on the whole MMS & tethering issues!!!!!!
Anyone know of any petitions started or other ways to get AT&T's attention on this issue???
So, my account says I "may be" eligible on 7/13/2009, which is 1 year from when I bought the 3G. Making us wait almost a whole month after the release of the 3GS is ridiculous. What does 1 month do for AT&T other than make a LOT of enemies out of us?!
Plus, don't get me started on the whole MMS & tethering issues!!!!!!
Anyone know of any petitions started or other ways to get AT&T's attention on this issue???
It may be the price of your monthly bill. I think I read somewhere that if you pay greater than $100 per month, you are eligible to get a subs phones after 12 months. If not, you wait 18 months.
I called the local store yesterday and they were CLUELESS. I actually had to email the store the At&t press release explaining the pre-ordering to them from my personal email.
I called the 800 # before I ordered the 2nd iphone just to make sure I could merge the accounts with out an issue. They said it would no problem because you don't officially set up the account until you have the phone in hand.
Plus- the footnotes on both apple.com and att.com both say that even though you are pre-ordering a phone its on a "first come, first serve" basis....since I work on fridays and wont get to an ATT store or an Apple store until at least 5pm I'd rather not chance it and be stressed all day about stock levels. Knowing that my 2 iPhones will be waiting for me when I get home and that I can walk into an At&t store whenever I want is going to make the next week and a half a lot more relaxing.
The price, I believe, is actually prorated. Your ETF goes down by $5 per month. You can pay the ETF and you will be considered a "new" customer.
AT&T have been holding Apple back from the beginning. It even came out today during the WWDC, everyone laughing everytime ATT was mention. All ATT wants is your money!!!!!!!!! Why do they only offer a 2-year contract and not 1-year?! They don't even care about their exiting customers. They know we are locked for two years so why give us a price break?!!?!? I'm tired of writing about this &$#$* company...... 
I bought mine about a month after launch, but my status says that I "may" be eligible Jan 14 2010, which is roughly 17 months after my purchase date of the 3G.
I am not in a rush to upgrade.
I want that camera for iChat and this model does not have it. While this new phone have some nice features, some will not be available for several months, so why rush to the store to get a phone whose features do not all work on day 1. Besides I badly want that front camera.
So I shall wait for the camera which means another year or so or at a minimum wait until all the 3GS features have been activated by AT&T, boy this reminds me of M$.
I want that camera for iChat and this model does not have it. While this new phone have some nice features, some will not be available for several months, so why rush to the store to get a phone whose features do not all work on day 1. Besides I badly want that front camera.
So I shall wait for the camera which means another year or so or at a minimum wait until all the 3GS features have been activated by AT&T, boy this reminds me of M$.
Will you please shut up about the damn contracts, we know we signed contracts, AT&T regularly waives the terms of their contracts ... why are they NOW deciding to stick us to them?
I don't think it's bogus
I think the misunderstood part of the post is that you qualify for earlier upgrading if you ADDED the 3G to your account and KEPT the 2G on the same account.
I waited a few weeks for the lines to die down and bought a 3G in August. I KEPT the 2G on the account and gave it to my daughter and ADDED her to my ATT account on that day (bringing her over from Sprint).
When I check on the ATT site, it says that I am eligible for the subsidized upgrade on 8/1/09 which is 12 months after I ADDED the 3G phone to my existing account.
I believe that if you REPLACED your 2G phone with a 3G last year, you have to wait 18 months for a new subsidy.
I think the misunderstood part of the post is that you qualify for earlier upgrading if you ADDED the 3G to your account and KEPT the 2G on the same account.
I waited a few weeks for the lines to die down and bought a 3G in August. I KEPT the 2G on the account and gave it to my daughter and ADDED her to my ATT account on that day (bringing her over from Sprint).
When I check on the ATT site, it says that I am eligible for the subsidized upgrade on 8/1/09 which is 12 months after I ADDED the 3G phone to my existing account.
I believe that if you REPLACED your 2G phone with a 3G last year, you have to wait 18 months for a new subsidy.
It is simpler than you might think. Because you signed a contract for two years to subsidize the cost of the iPhone and now you want to break that contract.