Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Pricing of expected iPhone this summer for people who got the 3GS?

doubleatheman

doubleatheman

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 27, 2009
628
0
So I skipped the 3g and got the 3gs, So I was able to purchase the 3gs at the regular $299 price for 32gb. I plan to get the new iPhone this summer, (My iPhone 3gs battery life is toast and Apple refuses to replace, even with apple care protection plan, no water damage, no cosmetic damage.) But that is besides the point. I want the new phone anyway.

I logged into my att account today and found out that I am upgrade eligible for a partial discount on another 3gs.

Below is the message I got:

-----------------------------------

As a valued AT&T customer, AT&T can offer you an early iPhone upgrade with a new 2-yr commitment and an $18 upgrade fee. You may qualify for a standard iPhone upgrade on 02/20/2011.

* $299.00* — 8GB iPhone 3G (black)
* $399.00* — 16GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)
* $499.00* — 32GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)

------------------------------------

I was a bit surprised, because it has not yet been 12 months, and I thought the upgrade/replacement price price was $599.00 for the 16gb 3gs, (the non contract price).

So I am happy that the partial discount seems to be showing up.

My questions are: what is this whole deal if your bill is above $99 a month you get a discount? (My family plan bill averages $103 a month.) 1 iPhone, 1 regular phone.

Since I missed the whole early upgrade deal from the iphone 2g to the 3g I'm a bit clueless on how to get a phone sooner than the contract. I am aware of other threads that may be like this.

From 1999-2007 I was always able to convince att to only give me a 1 year contract, all you had to do was ask and they would do it, (1 year was much more standard at the time.) I went through Nokia brick phones like water, They would hardly last me a year. And they always waved the upgrade fee if you ask. With the iPhone I know that I shouldn't even try that lol.


Thanks


(Also this is assuming the pricing of the new iPhone remains the same.) (And the fact that there will even be a new phone this summer.)

EDIT: My main reason for not getting the iPhone 3g, My town did not have 3g when the iPhone 3g was released. In-fact we didn't have it for another 3 months.
 
I'm not sure if this is correct or not, but what I have found out through some research is that previous iPhone owners have a 200 dollar discount off full retail price when doing an early upgrade. Thats what I did last November, I had the 3G, then early upgraded to the 32GB 3GS for 499. It could be a whole ATT thing as well. I'm just not 100% sure.
 
i got my 3GS in Sept/Oct of last year and I just checked and I have this option as well! :D wont matter tho cause I think im adding a line to get the full discount then giving my 3GS to my girl to use on the new line and keeping the new iphone for myself :)
 
Revelation78 said:
That's incorrect. If your bill is $99 per month or greater prior to applying taxes then you'll get the full upgrade price every 12 months on your primary line only.
Click to expand...

I just looked into this last night while at home, debating if I would be interested in getting the new iPhone when it launches this summer (provided the hardware feature set is too deep to resist). My eligibility date is the same as the OP - and I have a family plan that is more than $99/month. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that instead of 2/20/2011 - I'll be eligible for the upgrade price this June/July (2010) for the new iPhone? What is the current upgrade price for 16GB iPhone 3GS? This whole thing is rather confusing as I've only done this once (going from original iPhone on launch day to iPhone 3GS on launch day - 2 years) and have not really followed the matter regarding upgrade pricing etc.
 
Revelation78 said:
That's incorrect. If your bill is $99 per month or greater prior to applying taxes then you'll get the full upgrade price every 12 months on your primary line only.
Click to expand...

Let me clarify, each line on a family plan has to be over $99. If you have a bill that's a total of $100, you still don't qualify because it's split between 2 lines.

It was a modified version of this:
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/upgrade-advantage.jsp


So your example can be incorrect. If you have a basic family plan and the primary line isn't an iPhone, you won't get the 12 month upgrade price. The only way you can pretty much guarantee you get it is to have your primary line an iPhone and include an SMS/MMS package.
 
Mine says I will qualify for a full upgrade on 6/20/10. I bought my iPhone 3GS on 6/20/09 - so it makes sense. I'll be able to upgrade in full for the next generation.
 
My bill is not more than $99 a month before taxes, just after.

$59.99 family 550

$30 iphone data

$5 texting on iphone

is less than 100 before taxes :(


My line is the primary line on the account. I have no clue how it became the primary line, as my moms used to be. One day my iPhone showed up on the bill as the primary line.

Looks like I need to save up ~$399 for the lower size model expected. And that was the purpose of this post, I wanted to know how much I need to save up for the new iPhone :) I would go for the larger size, but I only use 7gb of my 32gb iPhone lol!
 
My line on my family plan is the primary line and has a +99$ bill before taxes. I bought the 2G on launch day.

I bought the 3G on launch day and received an upgrade because the first iPhone was not subsidized. I bought the 3Gs on launch day and received an upgrade because my line qualifies for a 12 month upgrade interval. I will buy a iPhone G4 this summer as my account already shows upgrade eligibility on 6/20/2010.
 
I got my 3Gs on launch day, and am not expecting to be eligible for full upgrade discounts for another year.

But I wonder if enough people complain like they did last year if Apple/AT&T will again allow full upgrade discounts for customers after only one year?

I'm not going to complain or expect the full discount, but if they cave in to customer demand like they did last year, I will take advantage. :D
 
If you bought a 3GS last year, why in the bloody hell would you already need a new iPhone? I got mine on launch day and don't see the need AT ALL for dropping another $300 AT LEAST on another phone. I love new tech as much as the next person, but this isn't going to be anything monumental like adding 3G speed.
 
Am I missing something here? Doesn't it say as of feb 2011? Anyway, ATT loses money long term if you don't generate enough revenue for hem every month and they keep giving early upgrades. I understand wanting the discounted prices because it seems good and all, but it would make horrible business sense.
 
Michael CM1 said:
If you bought a 3GS last year, why in the bloody hell would you already need a new iPhone? I got mine on launch day and don't see the need AT ALL for dropping another $300 AT LEAST on another phone. I love new tech as much as the next person, but this isn't going to be anything monumental like adding 3G speed.
Click to expand...

1. iPhone 4th gen will most likely see the first redesign of the iPhone. Remember the iPhone has essentially been the same screen and shape since 2007 so it's due for a redesign.

2. Most people like me sell their iPhones to "subsidize" the cost of the new iPhone. I know I can get $400 plus for my mint 32gb iPhone 3GS (depending on how fast I want to unload). So while it's true no one really needs a new iPhone every year, by selling my previous iPhone I can justify getting the lastest model iPhone. That way like last year I sold my 16GB iPhone 3G for $450 and purchase a 32GB iPhone 3GS for $499(early upgrade price and not full upgrade pricing).
 
You can sell

Michael CM1 said:
If you bought a 3GS last year, why in the bloody hell would you already need a new iPhone? I got mine on launch day and don't see the need AT ALL for dropping another $300 AT LEAST on another phone. I love new tech as much as the next person, but this isn't going to be anything monumental like adding 3G speed.
Click to expand...

Well, its quite simple. We want the new features and speed improvements. All I have to do is sell my current 3GS and the upgrade is down to about 100-200 dollars, well worth it in my opinion. I did the same thing last year. Sold my 3G which was 1 year old and purchased the 3GS for less then a new customer would.
 
My 2 year contract on my 3G expired on 3/10/10 so I own you all!

The right play is to have two iphones, and upgrade every other year.

EXCEPT... I did not upgrade last year so I have a 3G and 1st Gen. I hate it when a plan doesn't cometogether.

Although maybe I will end up with two iPhone iiii
 
I don't expect the full discount price of $199, Because I did not complete my 2 year contract. I understand this. AT&T would not make $ if they did this. (err less profits at least.)

It seems the next price jump is to $399 for the early upgrade option. This is probably what I'll end up paying.

I wish the early upgrade price for current iPhone owners was only $100 more than the full upgrade cost. $299 sounds fair.

Although Apple and AT&T must understand that most of the sales of the new iPhone will be old iPhone owners. I still think its crazy to make a 2 year contract on a device that comes with a 1 year warranty. (I always get Apple care anyway.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back