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reading between the lines... 6 month early upgrade...

B

brendu

Cancelled
Original poster
Apr 23, 2009
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who else thinks the 6 month early upgrade for ATT customers is because other carriers will be getting the iPhone after exclusivity ends in Jan 2011? I think this is ATT's desperate attempt to sucker as many of their existing customers into new 2 year contracts at their current BS prices before any competitor can give us a better deal...

..well heres to hoping anyway...
 
brendu said:
who else thinks the 6 month early upgrade for ATT customers is because other carriers will be getting the iPhone after exclusivity ends in Jan 2011? I think this is ATT's desperate attempt to sucker as many of their existing customers into new 2 year contracts at their current BS prices before any competitor can give us a better deal...

..well heres to hoping anyway...
Click to expand...

I think you may be right. I think the raise in ETF would also prove this point. However, I don't think any other carrier is going to give anyone a better deal on an iPhone. Apple doesn't need to settle and lower their prices to sell the phone. I could also care less about signing another 2 year contract. I will still be able to sell my used iPhone for more then it would cost to pay the ETF. I don't understand why people go crazy about having to be under a contract and having to pay an ETF. This is a $6-700 phone we are carrying around that we can sell whenever we'd like.
 
I suppose anything is possible, but look at it this way: perhaps all AT&T is trying to do is maximize its cash flow position relative to the market. By allowing an "early" upgrade, they get a huge infusion of cash, a solid and locked in client base, and they make one of their main partners, Apple, happy by contributing to its own bottom line. And whose to say that Apple won't extend the exclusivity in exchange for this cash infusion?
Steve's 'we'll see how their technical improvements affect call quality' comment makes me think that AT&T knows its on the hot seat and has to deliver the goods. Perhaps this is just a way for them to sooth Apple's anger over network issues.
I guess my point is that I don't think it's easy to connect the dots and reach an "Ah-ha" conclusion about this because we really don't know how tightly linked Apple is to AT&T. I just wouldn't get my hopes up for a quick end to exclusivity in the US.
 
I don't mind signing another 2 years. The iPhone 4 looks awesome and AT&T is on-par with Verizon in my area.
In my home I get full bars and 3G (even though I'll use Wifi)
and I get very similar out.

AT&T is great for me.
 
There has been a lot of discussion on this and I somewhat agree and would not be surprised if other carriers picked up the phone starting in July. Only time will tell.
 
Dwalls90 said:
There has been a lot of discussion on this and I somewhat agree and would not be surprised if other carriers picked up the phone starting in July. Only time will tell.
Click to expand...

if other carriers were coming on board this year you'd know...it's insanity to think otherwise at this point
 
I don't think so. iPhone users that want to go to another carrier if/when that happens are going to go, contract or no contract. ETF, or no ETF. I think we are dealing with a quintessential Occam's Razor here: ATT just wanted to blunt the usual upgrade howls this year to the extent they could.
 
Early upgrade gets them bigger profits by locking existing customers into a new contract, without incurring increased bandwidth utilization.
 
They did the same thing when the latest iphone 3Gs came out. I looked into it and then decided to stick with iphone 1
 
I don't get why people equate a rise in ETF to the iPhone going to another carrier. I guess people mentally block out the fact that verizon's ETF has been 350 dollars for a while right now.

Raise in ETF has nothing to do with iPhone being picked up by another carrier. It has to do with the fact that their biggest competitor raised the ETF so now they want some of the fun too.

But i suppose people will continue to listen to the verizon iPhone unicorn that wispers how its coming too eh?
 
Or they want the iPhone to do big numbers first day....bringing more attention to the news and more customers to the network

whatever the reason is, its working
 
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brendu said:
who else thinks the 6 month early upgrade for ATT customers is because other carriers will be getting the iPhone after exclusivity ends in Jan 2011? I think this is ATT's desperate attempt to sucker as many of their existing customers into new 2 year contracts at their current BS prices before any competitor can give us a better deal...

..well heres to hoping anyway...
Click to expand...

They are not suckering me
In, even if the iPhone comes out to more carriers soon, i still will be sticking with AT&T, monthly rate plan is reasonable and the service is great.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
I think we are dealing with a quintessential Occam's Razor here: ATT just wanted to blunt the usual upgrade howls this year to the extent they could.
Click to expand...

I think that this is likely the case.

I swear, though, if the CEO of at&t farts some people will take it as a sign that the iPhone is coming to Verizon.:rolleyes:
 
brendu said:
who else thinks the 6 month early upgrade for ATT customers is because other carriers will be getting the iPhone after exclusivity ends in Jan 2011? I think this is ATT's desperate attempt to sucker as many of their existing customers into new 2 year contracts at their current BS prices before any competitor can give us a better deal...

..well heres to hoping anyway...
Click to expand...
Devil's advocate; Maybe the ATT / Apple contract is until 2012. If this is the case, Apple wants to sell as many new phones as possible NOW. Perhaps Apple is giving ATT a break on the price they pay to users who are not fully eligible to upgrade yet so that Apple can move units? My theory is Apple is subsidizing ATT with the early upgrading.
 
mloffa said:
I don't mind signing another 2 years. The iPhone 4 looks awesome and AT&T is on-par with Verizon in my area.
In my home I get full bars and 3G (even though I'll use Wifi)
and I get very similar out.

AT&T is great for me.
Click to expand...

Same here, and it's faster!
 
brendu said:
who else thinks the 6 month early upgrade for ATT customers is because other carriers will be getting the iPhone after exclusivity ends in Jan 2011? I think this is ATT's desperate attempt to sucker as many of their existing customers into new 2 year contracts at their current BS prices before any competitor can give us a better deal...

..well heres to hoping anyway...
Click to expand...

I like AT&T and I'll stay with them but I honestly think you are right. I don't think it's within the next 6 months but maybe a year. I think if you look at how many extra months they are getting people under contract by letting them sign early vs. the ones that they would not get so much extra months (anyone after December) you could probably figure out an approximate time AT&T is losing exclusivity (I don't think it will be that soon as they'd probably let people past December upgrade then. I am betting it's more like close to a year or so). I dno't know if there is already in teh works an iphone for another carrier, but I certainly think AT&T is going to lose the guarentee that they are the only ones.
 
Plus another thing to think about: if you upgrade to a new contract, then you will have to accept the new ETF fees.

Corporate giants like AT&T will never put consumers over themselves, so if it seems like AT&T is doing you a favorite, always be wary of the after effect.
 
JediZenMaster said:
I don't get why people equate a rise in ETF to the iPhone going to another carrier. I guess people mentally block out the fact that verizon's ETF has been 350 dollars for a while right now.

Raise in ETF has nothing to do with iPhone being picked up by another carrier. It has to do with the fact that their biggest competitor raised the ETF so now they want some of the fun too.

But i suppose people will continue to listen to the verizon iPhone unicorn that wispers how its coming too eh?
Click to expand...

Um, read the post again. The theory isn't going by the ETF fee but by the fact that AT&T is throwing a lot of people a carrot for signing up for another 2 years now (allowing anyone whose eligibility would happen sometime this year to go ahead and get a new iphone now with a new 2 year contract that would start now even).

You don't think it's kinda fishy they are being that nice. Corporations don't throw carrots like that just to be nice, they have other reasons. It may even be just for good PR, but honestly, I don't think it's just for good PR. Maybe it's not cause they are losing exclusivity, but they are getting *something* out of allowing everyone whose eligibility happens sometime this year to get the iphone now instead of waiting.

CocoaPuffs said:
Plus another thing to think about: if you upgrade to a new contract, then you will have to accept the new ETF fees.

Corporate giants like AT&T will never put consumers over themselves, so if it seems like AT&T is doing you a favorite, always be wary of the after effect.
Click to expand...

Yep, exactly. AT&T isn't doing this to be nice. They have some other reason for doing it. Some people posted a few other reasons why they might do this, but I do think it could be indicative that in around a year you might see the phone on a different carrier.
 
moka said:
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They are not suckering me
In, even if the iPhone comes out to more carriers soon, i still will be sticking with AT&T, monthly rate plan is reasonable and the service is great.
Click to expand...

how much do you pay a month for your iPhone service?
 
Who cares what carrier they're on anyway. You always going to need a phone right? Then what's wrong with under contract for 2 yrs? After that if the iPhone is already on another carrier you can always switch. If they're still exclusive to AT&T then continue to enjoy your iPhone on AT&T.

The only time I would care not to be under contract is when I only plan on having a cell phone for only less than 2 yrs only in my entire life. Then I would want to pick and chose carefully where/when and how I would be using those time with a phone. Otherwise I'm sure the majority of us here are going to carry a cell phone no matter what for the rest of our lives so what's a different?

Sitting on the sidelines to wait whiles others are enjoying the new technology is not something you want to do if you're savvy enough to use a smart phone. Either you like the iPhone then go for it and enjoy it or if you'd prefer other carrier then don't buy an iPhone. Plain and simple
 
tm96 said:
Who cares what carrier they're on anyway. You always going to need a phone right? Then what's wrong with under contract for 2 yrs? After that if the iPhone is already on another carrier you can always switch. If they're still exclusive to AT&T then continue to enjoy your iPhone on AT&T.

The only time I would care not to be under contract is when I only plan on having a cell phone for only less than 2 yrs only in my entire life. Then I would want to pick and chose carefully where/when and how I would be using those time with a phone. Otherwise I'm sure the majority of us here are going to carry a cell phone no matter what for the rest of our lives so what's a different?

Sitting on the sidelines to wait whiles others are enjoying the new technology is not something you want to do if you're savvy enough to use a smart phone. Either you like the iPhone then go for it and enjoy it or if you'd prefer other carrier then don't buy an iPhone. Plain and simple
Click to expand...

the major issue I have and reason I wish the iPhone would come to sprint is the ATT plans are a lot more expensive, im gonna go see what sort of FAN discount I can get with them at an att store soon
 
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