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TheBrainMcClain

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 15, 2008
36
0
When the third and fourth generation of iPhones come out I'll just have to upgrade, how do I go about it? Would there be a trade-in discount, or would I have to buy full price/wait until upgrade time?
 
It's almost a year away. You can be pretty sure the phone companies haven't decided yet, so you're unlikely to get an answer here.
 
It's almost a year away. You can be pretty sure the phone companies haven't decided yet, so you're unlikely to get an answer here.
What I was thinking is that Apple would do the same as they did during the 1G to 2G transition, I just forgot what they did. How did they handle it?
 
What I was thinking is that Apple would do the same as they did during the 1G to 2G transition, I just forgot what they did. How did they handle it?

By all appearances, Apple did what all phone manufacturers do: They charged their carriers the agreed-upon wholesale price for their phones, and then left it in the hands of the carriers to determine a reasonable retail price, and set their own rules about eligibility for subsidies based on new service contract commitments/renewals, the state of customers' past subsidies, etc.
 
What I was thinking is that Apple would do the same as they did during the 1G to 2G transition, I just forgot what they did. How did they handle it?

That's very unlikely.

Last time the service providers weren't subsidising the cost of the phone, so letting people upgrade before the end of their 18 month contract was no great loss to them, and they got some sales revenue from the handset and got tie people down to longer contracts.

However, with the iPhone 3G the only reason the handset was cheaper was because operators were now allowed to subsidise the phone with the contract payments, like every other handset. It's thus reasonable to assume upgrades will be treated like any other handset - you won't be allowed to upgrade until 18 months have passed from your last upgrade, unless you're willing to buy out the remainder of your 18 months contract or unless you pay a full, unsubsidised price for the phone (which will no doubt be $600+ in the US).

Phazer
 
One of the reasons I haven't upgraded to a 3G is to keep my upgrade eligability so I can pick up the next handset which will hopefully fix more of the things I require.

Phazer

But the OP is already asking about upgrading to the 3rd and 4th gen iPhones....
Now thats too early!
 
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I am sure ATT will treat this iPhone just like other smartphones.
 
I suppose worst case scenario, you could cancel what's left of your contract, ebay your 3G (or whatever you have) to offset it, and then buy the 3rd generation phone as a new customer with subsidy. Do they allow this? (To break your contract and open a new one right up?)
 
Maybe I'm hopelessly optimistic, but I can't see the traditional 'no upgrade until end of contract' being applied with the iPhone.

From a marketing point of view it would seem a bad move to force the early adopters to remain with an older model. Certainly here in the UK I would expect O2 to allow a break in contract for a subsidised upgrade and new 18 month contract - it might be more marginal with carriers forcing longer contract periods.
 
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