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wow I really got the shaft for buying the 3g so late

D

davelanger

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 25, 2009
832
4
I bought the iphone 3g phone in march of last year 4 months before the 3gs came out. So when the new iphone comes out, I am still going to have to wait until next summer to be able to get the next phone at $199. UGH.

I could probably get the early upgrade for $399 but do I really want to pay that? They dont take it into consideration if you are the 3g phone when upgrading do they?
 
davelanger said:
I bought the iphone 3g phone in march of last year 4 months before the 3gs came out. So when the new iphone comes out, I am still going to have to wait until next summer to be able to get the next phone at $199. UGH.

I could probably get the early upgrade for $399 but do I really want to pay that? They dont take it into consideration if you are the 3g phone when upgrading do they?
Click to expand...

You will probably have to wait.

But when your contract runs out next summer, why not wait a few more months and get the next iPhone if you still want it. Skip the 3Gs and the iPhone 4; wait for iPhone V.

That's what I have to do since I bought a 3Gs in June of last year. :cool:
 
Well, that's what you get when you aren't educated about product life cycles. It sucks, but I wouldn't exactly say you got the shaft. Of course they aren't going to mention the new phone coming out when you come in to buy. That would kinda kill sales.

After the iPhone 4 is out, Apple will most likely stop supporting the 3g, just as they did when the 3gs came out with the 2g. If you can manage to wait, you will be able to get the iPhone 5 when it comes out.

I think I might be okay to wait for iPhone 5, since I have the 3gs. But I dunno about waiting for the fifth one if I had a 3g. I would Probably try to save up the money for an early upgrade.
 
I would say wait and see if the hardware specific features are enough for you to want to early upgrade. I specifically usually do the early upgrades since I am the type to want the latest hardware. I have the 3GS now and unless the hardware specific changes are significantly I might wait since I am not due for an upgrade. If most of the features I am looking towards to are available on my 3GS then I think I'll stick to the 3GS.
 
You could always add a line. Cost you a few bucks more a month, but I have 2 lines...one basically does nothing or serves as a standby. I'll eventually cancel it. Early cancellation is cheaper than paying full price for the phone.
 
just wait until august to upgrade to the iphone 4

you get to upgrade ever 1.5 years and im you said 4 months before the 3gs came out so im assuming you bought it in feb.

so feb+ 18 months is aug 2010
 
Geckotek said:
You could always add a line. Cost you a few bucks more a month, but I have 2 lines...one basically does nothing or serves as a standby. I'll eventually cancel it. Early cancellation is cheaper than paying full price for the phone.
Click to expand...
You know they deduct $5 off your ETF every month you're on contract, but they charge you $9.99 a month plus countless taxes and fees adding up to about $15 a month? So every month you wait to cancel, you are giving away free money.
 
Why are you getting the shaft?

You got a phone that you wanted when you wanted? You can also upgrade if you wish, though it will be expensive. Neither of which is Apples/ATT's fault.
 
As others have said, you really aren't getting the shaft, just dealing with the product cycle. Also, an AT&T rep told me that it's 18-20 months for upgrades, and that you kinda have to ask around for it. That would put your upgrade around Aug-Nov timeframe, or just 3-5 months after the (rumored) release date.

Also, look at the plus side(s).

1) You'll get a few months to play with/save $$ for the definite article, not a dream of a rumor of a dream. In that time you'll know for certain whether the upgrade makes sense for you or not.

2) The hardware you purchase will have been in production for 3-5 months, giving plenty of time to work out any last minute bugs.

In any event, you'll always be purchasing a product that will soon be upgraded, so if you get too wrapped up about it, you could just wait around forever.

Oh, oh, one more plus side...

...At least you didn't buy an Android phone in Mar '09. (talk about the upgrade shaft!)

Sean
 
Similar situation. Switched to AT&T April '09. Got the 3G (knew a new iPhone was coming out, but my mom wanted to switch) bad idea. (the switching to AT&T part)
I skipped on the 3GS seeing how it wasn't much of an improvement, but I'm gonna sell my 3G to my co-worker at the end of June or whenever the iPhone 4 comes out for $100.

I guess the AT&T guy says we can upgrade in Sept for another 2 years, which, I really don't want to.
 
Well actually if you bought it in March 2009, you probably can get the next iPhone for 199 dollars. AT&T usually allows you to upgrade your phone after a year of owning it. You still have to sign a new contract though. If you buy the iPhone in June for 200 dollars, chances are you'll be able to buy it next June for 200 dollars.
 
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