AT&T Is Screwing Over US iPhone Users

http://i.gizmodo.com/5283334/att-is-screwing-over-us-iphone-users

by jasonlbaptiste • 17 years ago

59 47 17 years ago

i.gizmodo.com

johnm3• 17 years ago

Apple should make MobileMe the Apple mobile phone service and just front all of the wireless carriers around the world. That's what users really want in terms of one-stop shopping and service.

stcredzero2• 17 years ago

Except that the MobileMe/dotMac part of Apple is one of the only ones that has trouble executing cleanly. They are currently one of Apple's weak links.

johnm3• 17 years ago

Good point. Of course, they'd have the money to get some people in there with a clue. :-)

eelco• 17 years ago

On whose network?

johnm3• 17 years ago

Everybody who wants a cut of the business -- that's the whole point.

Right now, the carriers have too much control and that doesn't serve the customers.

Think of it like iTunes for phones: There's lots of music companies but customers really just want access to music.

halo• 17 years ago

That's great until the virtual carrier switches network and many customers can't get a signal anymore.

zackattack2• 17 years ago

Every carrier should have FindMyPhone!

trezor• 17 years ago

You live in the US don't you? In most of the world phone and subscription are not tied at all. If I want a phone, I go buy one. If I want a new plan, I go sign up for one. It's really that simple most places not the US. For reference, it's called a working market.

I'm already annoyed at Apple for tying the iPhone to iTunes. There's no need for them to tie in even more bullshit.

nudded• 17 years ago

iTunes is the ecosystem Apple created for their ipods, did you really think apple would change its winning strategy?

evdawg• 17 years ago

Still nowhere near as bad as Rogers' outrageous prices in Canada. $60/mo for 500MB of data? No thanks!

tjweir• 17 years ago

It's so sad that we can still say "at least it's not as bad as Canada!"

We're becoming an embarrassment, but at least people like Michael Geist are fighting:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4037/125/

icey• 17 years ago

Well, I'd like to withhold judgment on how bad it is until we know what AT&T will charge for bandwidth now that tethering will be an option. I know as soon as I can get an iPhone that works on T-Mobile or Verizon I'm pretty much gone.

burke• 17 years ago

Whatever it is, I doubt you'll be paying $50 for 2MB/mo.

joezydeco2• 17 years ago

Yeah, Apple skipped through that part of the presentation REEEAAALLLY fast. Guess they don't want to be the ones to give the bad news.

zackattack2• 17 years ago

Do you really go through >500mb/mo on your phone?

lpgauth• 17 years ago

I fully agree on this point, I've been on the 500mb plan for over 6 months now and I never past 500mb. Sure now there's supposed to be tethering, but that's a hole different story.

dgallagher• 17 years ago

I've personally been in between the 500MB-1,000MB/mo range in the past year. I don't tether or anything, but do stream internet radio over it, and sometimes internet video's (e.g., TED).

If you're only using the basic built-in apps, like email, web, and maps, and you buy all Apps over your Cable/DSL line at home and install via iTunes, you'll probably not go above 500MB.

But once you throw multi-media into the mix, and buying apps over the wire, it's a different story. 500MB becomes quite tiny.

geuis• 17 years ago

Yeah, I'm SICK of AT&T. For the first time I'm going to be buying an iPhone that actually will have less feature support than the U.S. carrier!

joezydeco2• 17 years ago

Go check out the fine print where AT&T wants $400 from you to break the contract on your existing 3G and buy the 3GS.

zacharypinter• 17 years ago

Is this confirmed? There wasn't a penalty on iPhone 2G -> 3G upgrades, and the keynote mentioned the $199 price was for new and qualifying customers.

Alex3917• 17 years ago

It's confirmed. Presumably 2G customers qualify for upgrades to the 3GS though.

edit: It is now confirmed that 2G users qualify for upgrades to the 3GS at the subsidized prices.

pjhyett• 17 years ago

"AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB)."

http://www.apple.com/iphone/buy

smokey_the_bear2• 17 years ago

This doesn't make sense. It would only cost 150 for me to break my existing contract.

dschobel2• 17 years ago

You'd think they would be thrilled to have your contract extended a further two years. I just don't see the rational in punishing their customers.

run4yourlives• 17 years ago

Rational: Next quarter's profits. We'll worry about 6 quarters from now when we get there.

tptacek• 17 years ago

There are lots of good examples of AT&T screwing iPhone customers. This is a bad example. Apple sets the price on the device. If AT&T has already subsidized an Apple device for you in exchange for a contract, and you haven't completed the contract, how do you argue that AT&T owes you another phone?

gojomo4• 17 years ago

Unless the rep I spoke to an hour ago was hiding something, the cancel-early fee is only $125. Then, you're free to get a new-contract-subsidized phone from AT&T or anyone else.

That makes the righteousness of a $400 differential for existing 3G contractholders a little incongruous.

Update: According to MobileCrunch, the 'early upgrade' prices for 3G owners are just +$200, not +$400, over the fully-subsidized prices. That make a lot more sense -- both compared to the early-cancellation penalties and a pro-rata accounting for the previous subsidy. See:

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/06/08/want-to-upgrade-to-an...

jasonlbaptiste• 17 years ago

One More Thing...

Existing 3G Customers will have to pay $599 and $699 plus extend your contract 2 more years.

rufo• 17 years ago

Yeah. Just checked my pricing at http://buyiphone.apple.com/ - $699 for a 32GB until July 12th, at which point I'm eligible for a "standard iPhone upgrade" - whatever that means.

andreyf2• 17 years ago

Strange, I checked the same, and they offered me $499 for a 32GB, to upgrade from the 4GB 3G... I wonder if it has something to do with my buying the 3G after the price drop (for $199) or because I'm upgrading from the 4GB. Either way, they really need to get their act straight.

cwilson• 17 years ago

I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to cancel your AT&T account (by paying the fee) and then starting fresh with them with a $200 iPhone 3GS then upgrading from a regular 3G.

hrabago• 17 years ago

...if you're okay with losing the phone number you already have.

kqr2• 17 years ago

If somebody was that desperate, they could probably transfer the number to a month-to-month plan and then back to preserve the number.

nanijoe• 17 years ago

I just tried to upgrade and I'm getting the originally announced pricing:

Review iPhone pricing.

As an existing customer, you qualify for the following iPhone pricing: You'll be able to choose the iPhone you want a little later in the process.

    * $99.00* — 8GB iPhone 3G (black)
    * $199.00* — 16GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)
    * $299.00* — 32GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)

AT&T

mcav• 17 years ago

It depends how long you've had your previous iPhone (and which one you had). I believe you have to have had your previous phone for at least a year to qualify for the prices you listed.

andreyf2• 17 years ago

Curious, in Firefox 3.5b99 on OS X...

This works:

www.➡.ws/䡗

but this does not:

http://www.➡.ws/䡗

AT&T Is Screwing Over US iPhone Users

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