Want an iPhone 3G S? Already have an iPhone 3G? Be prepared to pay $700

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/08/want-an-iphone-3g-s-already-have-an-iphone-3g-be-prepared-to-pay-700-to-upgrade/

by jasonlbaptiste • 17 years ago

8 24 17 years ago

dotpavan• 17 years ago

"upgrade eligible" is the keyword.. for gen1 iphone users, the prices, as per the att/iphone website, calculated on the basis of my contract specs was the same as advertised, i.e., 99/199/299

edit: chk price eligibility here- https://buyiphone.apple.com/

msluyter• 17 years ago

Just verified this. I have an original 2G iPhone and was able to reserve the new 32GB 3GS for $299.

jonursenbach• 17 years ago

Thanks for that link.

SamAtt2• 17 years ago

Thanks for the link. Sadly it's not working right now.

I guess if AT&T and "not being able to connect" weren't synonymous in my head already it's my own fault for being surprised.

Update: Finally got through and I take back all the bad things I said about AT&T. I got the $299 pricing for the 32Gb and I bought my 1gen iPhone on Sept. 5, 2007 (I know the exact date because it was the date they dropped the price and I ran out and picked one up that day)

mdasen• 17 years ago

This is the way that it is with every phone on the market. If you aren't ~22 months into your contract, you can't upgrade devices at the subsidized price. Likewise, if you aren't upgrade eligible on Sprint, the Palm Pre is going to cost you $550 ($50 more than the iPhone 8GB unsubsidized).

It might be crappy, but this is the way that subsidized devices work. You have to wait nearly two years before you can upgrade or you have to pay the unsubsidized price.

SamAtt2• 17 years ago

Apparently it's not (though I concede it often is like that). From the linked article...

UPDATE So this is what AT&T tells us:

An iPhone 3G customer in most cases can early upgrade at $399 [16GB] or $499 [32GB].

You’ll note that that’s still several hundred dollars more than what Joe Smoe would have to pay, right off the street, if he doesn’t already have an AT&T account.

tptacek3• 17 years ago

No, Joe Shmoe is "paying" more than $299 for the phone; he's just paying over the long haul, with a new contract commitment to AT&T. AT&T already has your contract commitment. You have nothing to offer them but cash.

jasonlbaptiste2• 17 years ago

No it's not the case actually. I upgraded from my 2G to 3G without any penalty. With the iPhone, which is what we're talking about here, that's not the way it works or should work. Also keep in mind, the 3G[s] isn't a huge leap.

keltex2• 17 years ago

The 2G to 3G was without penalty because the 2G devices were unsubsidized.

jrockway• 17 years ago

I am at the end of my AT&T contract (non-iPhone), and their website wants to charge me more for a new phone than new customers would pay. Unfortunately for them, I am just going to transfer my number to T-Mobile when the G2 comes out. Fuck AT&T. (And if T-Mobile pulls this on me, there is still Sprint and Verizon.)

keltex2• 17 years ago

Your best bet is to sell your 16GB 3G on ebay (maybe for $300? I sold mine for $450 2 months ago). Eat the $175 cancellation fee and switch to a no contract carrier for a few weeks. Then You can re-up with AT & T for a 32GB 3GS for $300. Your net cost... $175 plus tax on the $300.

ryanwaggoner• 17 years ago

Hardly seems worth the hassle. Plus, they're offering me the upgrade to 32GB 3GS (from 3G I've been on less than 1 yr) for $499, so seems like it'd be better just to sell the old phone for our theoretical $300 and pay the $200 difference.

beefman2• 17 years ago

My wife has a 2G and I have a 3G. She is eligible for the $200 16GB 3GS, my cost is $400.

If she gets a 3GS, what is the cost if we then switch phones?

We're on the family plan.

pjhyett• 17 years ago

You can't just swap SIM cards? I was thinking about doing the same thing.

beefman2• 17 years ago

Hmm... http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=713873

quizbiz• 17 years ago

What are the data plans like? Does anyone know if you must buy a plan with the $99 iPhone?

jws• 17 years ago

Data plans are $30/mo for unmetered use, limited only by how much network AT&T deploys. It varies from mind bogglingly fast to completely unusable for even trivial functions.

I don't know if you can opt out of the data plan, but I expect there are things that will break if you do, like visual voice mail.

tdavis• 17 years ago

It has always enraged and perplexed me that instead of a better deal, returning customers get the worst possible deal when it comes to wireless service. I get it: you sell the phone cheaper to get people roped into contracts that they have to cancel for more than the adjusted cost. But why screw over existing customers? That doesn't really seem like a sane way to keep one's business.

Tichy• 17 years ago

I can't believe tech affine bloggers can be this clueless.

Hint: there is no such thing as a free lunch.

tptacek3• 17 years ago

Seems weird to get upset at AT&T about this. It's Apple that's being dishonest about the prices. The super low iPhone prices are subsidized. If AT&T already subsidized a phone for you, isn't it hard to argue that they owe you another one?

TweedHeads• 17 years ago

Techcrunch spreading FUD?

Color me surprised...

Why not focus on the good stuff?

Why it always have to be downplaying everything cool about what they don't like, or get paid to do so?

Tethering not good enough?

The much asked for Copy/Paste ok with them?

Fuck, iPhone is sooooo expensive you better get a zune phone, whenever that piece of crap is available.

Want an iPhone 3G S? Already have an iPhone 3G? Be prepared to pay $700

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