The price was announced.
$199 and $299 for an upgrade iPhone.
The applause was wild, but the details were left out.
A quick visit to Apple's site tells you the same info. $199 and $299 for the 8 and 16 gigabyte iPhones, respectively. Look closely and you will notice the small asterisk (the * symbol...). Follow it to the bottom of the page and you will see the following:
"Requires new 2-year AT&T rate plan, sold separately"
Ok, but what does that mean? There are no other prices listed, and it is widely known that you can't activate a 3G iPhone without renewing your existing contract or starting a new one. That means that everyone gets this price, right? One would think, but read on...
The plot thickens as the one and only BoyGenius fields an At&t email. The email can be read in its entirety at the following link:
BoyGenius Report: At&t Email about new iPhone
I will post the important part that you may not want to see, but need to be aware of.
The email says, and I quote:
Upgrade Eligibility and Qualified Upgrade Pricing
Upgrade eligibility will be determined based on standard upgrade eligibility rules. Customers must be upgrade eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing. However, not all customers will be qualified upgrades. AT&T has not determined the price of the 3G device for non-qualified upgrades.
All customers will be required to sign a 2-year agreement. There will not be a “no commitment” price for the iPhone 3G.
No, don't rub your eyes, don't check your glasses or contacts, you read it correctly. Not all of us are eligible for the $199/$299 pricing. If you are a current iPhone user, you are set. If you are a new customer, you are set. If you are a current At&t customer and are upgrade eligible, you are set.
What if you are a "middle of your contract" customer and your phone isn't an iPhone, like myself and many others? You are not set. We are the ones being talked about as "non-qualified" for upgrade. We are the ones that the prices haven't been determined for.
What does this mean? Will we have to pay $400 and $500, the existing 8 and 16 gigabyte prices, for our iPhones? Will our iPhones still be cheaper?
Only time will tell, but I think it would be a good idea to cross your fingers and say a little prayer. It also begs to question, would it be worth it to find a cheap, used iPhone on Craigslist to activate and use until the 3G is dropped, just to be certain that you are eligible for upgrade pricing? Until we know what the "non-qualified" pricing will be, that is just another question that will go unanswered.
This day is not turning out as well as I would have liked. First, no release until July 11th. Second, no mention of cut and paste, universal landscape keyboard, or MMS. Third, the only real upgrades are 3G and GPS, the one thing we never thought Apple would do (not offer more upgrades, that is)... I am still highly interested in the new iPhone, and I still have every intention of buying one depending on the "real" price, but today has seriously been very lackluster when compared to the previous hype. Especially after reading this At&t email...
$199 and $299 for an upgrade iPhone.
The applause was wild, but the details were left out.
A quick visit to Apple's site tells you the same info. $199 and $299 for the 8 and 16 gigabyte iPhones, respectively. Look closely and you will notice the small asterisk (the * symbol...). Follow it to the bottom of the page and you will see the following:
"Requires new 2-year AT&T rate plan, sold separately"
Ok, but what does that mean? There are no other prices listed, and it is widely known that you can't activate a 3G iPhone without renewing your existing contract or starting a new one. That means that everyone gets this price, right? One would think, but read on...
The plot thickens as the one and only BoyGenius fields an At&t email. The email can be read in its entirety at the following link:
BoyGenius Report: At&t Email about new iPhone
I will post the important part that you may not want to see, but need to be aware of.
The email says, and I quote:
Upgrade Eligibility and Qualified Upgrade Pricing
Upgrade eligibility will be determined based on standard upgrade eligibility rules. Customers must be upgrade eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing. However, not all customers will be qualified upgrades. AT&T has not determined the price of the 3G device for non-qualified upgrades.
All customers will be required to sign a 2-year agreement. There will not be a “no commitment” price for the iPhone 3G.
No, don't rub your eyes, don't check your glasses or contacts, you read it correctly. Not all of us are eligible for the $199/$299 pricing. If you are a current iPhone user, you are set. If you are a new customer, you are set. If you are a current At&t customer and are upgrade eligible, you are set.
What if you are a "middle of your contract" customer and your phone isn't an iPhone, like myself and many others? You are not set. We are the ones being talked about as "non-qualified" for upgrade. We are the ones that the prices haven't been determined for.
What does this mean? Will we have to pay $400 and $500, the existing 8 and 16 gigabyte prices, for our iPhones? Will our iPhones still be cheaper?
Only time will tell, but I think it would be a good idea to cross your fingers and say a little prayer. It also begs to question, would it be worth it to find a cheap, used iPhone on Craigslist to activate and use until the 3G is dropped, just to be certain that you are eligible for upgrade pricing? Until we know what the "non-qualified" pricing will be, that is just another question that will go unanswered.
This day is not turning out as well as I would have liked. First, no release until July 11th. Second, no mention of cut and paste, universal landscape keyboard, or MMS. Third, the only real upgrades are 3G and GPS, the one thing we never thought Apple would do (not offer more upgrades, that is)... I am still highly interested in the new iPhone, and I still have every intention of buying one depending on the "real" price, but today has seriously been very lackluster when compared to the previous hype. Especially after reading this At&t email...
Last edited:
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