S last year I per-ordered the 4S and received it on launch day, probably like many of you did. Just out of curiosity, I just stopped in to my local AT&T store to check my upgrade status. Unfortunately I am not eligible to upgrade until next May, unless I want to pay an early termination fee (ETF) of $250. They don't even pro-rate their ETF anymore, according to the sales rep.
I'm really on the fence about this. Upgrading would be great, but paying $650 plus taxes, plus the the ~$30 ish upgrade fee makes my bum feel a bit sore. Overall I'm perfectly happy with my 4S, but I've always enjoyed upgrading and taking part in the latest Apple has to offer. This might be the first year where I'll hold off.
I also though about how many sales Apple is going to lose this year compared to previous years, as users are locked into their ~18-20 months between upgrade contracts. I'd imagine that less than 10% of users are really going to spring for the extra money and upgrade early, potentially leaving tons of iPhones on store shelves for those uninitiated into the Apple culture. This actually makes me worry about the Apple stock price too, as I'm heavily invested right now. I'm starting to think that the market is becoming saturated, and with customers unwilling to pay for huge ETF's to upgrade, this may end up being the first quarter that Apple fails to meet street profit expectations.
So what do you think? Will you be uograding for an extra $250?
I'm really on the fence about this. Upgrading would be great, but paying $650 plus taxes, plus the the ~$30 ish upgrade fee makes my bum feel a bit sore. Overall I'm perfectly happy with my 4S, but I've always enjoyed upgrading and taking part in the latest Apple has to offer. This might be the first year where I'll hold off.
I also though about how many sales Apple is going to lose this year compared to previous years, as users are locked into their ~18-20 months between upgrade contracts. I'd imagine that less than 10% of users are really going to spring for the extra money and upgrade early, potentially leaving tons of iPhones on store shelves for those uninitiated into the Apple culture. This actually makes me worry about the Apple stock price too, as I'm heavily invested right now. I'm starting to think that the market is becoming saturated, and with customers unwilling to pay for huge ETF's to upgrade, this may end up being the first quarter that Apple fails to meet street profit expectations.
So what do you think? Will you be uograding for an extra $250?