Stuck with the phone for 2 years...

[IrishJK09]

This is something I have never understood. Especially when it is used to put yet another negative spin on the iPhone. What am I talking about? I am talking about how journalists will comment on the iPhone and often follow it up by saying that you better be sure you can live with the shortcomings, because you are "stuck" with them for 2 years...

How are you stuck?

When you buy an iPhone (or any phone for that matter, subsidized or not), you will sign a 2 year contract. There is nothing in that contract that says you can't change your phone at any point and time. As a matter of fact, you can change your phone whenever you damned well please with At&t because they are a SIM using GSM carrier. I can swap my phone at 3 am on Sunday if I so choose, and it will carry absolutely no negative effect on me, nor will it lengthen my contract.

Granted, if you want a sparkling, newly released phone, you are going to have to pay full retail for it, but you still aren't stuck. The thing that bothers me about this is that the ill informed read it when a journalist says it, and they believe it. I can't even believe how many forum topics I have seen asking about whether or not a person should buy a phone because they don't want to be "stuck" with it for 2 years if they hate it.

Point being... You are never stuck with your phone. You can buy a new one from the store, or a used one from eBay/Craigslist at any point in time, swap your SIM, and be set. CDMA is a bit different, but it is still something you can do.

Does it bother anyone else when this is used as an iPhone negative, or am I alone?

 

[nsquared]

No, it doesn't bother me, but yes, you are correct. You are never stuck with a GSM phone. In fact, the reason I swiched to AT&T (or Cingular) 4 years ago was so that I could change my phone whenever I wanted to. Pop the SIM out... pop the SIM in a new phone... and there you go. I just purchase phones on eBay whenever I feel I need a new one and never have to go through AT&T.

I have not purchased a subsidized phone from AT&T in quite a while, but if the new 3G iPhone is subsidized, I will not hesitate to renew my contract for 2 years.

 

[HymerSchmidt]

You're not alone!! I hate it too. The fact is: you aren't stuck with the phone, only the carrier. And "stuck" isn't even the right word, because you can opt out whenever you please.

Well, you do have to pay a termination fee, but it isn't TERRIBLE; besides, I was reading such fees were coming under scrutiny as of late. I think ATT even adopted a plan where: every month of your contract you fulfill, your termination fee gets lessened by a fixed amount.

It's a totally invalid argument. The phone is superior, accept it, journalists. All the hate is the anger for having to live with inferior products pre-Apple.

 

[xintelinsanex]

Agreed. Subsidize it and I will absolutely upgrade.

 

[cmaier]

You're stuck because to use the iphone for six months you have to use AT&T for 2 years. You can change phones, but you still are stuck with AT&T. Other carriers/phones allow 1 year contracts or no contracts.

 

[Ahambone]

Agreed. Subsidize it and I will absolutely upgrade.

Definitely. A phone subsidy would also offset the cost of an early termination fee (if you decide to go that route).

 

[IrishJK09]

You're stuck because to use the iphone for six months you have to use AT&T for 2 years. You can change phones, but you still are stuck with AT&T. Other carriers/phones allow 1 year contracts or no contracts.

True, but that isn't what they say. The nay-sayers love to portray it as being stuck with the device itself, and it gives the people that don't know any better the wrong idea.

 

[cmaier]

I've never heard or read anyone claim that you are "stuck" with the phone for two years. Every complaint I've read has been that you are stuck with AT&T for 2 years.

 

[IrishJK09]

I've never heard or read anyone claim that you are "stuck" with the phone for two years. Every complaint I've read has been that you are stuck with AT&T for 2 years.

I have no desire to argue with you and I am too lazy to dig up links and citations . I guess it all depends on the wording used by the journalist and the interpretation by the reader. <shrug>

 

[cmaier]

Not arguing with you. If journalists say you are stuck with iphone, then clearly that is wrong, as you pointed out. However, you are still stuck (with AT&T), unlike many other phones.

 

[WatersWest]

You know what bugs me more ... people who are afraid of the contract. I don't mean bothered by the contract, or feel inconvenienced by the contract, but actually AFRAID of it. I have a co-worker who paid FULL retail for the phone now known as the AT&T tilt (previously the Kaiser). He is with AT&T. He has been with AT&T for 5 or 6 years. But he would rather pay full retail then be "stuck" in a contract by buying a subsidized phone. That's crazy. If you're not going anywhere anyway, go the subsidized route and sign a contract. It's not the end of the world!

Of course, this is the same co-worker whose number 1 reason (not just a reason, but THE NUMBER ONE reason) for not buying an iPhone is that he doesn't want to have an iTunes account ... doesn't want Apple to know any personal info about him. Very strange what people are afraid of .....

 

[speced]

the journalists are probably stuck in some other cell phone contract, therefore not allowing them to reap the benefits of the iPhone

 

[Nick9283]

i feel that much like the current iphone there will be an unlocking tool that will allow the iphone 2 to work with other gsm providers. that is if it is not sold as unlocked. even then there will be apps people want that apple prohibits and in comes the hackers.