1. IrishJK09's Avatar
    This is a cut and paste:


    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 (no other 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...
    06-09-08 09:23 PM
  2. CTenn's Avatar
    ...yikes. That seems like a rather important thing to include in Mr. Jobs' presentation, though I can see why he has left it out. Hopefully the standard upgrade eligibility applies, and everyone can upgrade not just previous iPhone owners. Still, I was going on the assumption this was a retail price. So much for that.
    06-09-08 09:55 PM
  3. pilotguy404's Avatar
    thanks for the post. It defenetly puts it into perspective.
    06-09-08 10:06 PM
  4. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    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 (no other 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...
    I really did think that once iP2 came out, it would do so with the features that people have literally been begging for from the start. So for those that may not be interested or have no need in GPS, or even those that are happy without 3G, it seems, IMO, that there's no major reason to upgrade.

    Do you know if the phone is the same size? I read somewhere (dont recall where) that it was going to be thinner.

    Anyway, based on this post, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people (the ones in the middle) whose choices right now are just up in the air and who will also be dependent upon, I guess AT&T, to decide whether or not they'll be lax with what they do for one customer vs another.
    06-09-08 10:07 PM
  5. Blacklatino's Avatar
    This is a cut and paste:


    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 (no other 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...
    Although, I'm available for an upgrade now, there are a lot of members that may have assumed the device would be available at the previously mentioned price. The Bold will probably be the same. If it does not have similar stipulations, I'll be surprised- which is why I purchased my first Curve on ebay.
    06-09-08 10:32 PM
  6. Bla1ze's Avatar
    Still no cut and paste...still no MMS, but hey folks it's got 3G..color me excited!!

    /end sarcasm
    06-09-08 10:44 PM
  7. IrishJK09's Avatar
    I really did think that once iP2 came out, it would do so with the features that people have literally been begging for from the start. So for those that may not be interested or have no need in GPS, or even those that are happy without 3G, it seems, IMO, that there's no major reason to upgrade.

    Do you know if the phone is the same size? I read somewhere (dont recall where) that it was going to be thinner.

    Anyway, based on this post, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people (the ones in the middle) whose choices right now are just up in the air and who will also be dependent upon, I guess AT&T, to decide whether or not they'll be lax with what they do for one customer vs another.
    The phone is thinner and thicker at the same time. It got a tiny, tiny bit thicker in the middle, but the edges were tapered, making them thinner.

    I will be honest. I know how Apple works because I am an Apple fan and use Apple products. They never drop all of their eggs in one basket. They do this simply to keep their customers hooked to their updates and to keep them using said products. The hardware features coupled with the firmware 2.0 upgrades are the tip of the iceberg. I strongly, strongly suspect future firmware updates will add things like video recording, MMS, etc. Yes, they should be there now, but they aren't. Knowing Apple like I do though, I suspect they will come in firmware 2.1, or 2.2... You get the idea.

    Anyway, this pricing thing is a mess. Nobody in the blogoshpere seems to know exactly what is going on, and that is not good after the actual device announcement. Steve Jobs himself said the maximum price is going to be $199/$299, yet the BoyGenius accessed an internal At&t email claiming the $199/$299 prices are only for certain, eligible, customers.

    All I know is, if the $199/$299 prices aren't for everyone, the "regular" pricing better be damned reasonable. One of the biggest things keeping the iPhone from taking off higher than it did was its price. Not everyone that wanted one and shied away from the price is currently eligible for upgrade, or is going to be a new At&t customer. I watched the entire keynote, and Steve spoke a good bit about wanting to overtake that barrier...

    I just don't understand this to be honest. I am sure that a real answer will be coming within the week, but it is a headache that shouldn't even exist if you ask me.
    06-09-08 10:52 PM
  8. km2783's Avatar
    When I said I work for AT&T and had gotten an email on iPhone pricing I wasn't just pulling that out of my ***
    06-10-08 01:37 PM
  9. danpass's Avatar
    seemed obvious to me that these were upgrade/new contract prices .............
    06-10-08 01:54 PM
  10. holvey's Avatar
    As far as the US, At&t is the only carrier that can support a 3G iphone given the fact that it is GSM an doesn't support T-mobiles upcoming 3G network. I think At&t realized the problems they faced in the exclusivity of the original and are taking the steps necessary to prevent massive jailbreaks to other carriers. Having to activate it in store locks you into the 2 year contract. So even if you want to use it with another carrier, you are on the books with AT&T. It will be interesting to see how they handle people wanting to break contract.

    8gig = $199 + contract termination of ? might not be unreasonable considering the 2G iphone price of $599.
    06-10-08 02:10 PM
  11. CTenn's Avatar
    This thread really needs to be pinned or stickied or posted in huge, bold, red letters all over the forums. Too many people still think it will cost $199 out of contract and are basing all their future decisions on it... they will soon get a rude awakening.
    06-10-08 02:30 PM
  12. IrishJK09's Avatar
    As far as the US, At&t is the only carrier that can support a 3G iphone given the fact that it is GSM an doesn't support T-mobiles upcoming 3G network. I think At&t realized the problems they faced in the exclusivity of the original and are taking the steps necessary to prevent massive jailbreaks to other carriers. Having to activate it in store locks you into the 2 year contract. So even if you want to use it with another carrier, you are on the books with AT&T. It will be interesting to see how they handle people wanting to break contract.

    8gig = $199 + contract termination of ? might not be unreasonable considering the 2G iphone price of $599.
    The $599 price didn't last very long though, and was quickly reduced to $399 for the 8 gig and $499 for the 16. I am peeved about the situation, but I still can't see At&t/Apple selling for that high a price again. Not after all the talk of "learning from the mistakes of high prices."

    There is a catch to the termination fee thing as well. If you terminate in the first 30 days, there is no ETF, and you are required to return the phone due to the subsidy. All those people talking about buying and terminating in one day so they can jailbreak their activated phone and unlock it are going to have to stick it out for at least 1 month. It may just make it too expensive to feasibly do.
    06-10-08 02:48 PM
  13. Duvi's Avatar
    You will have to bring the phone back in to terminate the contract, supposedly.
    06-10-08 02:57 PM
  14. holvey's Avatar
    You will have to bring the phone back in to terminate the contract, supposedly.
    Wow!!! That basically makes this a lease instead of a purchase. I never understood how the exclusivity of a phone to a carrier had any possible upside for the consumer.
    06-10-08 03:59 PM
  15. IrishJK09's Avatar
    Wow!!! That basically makes this a lease instead of a purchase. I never understood how the exclusivity of a phone to a carrier had any possible upside for the consumer.
    You only have to bring the phone back if you cancel within the first 30 days. Early termination fees exist to help carriers recoup subsidy losses. If you cancel within the first 30 days, there is no early termination fee, so there is no way for At&t to recoup the loss on the subsidized iPhone unless you return it to them.

    It is more like a "30 day lease to own." It is like this with ALL subsidized phones though, not just the iPhone, as far as I know.
    06-10-08 04:01 PM
  16. Duvi's Avatar
    Wow!!! That basically makes this a lease instead of a purchase. I never understood how the exclusivity of a phone to a carrier had any possible upside for the consumer.
    I was referring to before the 30 days being over. (Buyer's remorse)
    06-10-08 04:02 PM
  17. holvey's Avatar
    I was not talking about buyers remorse. I was talking about if you were to want an iphone on tmobile, or any GSM carrier that does not have the iphone. I don't know why someone would want a jail broken 3G iphone, since in the US, there is no one with 3G that the iphone will run on besides at&t. But the fact of the matter is that the price without contract is going to be X amount more to sign up for a contract, then break it to get the phone away from AT&T.
    06-10-08 04:33 PM
  18. Duvi's Avatar
    I was not talking about buyers remorse. I was talking about if you were to want an iphone on tmobile, or any GSM carrier that does not have the iphone. I don't know why someone would want a jail broken 3G iphone, since in the US, there is no one with 3G that the iphone will run on besides at&t. But the fact of the matter is that the price without contract is going to be X amount more to sign up for a contract, then break it to get the phone away from AT&T.
    The GPS might be the biggest reason for them to want the GPS enabled device. Also the size of the device as well as well as the device having a plastic backing in either black or WHITE.
    Last edited by Jayden0606; 06-10-08 at 06:01 PM.
    06-10-08 05:58 PM
  19. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    The $599 price didn't last very long though, and was quickly reduced to $399 for the 8 gig and $499 for the 16. I am peeved about the situation, but I still can't see At&t/Apple selling for that high a price again. Not after all the talk of "learning from the mistakes of high prices."

    There is a catch to the termination fee thing as well. If you terminate in the first 30 days, there is no ETF, and you are required to return the phone due to the subsidy. All those people talking about buying and terminating in one day so they can jailbreak their activated phone and unlock it are going to have to stick it out for at least 1 month. It may just make it too expensive to feasibly do.
    This is where my confusion lies. What subsidy? If the iPhone is going to be priced flat out for $199/299 for anyone that buys, then what exactly is being subsidized? It's not like other carriers in which the phone for new customers may be $99 and full price of let's say $549 for someone not eligible yet for upgrade.
    06-10-08 06:05 PM
  20. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    seemed obvious to me that these were upgrade/new contract prices .............
    But to me, this was not obvious. Based on what's been said so far, this clearly came to my ears sounding like there are 2 sizes; $199/8GB (black) and $299/16GB (black or white). I've come across nothing that said these are upgrade or new contract prices.

    Stevie made it sound like anyone that wanted an iPhone could now afford to have one.
    06-10-08 06:12 PM
  21. CTenn's Avatar
    This is where my confusion lies. What subsidy? If the iPhone is going to be priced flat out for $199/299 for anyone that buys, then what exactly is being subsidized? It's not like other carriers in which the phone for new customers may be $99 and full price of let's say $549 for someone not eligible yet for upgrade.
    This is why you should actually READ the articles.

    The iPhone costs 199/299 with a CONTRACT EXTENSION or UPGRADE, just like those other carriers. You can't even purchase it out of contract for a full price, it's just not an option.
    06-10-08 06:36 PM
  22. Skormm's Avatar
    The 16GB will be $399 retail. I forgot what the 8GB is going to be.

    Edit: There are two models of the iPhone, one with 8 gigabytes' storage, the other with 16 gigabytes. Pricing will be dramatically lower for the 8-gigabyte phone, at $199, down from $399. The 16-gigabyte iPhone will retail for $399, down from $499.


    Source:iPhone or BlackBerry.
    Last edited by Skormm; 06-10-08 at 06:42 PM.
    06-10-08 06:39 PM
  23. avt123's Avatar
    This is why you should actually READ the articles.

    The iPhone costs 199/299 with a CONTRACT EXTENSION or UPGRADE, just like those other carriers. You can't even purchase it out of contract for a full price, it's just not an option.
    Yea. I think people are getting confused because they are advertising it right now as "Twice as fast. Half the price."
    06-10-08 09:10 PM
  24. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    This is why you should actually READ the articles.

    The iPhone costs 199/299 with a CONTRACT EXTENSION or UPGRADE, just like those other carriers. You can't even purchase it out of contract for a full price, it's just not an option.
    You came from under a rock to tell me that. Unless you're spending time over my shoulder, where & why do you assume that I didnt actually READ the articles. And while I'm at it, is there a particular article you had in mind or did you mean all of them?

    Sorry- I dont have the kind of time on my hands, as you must do, to read every tidbit concerning the iPhone or AT&T for that matter.
    06-10-08 10:04 PM
  25. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    Yea. I think people are getting confused because they are advertising it right now as "Twice as fast. Half the price."
    Not sure about the confusion but when it was FIRST announced, I heard ONLY the price of $199/299.
    06-10-08 10:07 PM
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