[Mr. Marco]

If the iPhone hits Verizon it would definitely be a phone I would look into and possibly own, but there is something that bothers me a bit. I don't know how I feel about this 1 year cycle for the iPhone where every year there is an updated model out. Kinda sucks after one year owning something outdated.

Does AT&T run special upgrade prices for owners of iPhone every year so they can upgrade at a discounted price?

[Entrical]

Nope; no specials. They do offer an 'Early Upgrade' for some people that adds i think $100 or $200 to the upgrade price of the phone.

[CarrierUnlock]

Yeah it does get kind of old but with technology it's just the way it is. Storage capacity, mega pixels, and countless other things are always getting upgraded.

It comes down to a personal, and financial choice it seems.

As an iPhone owner though I would love to get the new one discounted wishful thinking I guess.

[Mr. Marco]

I guess that was part of Apple and AT&T's plan all along. Get people hooked on something so that they have to have the latest and greatest iPhone even if it means forking over the full price every year.

[anon(153966)]

The iPhone is a very hot commodity, thus no special's or upgrades. They know they can get full retail price, regardless...

As for the yearly new devices, the same can be said for Blackberry, albeit different models, but it's STILL a Blackberry. Bottom line is, do you want to switch every year? I do, only because I'm a gadget nut, and tend to sell my device as virtually brand new, since they tend to always look that way

[osugsxr]

i have an outdated 3g phone using it on a local carrier, Im happy with it, probably use till I either break or it dies on me. For the price I paid and the montly plan itll be hard for me to switch to another carrier even if verizon gets the iphone. Ive been with verizon for the past 7 years or so, and my local carrier meets my needs better.
Verizon has great service! but the plans just didnt meet what I needed, if I had one family friend line then I would have stayed

[Entertainment72]

If the iPhone hits Verizon it would definitely be a phone I would look into and possibly own, but there is something that bothers me a bit. I don't know how I feel about this 1 year cycle for the iPhone where every year there is an updated model out. Kinda sucks after one year owning something outdated.

Does AT&T run special upgrade prices for owners of iPhone every year so they can upgrade at a discounted price?

Yes they do, they did last year for those who purchased the 3G before August of 2008 and wanted to upgrade to the 3G[S] for the same discounted price as with those signing a new contract. I did it with two 3G's.

They didn't at first but eventually caved in.

[bigorosco]

AT&T also has refurb phones that are discounted. And the whole cycle is why Apple will not offer harware warranty for longer than 2 years on the iPhone. Most people upgrade every 2 years.

[StevieJobs]

I guess that was part of Apple and AT&T's plan all along. Get people hooked on something so that they have to have the latest and greatest iPhone even if it means forking over the full price every year.

Muhahahaha! *vanishes*

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dcgore]

I think the one year cycle is fine, most people have upgrades by then. $200 on average is not bad once every year.

[thebignewt]

The 3g was an upgrade, otherwise they haven't changed the phone much at all with these "upgrades". Bells and whistles.

[Balay]

I don't know how I feel about this 1 year cycle for the iPhone where every year there is an updated model out. Kinda sucks after one year owning something outdated.

Every phone company does the same thing. They aren't going to wait 2 years to bring out a new device.
BlackBerry does the exact same thing, Bold last year Bold 9700 this year. Tour last year, Tour 2 this year.
So don't get mad at Apple for trying to release a better phone every year. They know people will buy it, so they make it. Money.

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

What are you talking about?

This is TRUTH for practically EVERY phone model out there.

The BOLD, the STORM, the CURVE, the SIDEKICK, ETC ETC ETC.

Does AT&T run special upgrade prices for owners of iPhone every year so they can upgrade at a discounted price?

Normally, yes. Depending on your plan,

[Balay]

What are you talking about?

This is TRUTH for practically EVERY phone model out there.

The BOLD, the STORM, the CURVE, the SIDEKICK, ETC ETC ETC.

+1
There are like a million curves out there

[Entertainment72]

+1
There are like a million curves out there

Actually there are 5 million curves out there.. 4 million of those were free 500,000 were $0.01 and 500,000 were standard pricing..

[scorpiodsu]

Actually there are 5 million curves out there.. 4 million of those were free 500,000 were $0.01 and 500,000 were standard pricing..

And the difference between are almost non-existent. But RIM keeps selling it to the same suckers.

[ChristophK]

The funny thing is, the iPhone isn't going to hit the Verizon market.

[StevieJobs]

Actually there are 5 million curves out there.. 4 million of those were free 500,000 were $0.01 and 500,000 were standard pricing..

+1< He has a point

[scorpiodsu]

This is nothing new with any phone nowadays. And we see better phones come out sometimes more frequently than a year. It's become the way of technology nowadays. I notice you have a Storm. Well when did they come out with the Storm 2? Blackberry is always releasing a device better than one they released and sometimes it's in the same calendar year.

To answer your question, it depends. When the original iPhone came out, they allowed users that purchased between a specific dates to upgrade to the 3G full discount but I think that was the only time they did that. AT&T does offer early upgrades every 1 year if your account is in good standing. So instead of paying 600 full price, you'll pay 400. And once you get into the iPhone cycle, selling your old iPhone usually offsets the cost of the new one. For instance, last year I was only eligible for early upgrade. So it cost me 400 for the 3GS. But I sold my 3G unlocked for 450.

Unfortunately, Apple and AT&T both know they do not need to lower the price or offer special pricing for this device.

If you are worried about your phone being outdated in 1 year, then you might as well leave smartphones alone.

[crackvegas78]

If the iPhone hits Verizon it would definitely be a phone I would look into and possibly own, but there is something that bothers me a bit. I don't know how I feel about this 1 year cycle for the iPhone where every year there is an updated model out. Kinda sucks after one year owning something outdated.

Does AT&T run special upgrade prices for owners of iPhone every year so they can upgrade at a discounted price?

Yes the iPhone has been updated a few times since it was released in 2007, but then again how many devices has RIM released in that same amount of time. I know that if I had gotten a Bold I would have been pissed when the 9700 came out just a short time later. That's just the way it works in tech new things come out faster then most of us can keep up with them.

[TheScionicMan]

Not everyone is on the same replacement calendar. The newest phone isn't always expected to replace the most recent model for everyone. There are people with older phones looking for something new and for most people its usually more of a leap-frog effect to jump to the newest phone available when you are eligible for an upgrade as opposed to owners of new devices to run and get the next newest device.

The complaints seem to be that they are either putting out updated phones too fast or that they are not keeping up with new technology. Half are going to complain about one and half, the other...

[killswitchX13]

The funny thing is, the iPhone isn't going to hit the Verizon market.

yes it will. bet u $500.

[CarrierUnlock]

How's that fact I don't know lol. But either way iPhone is currently in testing with Verizon and will launch.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[grahamf]

It would be funny if BELUS decided to carry that iPhone too, so they can pump out ads stating how they carry more versions of the iPhone than Rogers.

[TheScionicMan]

When we switched from ATT 8310's to VZW 8330's, one of the big things we noticed was less battery life. I'd say we get about 1/3rd to 1/2 the life out of the standard battery on CDMA vs GSM.

I wonder if this is going to be a problem if the iPhone comes to VZW? Maybe that's another reason 4G has a bigger batt...