Give me my iPhone 3G S upgrade now!
By Will Park on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 2:56 PM PST In AT&T, Apple, iPhone
Hey, AT&T (NYSE: T)! What are you doing? Are you trying to anger very iPhone customer-base that has loyally kept you from falling even further behind Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless’s “America’s Largest Network?” Because, if you are, then your new iPhone 3GS upgrade policy is doing a damn good job of it.
The iPhone 3G S is coming to the US as another AT&T exclusive, and will be offered at the same $199 and $299 price-points as the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G, respectively. The 16GB iPhone 3G S will command the $199 price-tag, while the 32GB iPhone 3G S will go for $299 when purchased with two-year contract. That is, unless you’re a current iPhone or iPhone 3G customer with a few months to go before becoming eligible for upgrade. Existing (read: loyal) AT&T customers will have to shell out $399 and $499 for the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3G S, respectively.
Last year, AT&T and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) offered upgrade-pricing for any iPhone customers that jumped up to the iPhone 3G. This year, AT&T is essentially penalizing those same iPhone 3G early adopters that now want to get in on the iPhone 3GS’s launch-day fun. It’s a choise between “buy early and pay through the nose (again),” or “wait until you are eligible for upgrade pricing.” Shouldn’t AT&T be rewarding early adopters for helping push the iPhone and iPhone 3G to popularity?
Perhaps the higher-ups at AT&T don’t realize that early-adopters help drive mass-market adoption. With the iPhone, there’s arguably a stronger correlation between early adopter praise and overall sales performance – based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence.
Whatever the case, I want my iPhone 3G S on launch day. But, I want to pay the new-contract/upgrade price of $299 (for the 32GB iPhone 3G S). I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment. If you’re just as mad as I am about having to wait a month or more to upgrade your iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3G S for a reasonable price, sound off in the comments below!
What I don’t understand is that I paid $499 (full-price) for my iPhone 3G (because I wasn’t eligible for an upgrade) so I just added it to my existing contract, yet AT&T still won’t let me get a subsidized 3GS until 3/2010! I already paid the extra $200, so it should NOT have extended my contract, yet AT&T insists it did. Anyone else have this problem?
Agreed. I’ve been an early mobile adopter from the very beginning, getting new phones every 6 months or so, some through dev programs at discounts, others at full retail price. While i understand the subsidized price of the phone and requirement to complete the contract, i also believe the early adopters drive the [general] market’s influence and also wish I could upgrade to the 3GS at the discount price. The way I see it, as long as we’re committed to re-newing our 2yr committment, AT&T has us on the hook for a pro-longed contract, which helps to keep us from switching carriers, even when the Iphone eventually finds its way to others..
Ok.
I haven’t read all the comments but I just went to my local AT&T store and asked for an upgrade. I payed 299+Tax for a 32G S Black, which ended up being 323 something…Of course I’m not getting the phone on launch day, because the pre-orders are over but COME ON! THAT WAS AN AMAZING DEAL!!! Considering I just sold my 16G 3G to a friend for 250. I lost 50 bucks on 8 months. That’s not bad at all!
So I really don’t understand where does the blogger get his information from.
BUT YOU’RE WRONG!
Go to your local AT&T store and upgrade!
For me, 50 bucks for a brand new phone with double the capacity and more features was a minimum expense compared to anything else I spend my money on.
PLEASE STOP whining and find out for yourselves…this info and EVERYTHING ELSE I’VE READ ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS IS WRONG!
THANKS!
Ok….I may know WHY I GOT the 299.00 price….I DIDN’T get the first iPhone….I got the iPhone 3G on NOVEMBER…Will that have to do with the price I got?
If it did, then I’m sorry that maybe the reason why I got a deal.
Still
It’s $699 for the 32GB 3GS if you are not a new customer. thus 700
It is ridiculous when there are high end UNLOCKED phoned like Nokia N97, Omnia II, … that we should pay such high prices for a phone that you can never legally unlock, unless you go through a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo and risk bricking your phone, that is.
Two years ago there were no real competitors. Last year there more touch phones but not a real challenger. This year the competitors are much closer with such phones as Palm Pre and G2 android phone.
You put all that together with ATT’s less than dependable network and you wonder how did they come up with these prices. Really! They should refrain from using controlled substances at work.
i have 15 months left of my iphone 16gb 3g contract and wouldnt ming paying $299/£155 for a new 32gb 3g s iphone but my service provider wont let me. Very annoyed and angry as i feel i have been punished for being loyal to O2 UK
Many waited, many saved, most are proud to be owners of the iPhone. Not, from a status symbol but from it’s very capabilties! Most people have also paid twice their prior monthly bill in order to have this great phone…so, how do they recognize this dedication? I won’t look at another phone or service, but this economic embargo shows the agenda of the product , which is when I lose my interest and pride of being an owner..leadership is class, not price gouging where is the respect? Florsheim shoes, Schwinn bicycles, Levis, Carhart work clothes, Wilson A2000 baseball glves, General Motors, all had dependable products because they were built by a dependable country! What happened? I know where the phone is built, but engineered by dependable people in a dependable state! Make us proud, and show yourselves some respect..leave my pride for the iphone intact. Mark, US Marine Desert Storm Veteran ..peace
Honestly, the new iPhone 3GS does not have anything amazing about it over the old iPhone. All that’s new is that it is SUPPOSEDLY faster and it has a video camera. Oh, and a compass, big whoop. The main things that are cool about the new iPhone, the old ones will get- landscape texting, copy/pasting, blah blah blah. Stop complaining, you sound ignorant. Wait your time like everyone else and then you can have the cheaper price. I doubt that many people are going to be switching over companies for the new iPhone, if they wanted to they would’ve done it when they first came out with any iPhone.
This SHIT is unfair. The first I phone had an app for video, then the 3G which is the one I purchased just seven months ago does not have video, then they come out with the ne 3GS and it has video & more. I have an ATT contract and they told me I had to wait until 2010 to get my discount. That’s BULLSHIT!!! They should honor eveyone who purchased the 3G in the first place or at least the people who purchased the 3G less than a year. The so call “NEW” discount prices are NOT really discount. It still alot of money. And FUCK all of you who think I don’t have the right to BITCH!!!!!!!!!!! That’s right I am talking to YOU!!!!!!!
I paid full price for my iphone 3G in July 2008 because I was not eligible for an upgrade at the time, but now AT&T is telling me that even though I didn’t get the upgrade price for the 3G I was automatically committed to another 2-year contract and will not be eligible for upgrade pricing until 2010 (something that was not told to me in July 2008). So I would have to pay full price AGAIN if I want the 3G S.
Does that seem right to anyone? I know you will all say “no” can’t be right, but I talked to several people at AT&T and keep getting the same answer.
I think we should start a petition if this has not already been done!
I am also bitter; but i understand why AT&T can’t allow folks to upgrade early. AT&T subsidizes these phones heavily already. The decision to allow regular iPhone users upgrade to the 3G with no penalty was a concession made by Apple (meaning that AT&T was not hurt financially through subsidizing). It is all economics. If you recall, the 3G only sold 400 – 500′000 units the first weekend (less than expectations); but the 3Gs sold over a million units the first weekend, hence no need to subsidize early upgrades. I am just gracious that they are allowing us to upgrade after completing just one-year of a two-year agreement. That means november for me. Look on the bright side, it will give them time to address any issues that may arise
Dis is dumb because are alraedy AT&T customers and we will have to pay more to get a uprgade when new customers will just have to pay 300$.. If anything the we should b paying like 200-300$ for the upgrade not a whole 400$!!!
The policy is completely disappointing. I am an AT&T customer, though not currently an iPhone user and was SO excited to finally have the need in my life to become one. I just looked online for prices and learned that I’m not eligible for the reasonable price until January. Really pissed me off. $499 is outrageous compared to the $199 price tag that others get. I would feel absolutely ridiculous spending so much money, as though I was willingly cheated. AT&T, please review your policy & reward your longtime customers!
Really pissed that just a few short months after upgrading to 3g. the new iphone comes out so essentially i was forced to pay the price of the 3gs for the regular 3g (which really stinks to high heaven). AT&T ALSO REFUSED TO GIVE ME DIFFERENCE IN THE PRICE CHANGE! GOOD WAY TO KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY!!!!!