Originally Posted By DVC_dad Pulled off the ATT Wireless faq site... How much will I pay for iPhone 3G? If you are upgrade eligible and your account is in good standing, you will pay $199 for 8GB (black) and $299 for 16GB (black or white). A two-year contract is required. Additional discounts are not available for iPhone 3G. If you are NOT currently eligible for the upgrade price, but your account is in good standing, you have two options: wait until you are upgrade eligible or pay a discounted early upgrade price of $399 for 8GB (black) and $499 for 16GB (black or white). A two-year contract IS required. Additional discounts are not available for iPhone 3G. Will I pay an upgrade fee? Yes. You will pay an $18 upgrade fee.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad I guess that even the higher prices above are not the full retail price which would explain why they are over $800 in Belgium. I guess reading that above that even the $399 and $499 are discounts of some kind.
Originally Posted By peeaanuut <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25478296/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25478296/</a> <a href="http://www.geek.com/att-to-offer-iphone-without-contract-20080702/" target="_blank">http://www.geek.com/att-to-off...0080702/</a> <a href="http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/07/01/1628615-att-offers-new-option-of-iphone-without-contract" target="_blank">http://www.newsvine.com/_news/...contract</a> <a href="http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/17161/at-t-to-offer-iphone-3g-without-contract" target="_blank">http://news.digitaltrends.com/...contract</a> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/wireStory?id=5284138" target="_blank">http://abcnews.go.com/Technolo...=5284138</a> you can get it at a cost of $400 over contracted price.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad So yeah maybe you CAN buy it without a new contract if you pay some god awful $800 plus plus ?
Originally Posted By Ursula <Why is that a serious problem with everyone? Almost any time you get a new phone you have to sign a new 2 year contract. > I know! I know! Because I had a great plan with AT&T. It was $39.99 for two phones, and we got a discount because of Husband's work. When we went in to get new "free" phones, I asked if my plan rates would change. They said not much. That not much turned into $50 extra bucks a month.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Taken from your link.... <<<The contract-free versions will cost $599 and $699 and will be sold sometime "in the future," AT&T said.>>> hummm why not just get the contract? I'm not bothered by the contract either. It's not like I am going to wake up and decide that I don't want it anymore in a year. And I am for damn sure certain that nother better is going to come out on another provider from some other manufacturer.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<That not much turned into $50 extra bucks a month.>>> It's possible that you could have kept your current phones and same rate or did ALL rates go up, or did something change as to how much your work was kicking in? There really are a lot of crazy factors out there since 1971. ;p JK!
Originally Posted By peeaanuut <<So yeah maybe you CAN buy it without a new contract if you pay some god awful $800 plus plus ?>> just like any new phone. Lets take a stroll through the AT&T site Sony Ericsson Z310a - Jet Black $179.99 retail or $29.99 with a 2 year contract 6 times the cost without a contract Pantech C150 $199 retail or $49.99 with a 2 year contract. 4times the cost without a contract iPhone 8gig $599 without a contact or $199 with a contract. 3 times the cost without a contract. seems still a good deal to me. you can blow it out of proportion all you want or sensationalize however you want, but you are wrong.
Originally Posted By Ursula I would not have gotten the phone for free...but I wasn't thinking. The cheap phone was $130 without re-signing up and continuing to pay the same rates, or free to sign up again. To sign up again, my rates went up $50. Do the math. I could have just paid the $130 and saved $50 times 24 months, or $1200 minus $130...$1070. Ergo, I'm leary of new phones. You need to balance out the cost of the phone vs. what the new monthly rates are for phone service. Which is why I'm asking so many questions.
Originally Posted By peeaanuut which is totally fine. and the iPhone isnt for everyone AND it is quite expensive. But in actuallity it is not that much more expensive than other smart phones of its caliber. heck you have to buy the special blackberry plan for blackberries and are at the mercy of the blackberry system as well as AT&T. Im just saying that the cost can balance out if you make it. But alas, the phone is a bit much for alot of people. for me it is quite a few devices in one. Phone Music Player (had I not had another iPod or MP3 player I would use it much more) eBook Reader (free app in the apps store) Internet Device Portable DVD Player Newspaper Remote Control (yet another free app) GPS device if I get the new one, but the old one can still give me direction and do pseudo GPS. Now, does everyone need all those devices or have all those devices? No of course not. But I have had all of those at one point and now carry one device, accept for the navi system in my car. When people look at out of pocket they need to look at what they can replace or avoid buying by the iPhone vs seperate devices.
Originally Posted By LuLu >>My rate plan is $58.59 and my bill comes to $79 and change. Why? I don't know.<< Ursula, you and I must have the same plan. That's almost exactly what I pay now for our 2 phones. We do not currently have any iPhones. So when I posted that we were told getting the iPhone would add $30 to my bill, it wasn't meant to contradict what DVC dad said. He already has an iPhone, we don't. And we had to go into the store to get this info. DD couldn't get thru on the phone. I should have had the guy write it down. Now you've got me nervous about what we'll actually be charged. I don't think it matters to DD tho, and she'll be paying it.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP I'm with Ursula, 'cause I have phoning habits like Ursula. For me, no $100 plan is worth it. I don't use my phone that much now. Sure, if I got a phone with all those features I would learn to use them, but I survive without them now, and I'll continue to. However, though I survived the 24 years of my life internet and the next two with only dial up, I couldn't live that way now. I understand learned dependence. I'd rather not learn dependence on new $100 monthly bill. Ursula, have you considered moving to Virgin Mobil? For $30 a month (plus taxes I'm sure) you can get 200 day time minutes, 500 night time minutes and a 1000 texts. <a href="http://www.virginmobileusa.com/rates/month.do" target="_blank">http://www.virginmobileusa.com...month.do</a> And I'm totally with you on the hidden costs. ElderP's supposedly $39.99 plan actually costs us $53.00 a month. It used to be $73 until we figured out what some of the extra fees were. My cell costs us $20 every 8 to 10 weeks, but I use mine for *maybe* 60 minutes a month and pay by the minute.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP Ah, $80 for TWO phones... you probably couldn't do a whole lot better with a Virgin plan. Have fun!
Originally Posted By Ursula I totally get what nuutty is saying. It is a luxury item, and no one knows the price of those more than I do (Handbags, anyone?) I just don't want to be ripped off by AT&T. And yes, I need/want all of those features and it is for me...but we are saving for a house so I am the coupon queen right now! I wondering now if maybe we should just get ONE new iPhone instead of two. I could really use some of the features and I'm digging the book app, too. Husband doesn't use the phone very much but does use his iPod all the time, so I'm guessing he wouldn't use the iPod function of the iPhone. And you know what? Thank you everyone for this discussion. The $30 extra reall clarifies it for me.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Ursula I still love you eventhough you are a whopping 1 year younger than I ! Lulu I didn't even realize you contradicted me. Oh my! To contradict ME!!! is unforgivable. LOL JK JK JK I think most likely you will have to pay what you are paying now, plus $30, $40, or $50 dollars depending on if you get a text messaging plan or not. Of course you have to add in the price of the phone of $199 or $299 and a $18 upgrade fee.
Originally Posted By peeaanuut yeah the $18 upgrade free doesnt make sense me. Just an odd number. Bummer about the iPod touch users having to pay the upgrade fee to get the new OS. The logic makes sense but it is still a bummer.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad I would think getting ONE iPhone is the way to go becuase I don't know if you can share minutes with 2 of them. I assume that you could but I really don't know. I am quite certain that each would have to have it's own data and text messaging plan...meaning that if one iPhone adds $30 then two would add $60.
Originally Posted By Ursula The phone price is really nothing when you think how often I get lost without a navigation program. $18, heck, I pay that for lunch sometimes. It's the constant MONTHLY bills that scare me.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<yeah the $18 upgrade free doesnt make sense me. Just an odd number. Bummer about the iPod touch users having to pay the upgrade fee to get the new OS. The logic makes sense but it is still a bummer.>>> You know I wonder if the $18 is all ATT gets from the upgrade? I wonder just how much of the MONEY from the plans is going to ATT and how much is going to Apple. You KNOW that SOME is going to Apple as they are in some sense, keeping control of activation and soft and firm ware updates. I mean we ARE talkiing about a man who hated Michael Eisner only to become the LARGEST DIS STOCKHOLDER on Earth, thanks to old Bob. I really think that Steve should sell his DIS shares and instead become CEO and put all this iPhone/iTunes/iMac/iWhatever stuff behind him ;p
