[ScubaSteve00S]

No offense but I paid 5 when the first IPHONE came out...back when there was actual props for having one...then I bought the 3G next. I had to pay the full upgrade to and didn't whine about it. Now I'm buying the 3GS for $199 so I've paid my dues. When the 3G first came out, any tard with a deposit could buy one for the cheaper price and all of us who shelled out good money for the 3G were laughed at....so I don't feel bad about the 3GS being so expensive.

[ryan206]

Man, some people do not think..

You sign a 2 year contract. You are not eligible for another upgrade until your contract is over.

That means, if you're still in contract (even 20 days!) you aren't eligible for an upgrade..


I really don't understand why people are signing contracts to upgrade from a 3G to a 3Gs.

Heres a CONTRACT FREE way to get a new 3Gs for the SUBSIDIZED price.

1. Get your $200 together (what it'd cost you with a contract)
2. Put your iPhone 3G on craigslist for $300 (will sell quick)
3. Take your $300 profit from 3G, your $200 and BAM! $500 for a no contract iPhone!!

[yoTelefonoTresG]

Fight the power!

[GoldenTequila]

While I understand people's reaction, I have to agree with few people here that said this action was absurd (without any intention to offend anyone).

First of all, Apple and ATT are business companies. They are not charity organizations. Of course they are out to get more money. That's what business does. When a company puts out a new product with a certain price, you don't just go there and say, "Hey, that's too expensive." If you can't afford it or don't like the price, you don't buy it. When new cars come out with outrageous prices, do you sign a petition telling the auto company to reduce the price? Apple and ATT are not doing anything wrong. They have the right to decide what products and policies they sell. It is your own responsibility to decide whether you want to buy their products on the terms they created. If you don't, you don't buy it or sign a contract.

It will do you more good if you start taking more responsibility for your own decision and become a smart shopper. I am getting the lowest price because it was obvious to me that this was going to happen. I made a decision not to jump onto iPhone 3G last year. While many of you just simply jumped to the product, I calculated pros and cons and decided that phone did not provide enough improvements. Therefore, I decided to wait for the even newer version, which in this case is 3G S. I am eligible for the 2 year upgrade, so I get the lowerest price. I'm not bragging about my being thoughtful. I'm suggesting that people should think more when making expensive purchases or sign a contract. Predict the outcomes. Weigh pros and cons. Decide if you want to eat the sunflower seeds today so you feel full or if you want to plant the seeds so you get even more next year. Apple and ATT are not responsible for your own decision making.

FYI, I am not an Apple fanatic. That's not why I'm saying this. In fact, I hate Apple. I hate their marketting strategies. However, I also think fair. In this particular issue, they have not done anything wrong.

[jayson9]

I'm not signing, cause I am keeping my current 3G brick!!!

Don't need to eat another bad apple.

[Rescuer]

AT&T Announcement

An Update for our Customers

Some customers have had questions about our plans and policies for iPhone 3G S, and we’d like to provide you with answers. We’d also like to announce a change to the date when some iPhone customers are eligible for our best upgrade pricing to iPhone 3G S.
PRICING

Importantly, we want our customers to better understand our wireless device upgrade program. Like most U.S. carriers, we offer a variety of phones that we sell below our actual cost when customers agree to sign service agreements. In general, the more a customer spends with us, the quicker they become eligible for a price break on a new device. For example, iPhone customers who spend more than $99 a month per line with us generally are eligible for an upgrade between 12 and 18 months into their contract.

We also currently offer early upgrade pricing only for iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G.

All of that said, we’ve been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.

We’re now pleased to offer our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009 our best upgrade pricing, beginning Thursday, June 18.

If you’re one of the many customers who will benefit from this change, please note that our upgrade eligibility tools will reflect this change on Thursday, June 18.

We invite you to come to our stores beginning Friday during normal store hours, although please be aware that customer demand may exceed supply in some of our stores. You may also preorder online on June 18 at iPhone 3G S, Exclusively from AT&T and Apple - | Wireless from AT&T, formerly Cingular, and your iPhone 3G S will arrive in 7 — 14 days. Or you can purchase iPhone 3G S at Apple’s retail and online stores, as well as at other popular retailers.

If you’re one of the customers who benefits from this change, and you’ve already preordered from an AT&T store, we’ll adjust the price of the device when you pick it up. If you benefit from the change and you pre-ordered from AT&T online, we’ll send you an e-mail and issue you a credit.

If you pre-ordered an iPhone 3G S through Apple’s online store, your upgrade eligibility will be reassessed based on AT&T's new upgrade policy for iPhone 3G owners. If you are eligible for the lower price, Apple will issue you a credit for the difference as applicable.

So, what if you still aren’t eligible for our best upgrade pricing and you still want iPhone 3G S now? You do have options:

* You may qualify for the iPhone 3G S early upgrade price of $399 (16GB) or $499 (32GB).
* You can pay full retail — and not have to sign a 2-year contract — at $599 (16GB) or $699 (32GB).
* You can wait until you’re eligible for our best upgrade pricing. We invite you to check your upgrade eligibility by visiting iPhone 3G S, Exclusively from AT&T and Apple - | Wireless from AT&T, formerly Cingular, calling *NEW# (*639#) on your AT&T device (we’ll send you a text with upgrade information), or visiting any of our over 2,200 stores.

If you want more details on our pricing and upgrade policy, check out our FAQs. And as always, you may visit one of our stores to talk with a representative.
In Summary

We’ve listened to our customers — and hope our response helps answer some of your questions and concerns.

We are incredibly proud to be the U.S. carrier for the new iPhone 3G S and will work around the clock to be ready on June 19 to serve customers who are interested in the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet.

[yoTelefonoTresG]

Macrumors reports:

While today's big news has been the release of iPhone OS 3.0, AT&T today also announced that it is expanding the eligibility window for determining which customers are eligible for upgrade pricing on the iPhone 3G S. Customers who previously would not have become upgrade eligible until July, August or September of this year will instead qualify for AT&T's lowest upgrade pricing as of tomorrow, making them eligible to purchase the iPhone 3G S at the $199 (16 GB) or $299 (32 GB) price point at launch. Affected customers will save $200 on the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S as a result.

Importantly, we want our customers to better understand our wireless device upgrade program. Like most U.S. carriers, we offer a variety of phones that we sell below our actual cost when customers agree to sign service agreements. In general, the more a customer spends with us, the quicker they become eligible for a price break on a new device. For example, iPhone customers who spend more than $99 a month per line with us generally are eligible for an upgrade between 12 and 18 months into their contract.

We also currently offer early upgrade pricing only for iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G.

All of that said, we've been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we're extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.

We're now pleased to offer our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009 our best upgrade pricing, beginning Thursday, June 18.
Newly-eligible customers who have already pre-ordered the iPhone 3G S at the higher prices will receive credits for the difference in price. Users can check their upgrade eligibility status by visiting AT&T's iPhone page, calling *NEW# (*639#) on their AT&T device, or visiting any AT&T store.

Reminder: The new pricing will not appear in the eligibility tools listed until Thursday, June 18th.

[bsseto1]

AT&T revises iPhone 3G S eligibility policy to benefit hundreds of thousands of most loyal customers
AT&T has made a change to our upgrade eligibility policy to make it easier for many iPhone 3G customers to have iPhone 3G S at our best upgrade pricing, effective Friday, June 19.
We have been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks away from being upgrade eligible due to the iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we are extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.
We are offering our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009, our best upgrade pricing, beginning Friday, June 19.
The change will impact hundreds of thousands of customers who will become upgrade eligible in July, August and September 2009, so they can have this powerful device at our best prices. These include customers who likely camped at our stores, stood in long lines, or waited for iPhone 3G inventory to arrive last July. We heard from some of them, and at AT&T, The Customer Rules!, so we are making this change to help them. We value their business — and want to keep them doing business with AT&T.
Like most U.S. wireless carriers, we offer a variety of phones that we sell below our actual cost when customers agree to sign service agreements. In general, the more a customer spends with us, the less time they have to wait to get another device. For example, iPhone customers who spend more than $99 a month per line with us generally are eligible for an upgrade between 12 and 18 months. We also currently offer early upgrade pricing only for iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G.
For customers who will benefit from this change, our upgrade eligibility website will reflect the change on Thursday. We are inviting these customers to come to our company-owned retail locations beginning Friday during normal business hours, although customers need to be aware that customer demand may exceed supply at some of our stores. Customers also can order online at iPhone 3G S, Exclusively from AT&T and Apple - | Wireless from AT&T, formerly Cingular. Or customers can purchase iPhone 3G S at Apple's retail and online stores, as well as other popular retailers.
We will also apply this change for qualifying customers who have already preordered iPhone 3G S from AT&T. Customers who preordered in AT&T stores will have the price adjusted when they pick up their device. Customers who preordered from att.com will receive an email and will be issued a credit.
If customers pre-ordered through Apple’s online store, their upgrade eligibility will be reassessed based on our new upgrade policy for iPhone 3G owners. If they are eligible for the lower price, Apple will issue a credit for the difference as applicable.
We will continue to give our best prices on iPhone 3G S — $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) — to new customers and existing customers who meet upgrade eligibility requirements. Typically, these customers have not received a subsidy (new customers) or receive one but sufficient time has elapsed to allow us to recover it (existing customers who are upgrade eligible). This policy has not changed with today’s news.
Click here for more information on iPhone 3G S and the revised upgrade policy.
We are incredibly proud to be the exclusive U.S. carrier for iPhone 3G S, and we are working around the clock to be ready Friday to serve customers who are interested in the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. And available only from AT&T in the U.S.!

[Rescuer]

you all can stop reposting it. i already posted it several posts above you..

[johntm]

I bought my iPhone 3G about a week after they first came out. ATT said that I was not eligible for upgrade pricing until December of this year. I went ahead and ordered a 32g 3GS anyway at a price of $499 that they quoted me.

This afternoon I got this email which looks to me like they have relaxed thier pricing rules quite a lot.



To Our Valued Apple Customer:


On June 17, AT&T announced a change to their upgrade eligibility policy
and ‘best upgrade pricing’ for qualifying iPhone 3G owners.

Based on AT&T’s updated qualification criteria, we are pleased to inform
you that you are eligible to receive a refund on your recent
iPhone 3G S purchase.

Your Order Acknowledgment and Shipment Notification emails will reflect
the original purchase price. However, Apple will issue you a refund in
the amount of $200.00, which is the difference between your original
purchase price and the new qualifying price.

Apple will process your refund in the next 5 days, and will send you an
email when this has been completed. We will process your refund based
on your original payment method. See below for details.

No additional action is needed on your part for you to receive the
refund. These activities will not impact your estimated delivery dates.

You can view the most up-to-date status of your order, including
monitoring the details of your refund, at online Order Status
.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team

[thetoothfairy]

Ok just got off the phone with AT&T and this guy really checked around talking to supervisors and such and they are not aware of this change.... by the way I signed the petition a week ago as well.. )

[reeko]

Originally Posted by GoldenTequila

While I understand people's reaction, I have to agree with few people here that said this action was absurd (without any intention to offend anyone).

First of all, Apple and ATT are business companies. They are not charity organizations. Of course they are out to get more money. That's what business does. When a company puts out a new product with a certain price, you don't just go there and say, "Hey, that's too expensive." If you can't afford it or don't like the price, you don't buy it. When new cars come out with outrageous prices, do you sign a petition telling the auto company to reduce the price? Apple and ATT are not doing anything wrong. They have the right to decide what products and policies they sell. It is your own responsibility to decide whether you want to buy their products on the terms they created. If you don't, you don't buy it or sign a contract.

It will do you more good if you start taking more responsibility for your own decision and become a smart shopper. I am getting the lowest price because it was obvious to me that this was going to happen. I made a decision not to jump onto iPhone 3G last year. While many of you just simply jumped to the product, I calculated pros and cons and decided that phone did not provide enough improvements. Therefore, I decided to wait for the even newer version, which in this case is 3G S. I am eligible for the 2 year upgrade, so I get the lowerest price. I'm not bragging about my being thoughtful. I'm suggesting that people should think more when making expensive purchases or sign a contract. Predict the outcomes. Weigh pros and cons. Decide if you want to eat the sunflower seeds today so you feel full or if you want to plant the seeds so you get even more next year. Apple and ATT are not responsible for your own decision making.

FYI, I am not an Apple fanatic. That's not why I'm saying this. In fact, I hate Apple. I hate their marketting strategies. However, I also think fair. In this particular issue, they have not done anything wrong.

Sorry, i dont think you understand what subsidising is?

Just because you are intially getting the lowest price at the point of sale it does not mean you are getting the phone any cheaper than a 3G owner upgrading. If i went and bought the 3Gs tomorrow on PAYG i would be paying less for it than contract adopters. Carriers make money on the handsets when subsidising them aswell you know.

Open your eyes and do the simple maths. We are all getting screwed.

My problem is not with the 3G upgrsade situation, it is the price point of the 3Gs. I am being a smart shopper. I am not paying that kind of money for a mobile phone. I could spend £500 on so many better things in this world.

[ARCHA1C]

Seriously, stop with the novels already.. f*ck