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troop231

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jan 20, 2010
5,826
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Hi, my Sprint contract just expired on the 11th this month, gonna be switchin to ATT shortly and I can't wait till June/July for the newer iPhone. My question was how much will I have to pay to get it when it comes out in June/July if I buy a 32gb 3GS now? Full unsubsidized price? or just renew the 2 year contract come June if thats even possible? Thank You
 
Hi, my Sprint contract just expired on the 11th this month, gonna be switchin to ATT shortly and I can't wait till June/July for the newer iPhone. My question was how much will I have to pay to get it when it comes out in June/July if I buy a 32gb 3GS now? Full unsubsidized price? or just renew the 2 year contract come June if thats even possible? Thank You

Over the last few years, they've been partially subsidizing the price for people that are already under contract. Partial is better than none, IMO.
 
It's different for different people, depending on the plan you have (I think), but I personally am eligible for fully subsidized upgrades every 18 months.
 
So there's no reason they wouldnt not let me get a newer iPhone come July right? That would be strange. Thanks
 
So there's no reason they wouldnt not let me get a newer iPhone come July right? That would be strange. Thanks

There's a reason, yeah.

If you buy now, you establish a contract with them, which means, you're locked in for 18 months to 2 years. That means that if they release a new version before your plan ends, you're gonna have to either break contract to get a new phone (pay a termination fee and give back your phone), pay out the butt for an unlocked phone, take a partial subsidy, or pay full price via ATT...or any variation of the above.

I believe there are many threads on these forums that explain this.

If you're that worried, just wait and get a cheap pay-as-you-go phone.
 
Hmm I suppose I could buy the current 3GS for full price, then sell it when the new ones launch in July right? Or do I have to have a contract to establish service regardless? :mad:
 
Hmm I suppose I could buy the current 3GS for full price, then sell it when the new ones launch in July right? Or do I have to have a contract to establish service regardless? :mad:

You can buy it with the subsidized price now, sell it when the new one comes out and buy it full price.
 
probably atleast $900 bucks for a 4g. i have a 32gb 3gs black, its 300 bucks with a new contract, if you buy a 32gb 3gs while your still locked in it costs 800. i would just wait dude...its not that long, and theres gonna be alot more cooler features with the next iphone.
 
Wait and see!

A company that I worked for in the past has a special deal with AT&T and those, working in the New York office could get the 3G to 3GS upgrade for free after a year and a lot free minutes. It's still expensive though. If my contract expired, at this stage I would just wait for the new iPhones. The competition is getting stronger. I saw a few of these HTCs and the Nexus is a pretty nice handset. My 3G looks ancient next to it.
 
probably atleast $900 bucks for a 4g. i have a 32gb 3gs black, its 300 bucks with a new contract, if you buy a 32gb 3gs while your still locked in it costs 800. i would just wait dude...its not that long, and theres gonna be alot more cooler features with the next iphone.

OP, the iPhone full pricing is $499 8GB 3G, $599 16GB 3GS, and $699 32GB 3GS. So not $800. Also, they most likely will keep that structure when the 4th generation iPhone comes out. When the 3G was shipping, it was $599 8GB, and $699 16GB, so if you want an iPhone now, go for it. 5 more months is a long time. You can pay attention to the rumors, and sell days before WWDC, and get a good amount of money towards the next generation iPhone.

pcs are junk, I know you are 14, but please type like an adult, not like a teen.
 
The guy at ATT told me today that if I wanted a iPhone now and the newer one when it launches he told me my best bet would be to just add a line and get the new iPhone for the subsidized price and cancel my original line at the cost of loosing my phone number when it launches (doesn't matter to me) What do you guys think? Thanks
 
The guy at ATT told me today that if I wanted a iPhone now and the newer one when it launches he told me my best bet would be to just add a line and get the new iPhone for the subsidized price and cancel my original line at the cost of loosing my phone number when it launches (doesn't matter to me) What do you guys think? Thanks

Yes, that is an option also.
 
what are you talking about? i did type like an adult, and at my nearest at&t store, my iphone 32gb 3gs is 800 bucks. and also, I AM A TEEN!

That is not a valid excuse. I am fifteen, and I find that people listen to you and are much more helpful if you type with proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Do this, and people will respect you more.
 
That is not a valid excuse. I am fifteen, and I find that people listen to you and are much more helpful if you type with proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Do this, and people will respect you more.

theres no need to. this justs wastes time, and stops me from helping other people sooner. this is an internet forum, where internet speak is expected, not a resume.
 
The guy at ATT told me today that if I wanted a iPhone now and the newer one when it launches he told me my best bet would be to just add a line and get the new iPhone for the subsidized price and cancel my original line at the cost of loosing my phone number when it launches (doesn't matter to me) What do you guys think? Thanks

You should be able to switch the phone numbers so you don't lose your original number.
 
You should be able to switch the phone numbers so you don't lose your original number.

He told me that would not be possible since I would have to break the contract on the 1st line and cancel it after I add the 2nd line(new number)
 
theres no need to. this justs wastes time, and stops me from helping other people sooner. this is an internet forum, where internet speak is expected, not a resume.

You don't type like an adult. nd, u, r, 2 are all teen words. And, you, are, to are adult words. And helping people... thats BS! You said the reason screws have a blue substance is from the circuit boards. If thats the case, it would be powder, and wouldn't be were the screws hold metal together. Also, the 3GS does not cost $800, not from Apple or AT&T anyways. 32GB is $699 w/o a contract. And older folks like my parents would like to read text that is in adult format.
You also, said that iPhone must be bought with a contract. Thats clearly misleading. So you weren't helping the OP, you mislead him into thinking he have to buy it with a contract, when Apple's site clearly says it can be bought at full price. It can be bought full price online with a work around in firefox, but the Apple Stores, can sell you one at full price, and you can leave the store unactivated in the shrink wrapped box.
 
Your best option is to add the second line. Then just take the sim card from your first line and put it into your second phone; That way you keep your number. Then sell the first iPhone on craigslist. Now either pay off the second lines ETF and close it or keep the money and pay the 9.99 balance every month until it expires.

BTW you will need to call AT&T up and cancel the data plan on the second line after you open it.
 
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