43 replies to this topic

[Darth Lefty]

AT&T is closing out last year's model, for $100 less than the equivalent memory new model. Having taken this bait before and regretted it, I'm going for the new one. Baaaaa

[Darth Lefty]

AT&T is full of crap:

Total Due at Time of Shipping $465.86
Total Savings Today $450.00

[stangage70]

AT&T is full of crap:

Are you saying that AT&T doesn't think you are eligible to upgrade?

[chris v]

AT&T is full of crap:

Why? Look at what the out of contract price is for a 64GB iphone 4S.

[Darth Lefty]

Why? Look at what the out of contract price is for a 64GB iphone 4S.

That's not a fair market price, it's just coercion to get you to take the contract, which is also overpriced.

Or put another way, the reason phone companies charge us so much is not because it costs that much to provide, but because there's little competition, obvious price fixing, and we still want it enough to pay it.

[Darth Lefty]

More proof of this is that the iOS4 upgrade crippled the iphone 3G, an ostensibly current device, in order to drive users to an iPhone 4 ahead of contract end.

[rpo]

That's not a fair market price, it's just coercion to get you to take the contract, which is also overpriced.

Or put another way, the reason phone companies charge us so much is not because it costs that much to provide, but because there's little competition, obvious price fixing, and we still want it enough to pay it.

We are the only country that subsidizes phones to such a degree. In most other countries, you pay full price for the phone, but incur much lower monthly access charges. I would prefer the latter.

[Dave Burrell]

Hey Darth, here's a yahoo article that may help with your decision:

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Read on for some advice on whether or not the iPhone 4S would be a good purchase, depending on which of the following camps you're currently in. The ultimate decision is all yours, and of course a very personal one: let us know what your gameplan is in the comments!

Current iPhone 3GS or earlier owners
If you bought the iPhone 3GS when it first came out back in June of 2009, or are still rocking either the iPhone 3G or the original iPhone, you should be clear of the 2-year contract you signed then, making the iPhone 4S a very sensible upgrade for you. In fact, Apple knows full well it needs to craft its phone hardware strategy around this typical 2-year cycle, and the arguably less than earth-shattering upgrades between the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and now the 4 and 4S, were actively designed to appeal to consumers two generations behind (you can check out a feature comparison of the latter three devices here).

If you picked up the iPhone 3GS sometime after it was released and are still under contract, you'll want to check out your current upgrade status — especially since new iPhone launches often prompt AT&T to "massage" your eligibility. You can do this by visiting att.com/wireless, dialing *NEW# (*639#) from your phone, calling customer service at 1-800-331-0500, or visiting a retail location.

Even if you haven't completed your contract, you may still be eligible for AT&T's Early Upgrade program, which still nets you a discounted price for the phone, although not quite as much of a discount as a fully-subsidized handset. If the difference seems worth it to you, go for it — or you could simply wait out the remaining months in your contract to get the subsidized iPhone 4S pricing (16GB for $199, 32GB for $299, and a first-ever 64GB version for $399) in exchange for signing a new 2-year contract.

And of course, if you're still under contract with the iPhone 3GS, you have one other upgrade path open to you: switch cell phone carriers. Perhaps you're one of the many folks who've been frustrated with AT&T's service, or maybe one or more family members use a different carrier and you'd like to take advantage of free in-network calling or offered family plans. If you bought your iPhone 3GS before June 1, 2010, you're also lucky enough to be subject to a less onerous early termination feethan customers who bought iPhones after that date: you'll pay $175 minus $5 for each month of the 2-year contract you've completed so far.

http://news.yahoo.co...-003739327.html

[Darth Lefty]

We are the only country that subsidizes phones to such a degree. In most other countries, you pay full price for the phone, but incur much lower monthly access charges. I would prefer the latter.

I had to reread this to get what you were saying. I thought you meant a government subsidy. But now that I do, yes, I agree. Most parts of the world run on pay-as-you-go plans. However, now is worth twice as much as later. If you charged a thousand bucks up front and half the monthly rate, people wouldn't buy nearly as many.

An iPad with its (proportionally) gigantic battery and gigantic touchscreen costs less than an unlocked iPhone.

[rpo]

I had to reread this to get what you were saying. I thought you meant a government subsidy. But now that I do, yes, I agree. Most parts of the world run on pay-as-you-go plans. However, now is worth twice as much as later. If you charged a thousand bucks up front and half the monthly rate, people wouldn't buy nearly as many.

And that is why we have one of (if not the) lowest savings rates in the world.

[folsom500]

OK A few questions on the 4s since my daughter is going to get one next month upgrading from her 32gb 3GS.

1. Does the cloud storage cost anything ?

2. She wants to get the 32gb but with Cloud does she need it ? Cant she save movies and pics in cloud rather than on the phone ?

[chris v]

My friend was telling me yesterday that he had to upgrade software (pay) to be able to upload photos to the cloud. I can't confirm this though. I will be picking up my 64GB 4S tonight. The extra space never hurt anything, plus with the amount of photos I take and the fact that the files will be larger because of the increased resolution I would rather have the extra space.

[mando]

I've been trying to get a better understanding of the iCould as well. It doesn't seem to add anything to my e-mail and calendar experience since I'm already invested in the Gmail cloud.

Not sure what it stores online for photos/music/video - I can see how it syncs things up between devices, but storage seems to be on the devices.

I'm disappointed that notes seem editable only on devices; not on icloud.com. Seems like I have to stick to my notes on Catch.com (others use Evernote, etc.).

I am glad to see that iTunes and iCloud can use different Apple IDs, since I share my iTunes account with other family members.

[Adamal]

OK A few questions on the 4s since my daughter is going to get one next month upgrading from her 32gb 3GS.

1. Does the cloud storage cost anything ?

2. She wants to get the 32gb but with Cloud does she need it ? Cant she save movies and pics in cloud rather than on the phone ?

1. No the cloud storage up to an amount (I think it's 5 GB) is free.
2. Currently there is not a way to store a movie on the cloud. Maybe an app will come out that can enable it. The cloud storage is really for backup and synchronization between all of your iOS devices and Mac (OS 10.7 Lion only)

My friend was telling me yesterday that he had to upgrade software (pay) to be able to upload photos to the cloud. I can't confirm this though. I will be picking up my 64GB 4S tonight. The extra space never hurt anything, plus with the amount of photos I take and the fact that the files will be larger because of the increased resolution I would rather have the extra space.

That was probably to upgrade iPhoto, only the latest works with iCloud. I bought a MacBook pro back in march and I was able to upgrade the software for free.