AT&T confirms No-contract iPhones coming next week

[Kaido]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10200602-37.html

AT&T has confirmed a report that it will offer iPhones without a two-year contract starting next week.
The Associated Press quoted an AT&T representative Thursday confirming plans to sell no-contract iPhones for $599 or $699 starting next Thursday, as first reported Wednesday by the Boy Genius Report. There's a catch, however; those phones will still be locked to AT&T's network.
A regular AT&T iPhone account will be required to operate the phone, although theoretically you could activate the phone one day, cancel your account the next, and only be out activation fees and a month's worth of service, rather than two years worth of service. But then you'd be reduced to using your expensive iPhone over just Wi-Fi networks unless you're willing to unlock it for other networks.
An Apple representative did not immediately return a call seeking comment on whether a similar offer would be in place at Apple's retail stores, which the AP was also unable to confirm.

 

[Phobic9]

Also, in case if you haven't heard, you can also snag a refurb iPhone from AT&T if you have a premier account. 8GB for $199 or 16GB for $299. The 2G refurb I got from them originally had a scratch on the back. This 3G iPhone I got on Friday and looks almost new.

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: Phobic9
Also, in case if you haven't heard, you can also snag a refurb iPhone from AT&T if you have a premier account. 8GB for $199 or 16GB for $299. The 2G refurb I got from them originally had a scratch on the back. This 3G iPhone I got on Friday and looks almost new.

no contract?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Holy crap, they sure aren't giving them away are they?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Holy crap, they sure aren't giving them away are they?

Best course of action now, price-wise, is to get a used iPhone...that way you get a deal on an iPhone, but without a contract. It's still not Verizon/Sprint, but at least you're not locked in to paying $1200+ a year 😛

 

[mmntech]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Holy crap, they sure aren't giving them away are they?

When I bought mine, the guy tried to tell me they were worth $1000. :laugh:

It's more than a little steep considering it's just an iPod Touch with a phone chip and GPS in it. I'd value it at $350 tops for the 8gb, and that's pushing it. Anything more is a rip-off, even for an Apple product.

It's still not Verizon/Sprint, but at least you're not locked in to paying $1200+ a year

How much is AT&T charging per month for it now? Last I heard it was something like $60 for the cheapest plan. I pay $45/mo for mine with 200 weekday minutes and 500mb internet. That's through Rogers/Fido.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

att single iphone plan comes out to about 85 dollars a month after taxes. that's with 200 text messages per month. expensive, but service has improved greatly over the last few months. i can't remember the last dropped call i've had. still not bulletproof like verizon call quality, but i can hardly complain these days.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: makoto00
att single iphone plan comes out to about 85 dollars a month after taxes. that's with 200 text messages per month. expensive, but service has improved greatly over the last few months. i can't remember the last dropped call i've had. still not bulletproof like verizon call quality, but i can hardly complain these days.

I switched to the 3G model a couple weeks ago and I get MUCH better reception now. Like you said, it's still not Verizon-quality, but I'm happier than I was with my old EDGE iPhone. Also, I find myself using the Internet a lot more (and downloading more Apps) thanks to the 3G connection.

 

[KeithP]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy the phone on contract, then cancel the contract and pay the early termination fee?

-KeithP

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy the phone on contract, then cancel the contract and pay the early termination fee?

-KeithP

$199 iPhone + $70 first month's bill + $175 early termination = $444.

You, sir, are a genius :thumbsup: 😉

 

[aleckz]

If you have any Japanese friends, you could buy them a phone in trade for a contract that has the iPhone since they come free with contract :/

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy the phone on contract, then cancel the contract and pay the early termination fee?

-KeithP

Yea.. I guess the convenience of the "walk in, walk out" without any hassle will convince some to buy the more expensive model, but I personally would rather pay the termination and deal with the hassle of calling, than pay the extra $$$.

 

[sjwaste]

Or, are early termination fees going up to match the retail price point?

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: KeithP
Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy the phone on contract, then cancel the contract and pay the early termination fee?

-KeithP

I have sh!tty credit, and when I tried to get a contract with them a few years ago they wanted $600 bucks up front. If I entered a contract and exited out of it a few days later I'd get all that back. But that would require $1300 bucks up front for the 16 gig model. And I'm not sure how long it would actually take to get my deposit refunded 🙁