iPhone 3G Available Today at 8:00 a.m.
The new 3G iPhone goes on sale worldwide today at 8 a.m. And just like last year, when Apple introduced the first iPhone, eager buyers are lined up to gear up. At our local Apple Store in Arden Fair Mall, there are already more than 500 of the faithful waiting for the doors to open. Many spent the night.
But most seem unaware of a new AT&T calling plan they’ll encounter when the buy their new piece of technology They’ll have to sign up for it at the time of purchase and it will cost them $20-$40 a month more than the old plan. Ouch! But there’s apparently an alternative: They can trade in their old iPhone for a shiny new 3G model (presumably remaining on their old calling plan) for $175.
I reported on this a few months ago. At the time, it was being described as a $400 iPhone that could be bundled with a 2-year calling plan for $199-$299. I think that’s essentially what they’re still doing, albeit with a twist on the presentation.
Coincidently, I believe my contract with Verizon ends this month. Dawn already has an iPhone… I’d like a new phone… hmmmm.
Doug
Dawn and I had lunch at Arden Fair Mall and then walked over to the Apple Store to snag a Bluetooth headset. We mistakenly assumed the 500 or so fans that had camped out at the mall to be among the first to score new iPhones would be long gone. They were, but they’d been replaced by at least that many more!
The line runs from the Apple Store back to Macy’s. A couple guys mid-way in line told me they’d been waiting for six hours and counting! One remarked, “It’s like a bad movie. You know it’s bad, but you have to stay ‘til the end.”
Uh uh. Not me.
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Insanity! I really doubt Apple will run out of iPhones, so what is the point of spending the night in a mall so you can be among the first 500 to buy one? Now if the first 500 were being sold for $50 it would make sense, but spending the night so you can be one of the first to pay full price? Crazy.
Kind of like Star Wars fanatics sleeping in line to see the movie.
Fanboys.
You have to admit that the feature list is strong. I have used my neighbor's and it is actually a breeze to use. The 3G will provide double the internet speed of the first model and the GPS will be handy. I may check one out once the crowd thins out.
That is all this is, AT&T's way to lock people in for 2 years. Apple is likely to open up to other carriers after the two year "exclusive" it promised AT&T and they want to keep as many customers as they can. If Apple opens up to other carriers in a year, then having paid $400 for a phone with no time contract that could be switched to another carrier might be a good plan.
I think that is the deal. Buy a new phone for $400, or pay $199 with a 2-year contract that costs $20-$40 more than the old contract (that's where AT&T makes back the money for the discounted iPhone).
The trade-in concept is interesting.You give them your old phone and $175 for a new model. If you stay on your old plan, then that might not be such a bad deal. But if you still have to be in a 2 year contract that costs more, then not so good.
I assume since your wife has one of these that you have used it and like it. So if your contract is up and you need a new phone anyway, I guess for you it's a no-brainer.
For me, I'm not sold. It has cool features and is fun to use but is bigger than my Razor. I don't think I want anything bigger in my pocket and I hate having to wear a holster to carry a phone.
Of course I will stop by AT&T and look at one just for fun. Who knows?
I just want a phone that sounds good and slips in my pocket without a big bulge. I don't need a computer in my pocket. But if some people need to carry a computer everywhere, this seems like a good alternative.
Just remember, next year there will be a new iPhone, even better thab this one, and you will have to have it. That is the curse of technology.
That is the GREAT thing about technology. If we aren't always trying to improve it, we end up like Motorola.
OMG! I figured everyone that wanted one already bought one and only folks upgrading would be buying the new one. Is that the case or are these new buyers? Apple must be working opvertime to handle all the mioney that is rolling in!
A LOT of people held out for 3G and GPS which the rumor sites all said was coming. The 3G model has them and should be an awesome machine.
Did you get your Bluetooth?
Cheryl: No, I don't think I could have gotten near the door (they were metering people in) without causing a riot. Guess I'll have to order the thing on-line or wait a few days for the hoopla to subside.
I got mine! I had used one of the first ones out back last June or so and liked it a lot, but this new one is the bomb! The GPS works like a dream, I can even watch myself move on the map! Awesome piece of technology!