Apple Starts Selling iPhones Off-Contract
Apple has started selling the iPhone off-contract through its stores, lending weight to speculation that the company will soon launch a new version of the device.
In March of last year, Apple announced it would be selling the iPhone 3G off-contract (but still locked to AT&T) for $599 (8GB) and $699 (16GB) models. This week 9to5 Mac is reporting that you no longer need an AT&T contract to purchase the iPhone. Citing an official Apple document, 9to5 reports that Apple's new policy is that anyone can walk into an Apple Store and pick up an iPhone 8GB for $499, 16GB for $599 and 32GB for $699.
Similar to last year, the phones are still locked to AT&T, but it's a nice option if you're on AT&T already and want an iPhone without the scarily expensive contract. Alternatively, you could unlock it. As the Apple store employee told 9to5, "Everyone knows it takes two minutes to unlock them."
*Official document via Gizmodo
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Considering the prices for 8GB, 16Gb, and 32GB flash drives are $30, $50, and $90 (on the high end of pricing), respectively, it would only seem fitting for apple to charge 2-5x as much going, from one capacity to the next, for the memory to come with their phones.
still expensive being in the market more then a year.
And ATT should drop their policy "if you have an iphone you have to have data plan" Let's see when Apple will bring their updated iphone
they wouldnt do that cause more than half the features on the phone require data
Too bad you still have to jailbreak it to be useful. In that case, just get an android phone.
Hmmm... $699 for a an iPhone, or $699 for a nice laptop.
I'm pretty frickin happy with my fairly open (OS-wise) Nokia 5800 Nav Edition for $250 that works with any GSM network in the whole world, thank you very much.
actually you can get an 32gb micro sd £32 ($48)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SD [...] 920&sr=8-1
Shanky,
You can get SD memory for cheap but it comes at the cost of slow performance. In the case of the link you provided, the card is only rated as Class 2 which has a transfer speed around 2 MBytes/sec. Also, that is a 16 GB micro SD card and not a 32 GB one. The 32 GB ones just came out yesterday and are crazy expensive (if you can find them).
The prices are crazy for the non-contract versions. You can cancel your AT&T contract for $250. So buy a 16 GB version for $200 and cancel your contract and pay the $250 fee. Even with a month of service ($70) it is still $80 cheaper than buying the non-contract 16 GB or 32 GB version...
wtf $699.00
i rather buy a nexus one or a nice laptop or a nice gaming desktop lol you tell me?
I would rather spend the money on a nice laptop.
As someone who is perfectly happy with my 2 year old iPhone, you would have to be crazy to buy an iPhone now.. Other than making it faster, the 3GS has nothing that makes it stand apart from the 3G, which, other than the 3G radio, is the same as the original iPhone.. The new one coming out this summer better be something new, or I'll be upgrading to an HTC phone running Android.. Windows Phone 7 is not looking to hot right now..
3GS has video too which I would use a lot. And a better nav/map/compass. Which I use often also. That said, I'm waiting for the next gen before getting rid of my 3G.
$699? I could buy 1,398 apple pies from Mcdonalds.
But can it do 3d like the Nintendo 3DS?
As someone who is perfectly happy with my 2 year old iPhone, you would have to be crazy to buy an iPhone now.. Other than making it faster, the 3GS has nothing that makes it stand apart from the 3G, which, other than the 3G radio, is the same as the original iPhone.. The new one coming out this summer better be something new, or I'll be upgrading to an HTC phone running Android.. Windows Phone 7 is not looking to hot right now..
+1 : I want to be able to seamlessly surf the internet. I have a 16gb 3g and it's nice and all, but I want to be able to goto hulu.com and watch whatever I want.
The 3gs is faster though. I tried my wifes 3gs side by side against my 3g and everything is faster on her 3gs.
hmm i wonder what apple would do if they did the same thing in canada? where all wireless carriers have the i
As someone who is perfectly happy with my 2 year old iPhone, you would have to be crazy to buy an iPhone now.. Other than making it faster, the 3GS has nothing that makes it stand apart from the 3G, which, other than the 3G radio, is the same as the original iPhone.. The new one coming out this summer better be something new, or I'll be upgrading to an HTC phone running Android.. Windows Phone 7 is not looking to hot right now..
phone.
yea i too am done with winmo phones.
You've been able to buy the iPhone 3GS 16GB, locked to O2 in the UK, without contract (pay as you go) for about 450GBP for a while now. It includes unlimited data for one year after that they charge 10GBP/month. However, you can also buy them unlocked/sim free for circa 700-800GBP!
I thought about it long and hard and bought an unlocked HTC Hero for 340GBP and am spending a pitance on Three's pay as you go service. And very glad I did too!
Considering that Micro Center has discounted the Macbook to $800, even that looks quite yummy now.
It appears they're indirectly supporting unlocking them by saying were going to sell it to you locked, but if your going to unlock the it, were not going to stop you...
Still a ripoff of a phone (8GB for $500? Really??) but at least it gives a new option to those iPhone fanatics.
Hmmm... $699 for a an iPhone, or $699 for a nice laptop.
Pffft, what can a laptop do that an iPhone can't... [Sarcasm]
Hmmm... $699 for a an iPhone, or $699 for a nice laptop.
No...$699 and you can be like Justin Long, all cool with your sneakers and your iPhone...yeah, that is the look for me...sneakers.
There not Supporting you indirectly or Dirrectly, they just want to make Money selling phones. If you unlock it they don't care anymore cause they got your $ 700.00. And they are narrowing the window for illegal downloads, so you will be buying your apps before long. Yes the Freebee days are just about over, Enjoy!
A mentally challenged Manatee could unlock an Iphone.
$700 for an iPhone...are you off your freakin rocker..
is apple in opposition or part of the team of hacking the iphone? hmmmmmm the phrase :As the Apple store employee told 9to5, "Everyone knows it takes two minutes to unlock them." scared me
It is definitely too expensive for me.
Wait, Wait, Wait..... Just googled and ipod touch 8gb, $175 new. 32gb, $262 new.
http://www.google.com/products/cat [...] sa=title#p
http://www.google.com/products/cat [...] sa=title#p
8gb: $499 - $175 = $324
32gb: $699 - $262 = $437
So- going from and ipod touch to an iphone cost's minimum 324.
What exactly does iphone have that itouch doesn't?
Bluetooth and a cellular service.
Can anyone please explain this to me? Why are these phones so damn expensive? It makes more sense to buy an ipod touch, and get a different phone, then it does to buy an iphone off contract.
It's disgusting to buy a phone off contract. =(
Too bad you don't get any discount when going on a network when you already own the damned phone.
There seriously is no motivation for me at all to buy a phone off contract, other than knowing I'd replace it before the contract ended.
Also, why don't more carriers offer the Sony Ericsson Satio? Screw the iPhone. Virgin Mobile UK carriers it, but Virgin Mobile Canada offers blackberry's, iphones, and really nothing else. =(
I've only even found one shop that sells the Satio to Canada.
Amazon.com (amazon.ca doesn't have it) won't even ship it to me.