Sam Oliver
This week, a reader contacted MobileCrunch to say that his upgrade date was moved from Nov. 21, 2010, to June 21, 2010. The customer said they bought an iPhone 3GS in 2009 on the device's launch day.
"As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you a discounted iPhone upgrade at a higher price, along with a 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee," the customer's account profile reads. "Please proceed with the online upgrade process for pricing details. You may qualify for a full discount on a standard iPhone upgrade on 6/21/2010."
The same changes have appeared for other customers, but not all. AT&T has revealed in the past that generally speaking, the more a customer spends with AT&T, the quicker they become eligible for a price break on a new device. For example, iPhone customers who spend more than $99-a-month per line are generally eligible for an upgrade between 12 and 18 months into their contract.
The revised dates will likely pave the way for AT&T to offer some customers reduced prices on Apple's latest iPhone, expected to be announced in June. It's the same approach AT&T has taken in the past. Last year, the wireless carrier offered early iPhone 3G adopters the opportunity to purchase an iPhone 3GS as the same $199 and $299 price points as new customers.
In years past, Apple has introduced its annual iPhone upgrade at the Worldwide Developers Conference. This year, WWDC 2010 will be held June 7 through June 11 at San Francisco's Moscone West. Tickets for the event sold out just eight days after Apple announced the dates.
In April, one rumor suggested Apple could sell the next-generation iPhone as soon as it is announced on June 7. That approach would be a change from years prior, when a new handset was announced a few weeks before its sale date. AT&T has also blacked out the month of June for its employees, preventing them from taking vacation days.
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew O'Hara
41 Comments
How about the possibility that they're trying to get people to upgrade to something OTHER than the iPhone 4G before the 4G comes out?
So who here is gonna part with their 3gs to the 4g based on what we know? (A4 chip, design, new OS4 etc)
Boo! I got my 3GS on launch day.
Then again, I pay exactly $99 after tax for my 3GS and my wife's dumbphone with 700 shared minutes after State Employees discount.
So who here is gonna part with their 3gs to the 4g based on what we know? (A4 chip, design, new OS4 etc)
I am. I'm also assuming we get more RAM. The higher performance (RAM, processor) will be necessary when multitasking. Also the front camera should be very nice for video chat. For $200, why wouldn't you?
They always do this but this time, I wonder if they are trying to head off a Verizon iPhone attack by locking in customers early.
Time will tell.