WWDC 2010: Early iPhone 4 upgrades offered by AT&T
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To find out when you can upgrade without a penalty you always could dial: *NEW# on your iPhone which will generate a text message telling...
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David (Winograd) - I'm in the same boat as you. I bought a 3GS on 6/13/09 (order through AT&T). My eligibility shows as 2/20/11 for a full discount. I posted something about this on AT&T's wall on Facebook. They replied abck and said the "up to 6 month early eligibility" was for customers whose contract ended by 12/31/10. So if you bought a 3GS at launch and signed a new 2 year contract, you're SOL because the contract doens't end until 6/xx/2011. That being said, I asked them why mu upgrade date was 2/20/11. I should be eligible for an upgrade 18 months into my new contract, which is 12/13/10. I never got a reply. So for 6 year, I was eligible after 18 months and now all of a sudden it's at 20 months.
June 09 2010 at 2:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIf you are in fact the secondary line, have you been for all those 6 years? I'm trying to figure out if this "20 months for the secondary line" policy is new. I think this is AT&T's latest tactic to save some coins, given Apple is likely twisting their are to allow for early upgrades. There is always a fiasco for early adopters to upgrade. I've been trying to get straight answeres out of them as to why i wasn't previously informed of this 'policy' and no one will give me an answer, much less a straight one. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the blogs or press to hi-light this latest policy, so there is no pressure on AT&T to fess up about it.
June 10 2010 at 11:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI just got off the phone with Natasha from AT&T Social Media support team (contacted her through Twitter originally).
My wife and I upgraded to the 3GS on launch day, and only mine (the primary line) was eligible for an upgrade, hers is eligible on 2/20/2011.
This is why: Most of the money on the family plan is billed to my line, while she only pays for a data plan and the $9.99 extra line fee. The messaging plan and everything else is billed to my line. So, AT&T looked at the amount spent per month on each line, and only bumped the upgrade date if it reached a certain amount of money per month.
When I asked her if there was any other way to bill Family plans, she said that's how it's done on any plan, not just iPhone plans. So, even if you wanted to split the charges equally between two phones, you couldn't do it.
Why wasn't this factored in when, in order to make FaceTime video calling work, you'd need two iPhone4s? But why was it done like this in the first place? Seems like a really dumb system. She said she's heard that a lot about this.
So, maybe that will change by launch time, but as of now, that's how it is.
My question is this. Were people made aware of this distinction when they signed up for the family plan? Was it like this the last time for family planners? I find it ridiculous that when i specifically asked if there was any dofference in who took primary, i was told no. So now i'm wondering if this was a last minute change, or if it's always been like this.
June 08 2010 at 4:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHave they bumped up dates like this before? As far as I can tell, they didn't really need to make a distinction before because both phones came around for an upgrade at the same time. Why they didn't upgrade both lines is beyond me. If you're going to try to get people to sign two year contracts, people aren't going to do it if one person gets a new phone and the other person (or people) get new iPhones 4 months before the 2011 iPhone will be announced.
Seems really sloppy if you're going to offer an early upgrade incentive. Might as well follow through.
This is BS... Why does AT&T have any say when I upgrade it's not like they gave me a special rate on the phone? This type of lock-in plan should only apply if I got a discount rate on the hardware. I mean up until recently you could't even insure the phone. What's the deal with AT&T nickel and dimming us... For that matter is there even a two year contract obligation with the iPhone again there is no discount from AT&T?
June 08 2010 at 3:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replylast sentence should have said why is there a two year contract...
June 08 2010 at 1:35 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI updated to the 3GS on June 19th, the day it was released and I got a message saying as a valued customer we can offer you an upgrade with a new 2 year committment and an $18 upgrade fee. So I will keep my unlimited data plan and get the new phone.
June 08 2010 at 3:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI think you will have to go with one of the new data plans since you will have a new contract.
June 08 2010 at 9:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySadly I am not eligible for an upgrade. On the bright side I am going to buy it anyway! Thanks for the info!
-Tom
http://www.GamingEntertainerZ.com
One could just get the iPhone without commitment, and cram in their old AT&T sim card in the new phone, and thereby stay on unlimited for the duration of the remainder of the contract.
Yeah I know; it uses micro-sim, but you can just cut your old SIM to fit.
Thought this would offer some reassurance and credibility to my comment. Taken from right here on TUAW!
"What about iPhone customers who want to upgrade equipment? Surprisingly enough, there's good news there. You can keep your existing unlimited iPhone plan and migrate it to new equipment to upgrade or replace your handset, and even can renew your contract with that plan. However, when Apple introduces its new iPhone, it may offer new desirable plans at the same time. Bloom declined to comment on upcoming product announcements or special plans."
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/02/candid-answers-from-atandt-on-the-new-iphone-data-plans/
Ok. So a lot of people are freaking out about eligibility and data plans for no reason. May I remind you the iPhone 4 was announced earlier today. AT&T is not known for their swiftness. So not all accounts have been updated with proper eligibility dates. This happened to me last year when upgrading to the 3GS. AT&T said I was not eligible when I called after the keynote. I was advised to call 2-3 days later and ask again. I called on the third day and low and behold, I was eligible. So maybe you guys aren't giving AT&T enough time. You still have a whole week before you can even preorder. Try again let's say Friday. And yes, online, over the phone, and dialing *new# showed I am eligible. Now as far as grandfathered data plans go. YOU WILL KEEP YOUR $30 UNLIMITED DATA PLAN WHEN UPGRADING TO IPHONE 4. I'm not yelling. Just making sure you hear me correctly. So long as you already have the $30 data plan on the phone you are upgrading. AT&T told me so over the phone and engadget said the same on their site, which was taken from q and a from AT&T Facebook page. Rest easy my iPhone bretheren. The day is still early and we have more than a fortnight to sort out the query. I bid the good night and good morrow.
June 07 2010 at 10:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'm not freaking out. I KNOW my phone is legitimately not available for the upgrade, but my wife's is!! I just want to know if there is an "option without cutting up a sim card." It was super simple when the sims were the same size. Easy swap... now what are my options?? I agree with you, time will tell. I was just scouring the boards to see if anyone had attempted an answer from AT&T.
June 08 2010 at 12:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyplease update us when you hear back. i am in the same situation with my wifes line. her upgrade date is 20 months from when we bought her phone on launch day. i think the policy of primary line vs secondary line for upgrades is silly as it is. the fact that her date is 20 months instead of 18, pushing her out of the full upgrade 2010 date. i emailed randall stephenson regarding the issue. we'll see if he responds, or if i get a c&d letter. lol
June 07 2010 at 10:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHere's my question. (actually surprised I can't find anyone else in the same predicament) My wife's iphone 3GS has been bumped up (YEAH!!) Mine is not, BUT I didn't get it at launch day. So, mine won't be available until Sept 2011. Same issue last year but no big deal. Got the phone, switched sim cards. (I bet you know where I'm going with this one now, don't you.)
What are my options since we can't swap sim cards now as iPhone 4 is a micro sim??? Will AT&T keep me from doing this? (Is there even a way) Can I swap #'s on the phones?
Thanks for any direction on this... Not ready to call AT&T and ask 9 people, all of which probably won't know!
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