Let's talk Iphone

[Canuck]

That's what I meant- Iphone 4, iPhone 4G, iPhone 4GS

[CeeKay]

Well it looks like I'm in the 6 months early camp, my previous renewal date was the end of September, I guess the renewal is 18 months into the contract? 

I read somewhere that if your contract expires this year you'll be eligible for an upgrade.

[PR_GMR]

Well it looks like I'm in the 6 months early camp, my previous renewal date was the end of September, I guess the renewal is 18 months into the contract? 

I read somewhere that if your contract expires this year you'll be eligible for an upgrade.

I'll be eligible for the upgrade this Thanksgiving. My contract expires April 24, 2011.. so six months early than that will be Thanksgiving. I think I'll update then!

[Isgrimnur]

Standard AT&T renewal policy for anyone that made us a decent amount of money was at 21 months, 3 months early.  Even before the iPhone 4 stuff started, my revenue got me moved from what should have been a May upgrade date all the way back to January of this year. 

[GuidoTKP]

I'm a little underwhelmed.  Higher resolution and front facing camera is great and all, but so what?  I'm much more excited for the upcoming iOS4 update which will turn my 3GS into a machine that will actually be able to do more than one thing at once!!  That is a must, must, must.  Front facing camera?  Nice but meh.  I'll pick up the iPhone 4 4GS in a few years when my contract is up.

Man, people are getting really jaded. They significantly improve processor speed, significantly shrink the device, add an extra camera, significantly improve battery life, AND offer the best display you can buy on a mobile device. I'm pretty impressed, and I'm a Droid Incredible user, not an iPhone user. I'm telling my wife to try and hold out a little longer (she has a Storm 1 that really sucks) so that we can see if iPhone will be coming to Verizon. It would definitely be the best phone for her, but if not we'll hook her up with an Android device or maybe a Palm Pre.

[SkyLander]

My Nexus One has an OLED display. I would be curious if the iPhone really looks that much better than what I have now.

[Isgrimnur]

Nexus One: 254 ppi
iPhone 4: 326 ppi

Depends on how sharp your vision is. 

[th'FOOL]

Based on personal experience here: if pre-ordering an iPhone, should one go to AT&T or Apple? I'm inclined to think Apple....

(that is if you are already an iPhone user)

[CeeKay]

Based on personal experience here: if pre-ordering an iPhone, should one go to AT&T or Apple? I'm inclined to think Apple....

(that is if you are already an iPhone user)

I'm kinda curious what time the online pre-ordering will be enabled on the 15th.

[rittchard]

I'm a little underwhelmed.  Higher resolution and front facing camera is great and all, but so what?  I'm much more excited for the upcoming iOS4 update which will turn my 3GS into a machine that will actually be able to do more than one thing at once!!  That is a must, must, must.  Front facing camera?  Nice but meh.  I'll pick up the iPhone 4 4GS in a few years when my contract is up.

Man, people are getting really jaded. They significantly improve processor speed, significantly shrink the device, add an extra camera, significantly improve battery life, AND offer the best display you can buy on a mobile device.

You forgot improve the main camera too!  I think jaded is probably correct for many of us, partially because we're kind of approaching the limits of what you can do in a device this form factor, so there's less and less "wow"/revolutionary factor.  I'm one of the biggest Apple fans I know, and I do plan on getting one of these, but I was also fairly underwhelmed.  Of course some of this had to do with the whole leak business which pretty much told us everything we needed to know.  But really, what could you do to really revolutionize something like this at this point?  Apple is definitely hitting some limits.  They've pretty much refined the multimedia stuff to death.  Once OS4 is out, multitasking will be in and probably refined further over the months.  The screen likely is not going to get much better than this, maybe they can make it a bit larger but as a phone form factor will dictate this.  With HD video recording and a 5-MP camera, there's only so much more room to improve.  Processor and battery life will probably keep getting better, but at some point, those kinds of things won't have much impact on the jaded tech audience. 

So I'm excited, but only mildly.  At this point I think I'd be more hyped up if they did something brand new with AppleTV, or with a Mac Mini Re-vamp, or even with the rumor of a giant touchpad interface.

[wonderpug]

3GS to 4 seems like a bigger upgrade than 3G to 3GS, no? 

I do wish that instead of making it smaller and improving battery life, they kept it the same size and really improved battery life. 

[Louis Cypher]

If you are thinking about selling your iPhone and going to a non smart phone to hold you over, don't. I was just informed that if I sell my phone and go to my old razor, I will lose my unlimited data plan that is grandfathered in.

[wonderpug]

If you are thinking about selling your iPhone and going to a non smart phone to hold you over, don't. I was just informed that if I sell my phone and go to my old razor, I will lose my unlimited data plan that is grandfathered in.

How does that work?  I figured they'd only know to kick you off the old plan if you wanted to upgrade phones through them.

[Isgrimnur]

That unlimited data plan is iPhone specific. 

[SkyLander]

That unlimited data plan is iPhone specific. 

You could get unlimited for anything. I have unlimited with a nexus one. Those who aren't grandfathered in have to choose the new tiered plan whether they are on an iPHone or not.

[CeeKay]

That unlimited data plan is iPhone specific. 

I think it even is titled 'iPhone data plan'.  as for how would they know it's not an iPhone: don't you have to activate the phone through them?

[Louis Cypher]

If you are thinking about selling your iPhone and going to a non smart phone to hold you over, don't. I was just informed that if I sell my phone and go to my old razor, I will lose my unlimited data plan that is grandfathered in.

How does that work?  I figured they'd only know to kick you off the old plan if you wanted to upgrade phones through them.

What I was told is since a regular phone doesn't use the Internet, the feature drops off. When you add the iPhone back on your plan only the new data feature can be chosen. This is what i was told, can anyone verify?

[leo8877]

[Isgrimnur]

That unlimited data plan is iPhone specific. 

You could get unlimited for anything. I have unlimited with a nexus one. Those who aren't grandfathered in have to choose the new tiered plan whether they are on an iPHone or not.

You could get unlimited for everything but non-iPhone plans used a different billing code.

[Blackjack]

Although the Penny Arcade comic's funny and perhaps true, I get the feeling Stevie intimidates more through words than by organ-grasping.   I guess I don't know if he would yell behind closed doors "WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ME LOOK LIKE A #$#% OUT THERE?" or if he'd just calmly say "Who's responsible for this. I want to know right now," and then a trap door opens underneath that person. Or maybe like Darth Vader, Jobs would just stretch out his hand and cause the guilty person to start choking.  

A bud was asking about the "no commitment" iPhones (i.e., at the $499-$699 prices). Do you still buy those from AT&T per se, or does AT&T only sell you an iPhone if you commit to a contract, period? I take it you still have to get service from AT&T with those, you just pay month-to-month? 

[Isgrimnur]

cnet is trying to get good answers for people from AT&T.

Current iPhone people that aren't "eligible" for upgrades right now can "early upgrade" for an extra $200 w/ contract.  They also mention a full price/no contract option (expect that to be another $200 over the "early upgrade" option).

[GuidoTKP]

My Nexus One has an OLED display. I would be curious if the iPhone really looks that much better than what I have now.

I've read a lot of first impression articles from Nexus One owners, and the consensus seems to be that the iPhone really does look noticeably better than Nexus One (and Incredible, which share the same display). Not enough to make them want to change, but a real difference.

[leo8877]

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574#tab3

From the fact sheet:

How many devices can I preorder?
AT&T stores will sell one iPhone 4 per person for new customers, and one device per household for new orders placed online. Existing customers may purchase one per eligible telephone number online or through our stores.

So it looks like if you want a family plan, you are screwed? (For pre-ordering)  This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.

[Biyobi]

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574#tab3

From the fact sheet:

How many devices can I preorder?
AT&T stores will sell one iPhone 4 per person for new customers, and one device per household for new orders placed online. Existing customers may purchase one per eligible telephone number online or through our stores.

So it looks like if you want a family plan, you are screwed? (For pre-ordering)  This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.

Why? This isn't any different than any other store with limited stock limiting what customers can buy.  Given the demand of the previous phones, AT&T is just trying to make sure to spread the joy as well as take care of their existing customers. 

[leo8877]

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574#tab3

From the fact sheet:

How many devices can I preorder?
AT&T stores will sell one iPhone 4 per person for new customers, and one device per household for new orders placed online. Existing customers may purchase one per eligible telephone number online or through our stores.

So it looks like if you want a family plan, you are screwed? (For pre-ordering)  This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.

Why? This isn't any different than any other store with limited stock limiting what customers can buy.  Given the demand of the previous phones, AT&T is just trying to make sure to spread the joy as well as take care of their existing customers. 

Why is because if we go in separately, we can get new phones, but if we want a family plan we cannot. 

[rittchard]

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574#tab3

From the fact sheet:

How many devices can I preorder?
AT&T stores will sell one iPhone 4 per person for new customers, and one device per household for new orders placed online. Existing customers may purchase one per eligible telephone number online or through our stores.

So it looks like if you want a family plan, you are screwed? (For pre-ordering)  This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.

Why? This isn't any different than any other store with limited stock limiting what customers can buy.  Given the demand of the previous phones, AT&T is just trying to make sure to spread the joy as well as take care of their existing customers. 

Why is because if we go in separately, we can get new phones, but if we want a family plan we cannot. 

Can't you just do a mix?  Order one online and get one in store?

[Isgrimnur]

AT&T Customer Service routinely combines customer accounts after the fact via phone.

[leo8877]

AT&T Customer Service routinely combines customer accounts after the fact via phone.

They do?  Because I called today to ask how to get a family plan and the said I guess you'll have to only get one at launch and then order another one after.  I am hesitant to order two individual lines for fear of being stuck with them.

[Isgrimnur]

I imagine that they'll have something up to check orders before they send them out to ensure your "household" isn't receiving two of them.  

If I were attempting to game the system, I would have each party get a new line under their own name, have different billing addresses (I don't know if they're mailing them or making you go to the store this time), and then combined the accounts afterwards.  This was called as a Transfer of Service and historically comes with an $18 transfer fee.  

*Now it's apparently a Transfer of Billing responsibility.  

It's been 2.5 years since I've been on the inside, so policies, requirements, and eligibility may have changed since then.  And, of course, I make no guarantee that any of this will work.  

*More info

To transfer service to another consumer, you (the original account holder) must authorize the Transfer of Billing Responsibility. Please keep the following conditions in mind:

• The account must be a post paid account. 
• The account needs to be active for a minimum of 60 days.   
• The device on the account must be activated.
• The original account and the receiving account must not have a past due balance.
  

The receiving consumer account holder (the person taking over the account) must adhere to the following requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years of age:
  
  *Exception: Alabama - 19 years of age
  *Exception: Puerto Rico - 21 years of age
  
  
• A credit evaluation is required.
• The new account owner must accept the remaining contract term from the date the transfer takes place. 
• An $18.00 Transfer of Service Fee (per line) will be assessed.
• A current rate plan must be selected. Expired rate plans are not eligible for transfer.

 

[leo8877]

Ok so it looks like you can't order the family plan online, but if we both go into the store, then we can order it.  So it looks like I'll be going to an ATT store and ordering, but having it shipped to our house so we don't have to go to the store again.

[Canuck]

Bah enough about this overhyped phone! When does iOS4 come out?  Is it the 15th? Or the 21st? I can't recall.  I'm so excited about that

[msduncan]

I think I'm upgrading my wife and myself on Tuesday.     Since it's an early family plan upgrade (my contract is up in Nov), do I need to go to an AT&T store?

That is to say, we have a family plan and I'm getting us both iphone 4's.

[ravenvii]

Bah enough about this overhyped phone! When does iOS4 come out?  Is it the 15th? Or the 21st? I can't recall.  I'm so excited about that

The 21st. I'm excited about that, too. Not getting the iPhone 4 either - I have the 3GS and my contract won't be up until next year. Sure, early upgrade and all, but I'd rather wait a year, then save $200 on a even newer phone.

[msduncan]

Bah enough about this overhyped phone! When does iOS4 come out?  Is it the 15th? Or the 21st? I can't recall.  I'm so excited about that

The 21st. I'm excited about that, too. Not getting the iPhone 4 either - I have the 3GS and my contract won't be up until next year. Sure, early upgrade and all, but I'd rather wait a year, then save $200 on a even newer phone.

That's exactly what we did with the 3GS last year.    We still have 3G phones.     

[ravenvii]

Bah enough about this overhyped phone! When does iOS4 come out?  Is it the 15th? Or the 21st? I can't recall.  I'm so excited about that

The 21st. I'm excited about that, too. Not getting the iPhone 4 either - I have the 3GS and my contract won't be up until next year. Sure, early upgrade and all, but I'd rather wait a year, then save $200 on a even newer phone.

That's exactly what we did with the 3GS last year.    We still have 3G phones.     

Yeah, I was one of the early adopters (got the original iPhone on iDay), so my upgrade cycle is a year behind (ahead?) of yours.

[Louis Cypher]

Does anyone know when you pre-order, do they (apple/AT&T) charge your card or do they wait 'til it ships?

[CeeKay]

Does anyone know when you pre-order, do they (apple/AT&T) charge your card or do they wait 'til it ships?

I hear they check to see if the funds are there but it's not charged until it ships.

[Turtle]

Bleh, dropped my ipod touch and cracked the front glass. It'll cost as much to fix as it would be to buy a used 3GS. Time to keep an eye on the trade forum I guess. Will be nice to finally get rid of my crappy samsung slider phone.

[Mystic95Z]

Heck you can get a new 3GS from walmart now for $97.

[th'FOOL]

Engadget has a good guide for how to preorder:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/14/how-to-pre-order-the-iphone-4/