AT&T to slash 3G iPhone price to beat unlockers?

AT&T is to follow the example of O2 in the UK and Germany's T-Mobile and chop the price of the iPhone. But not the current model - it's going to subsidise the anticipated 3G version to the tune of $200. So claims a Fortune magazine report citing a single source. The $200 discount will take the price of an 8GB 3G iPhone to $ …

[Stuart Cherrington]

Trade mine ....

Will o2 do this in the UK, I'd like to trade mine up for the 3G 16Gb version!

Paris - cause you know she's 3G all the way.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maths

so 499-200=199.. no wonder I failed maths.

[Lee Sexton]

Forgive me.....

if I am wrong?

Weren't the network operators saying they could not afford to subsidise the iphone? Whats changed? Have they made so much cash from the last batch that they can now afford to do so?

Or is it really a case that the phone has not sold as well as expected (and no wonder it's a pile of rubbish, HTC's phones are superior, just buy a bloody touch ipod if your so interested in having music on the go and looking stylish, even if you are stuck with a proprietary device which is pretty useless in reality!. Can anyone tell I dont like apples stylish but old hat technology?!).

Harmful waste sign because apple products and fanbois are indeed hazardous waste. :)

[Alan Edwards]

Unlockers

Unless they force buyers to sign up for the contract in-store, or make the security on locked handsets absolutely bullet-proof, it won't work.

Unlockers will buy the handset cheap and not activate it officially, the same as they do now.

Alan.

[Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware]

@Maths

8GB 3G iPhone = $399. Minus $200 = $199

16GB 3G iPhone = $499. Minus $200 = $299

[Chad H.]

stopping unlocking

Its so easy to stop iphone unlocking being a problem.

At the moment, when you buy an iPhone, you walk out of the store without a contract. Its only when you hook it up to your PC at home that you sign up for the contract.

Theres a simple solution, make them sign the contract in the store. Just like every other phone.

Of course though, that would make sense.

[b]

16gb on a phone!

it's RIDICULOUS!

but niiiiice!

[Kebabster]

@Unlockers

Or perhaps give you a $200 rebate when you take the phone home and sign-up to the AT&T contract through iTunes?

Paris cos even she could understand how this could work effectively..

[Anonymous Coward]

@Maths

I failed reading too.

[Mage]

@Alan Edwards

It's normal here in Ireland you can't get a subsidized phone till you sign the contract. You can't buy it without the contract without paying full price.

Unless you are planning to use a fake credit card and address?

[Chris Procter]

Even subsidised

Surely a 3G iPhone won't be marketed at the same price as the current one?

[Daniel B.]

iBone? Pah

I'm not interested in this thingy, even the 3G version, as it won't run Java and development on its platform is gimped.

The UMTS/3G Blackberry, on the other hand...

[Heff]

Thinner! Sexier!

Stop. just... just stop. the dimensions are great. the weight is good. if you can really squeeze components into a smaller space that just means theres more room for a bigger battery.

Paris, cos she knows about squeezing things into smaller spaces.

[Aubry Thonon]

Did I miss something?

<confused> USD499? Really? I must have blinked at some point - shouldn't that be GBP499?

Not wanting to start any flames, just *really* confused about the prices.

[MarmiteToast]

@Lee Sextpn

I held out for 5 years before finally buying an iPod and nothing better came along in that time. Sure some players sounded better but they all had horrible interfaces, others were too bulky... etc etc the list goes on.

I'm willing to bet you haven't tried any kind of apple product. I'm just starting my love affair with their stuff. Yes it's overpriced but if you can afford it then it's worth it.

[Scott Mckenzie]

@Lee

Marmite - i'm willing to bet he'll say he has, but hasn't actually used an iPhone.

I like HTC too, i've had an M600, M700 and TyTn II (all on Orange) and they've steadily got better... the only thing i'll miss moving to an iPhone is the Sat Nav, but if the rumours of the GPS are true then i'm in heaven and will buy one on launch day (to be honest i probably will anyway!!)... hell even if it's just support for external Bluetooth GPS devices i'll be happy.

But to call an iPhone rubbish is plain ridiculous, it may be more expensive than other phones but the spec is excellent, sure it's restricted but for good reasons in my view....

As for the actual point (i think) you were trying to make, they couldn't subsidise the phone as Apple wouldn't let them... also they are expected to give a percentage of network earnings for iPhones back to Apple so they probably wanted to maximise their earning potential... now they've maybe decided it's doing well enough to now allow some subsidy.

[TranceMist]

No AT&T At Any Price

No subsidy is worth having to deal with AT&T.