AT&T letting go of 8GB refurb iPhone 3Gs for $99 on contract
By Darren Murph 
posted Dec 26th 2008 2:43PM
posted Dec 26th 2008 2:43PM
[Thanks, Brenson]
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Fingerprints included?
...$800+ for a refurbed phone? Wow. Do these at least come with copy and paste?
I am so glad I got an iPod Touch instead. Typing comments on it is a pain though.
Warning to all who follow:
Don't feed the troll.
Can you buy it without a 2-year?!?
I would buy the iphone if it had COPY/CUT AND PASTE
By the way Engadget, could you start posting the real price of these subsidized 2-year contract AT&T devices as well as the advertised prices?
Or would you like me to do it? Assuming all else is constant:
Refurb 8GB iPhone 3G with 2 year iPhone data plan: $99 + (24 months * $30) = $99 + $720 = $819
Refurb 16GB iPhone 3G with 2 year iPhone data plan: $199 + (24 months * $30) = $199 + $720 = $919
An unlocked/no contract new Nokia E71: $370 + (24 months * $15) = $370 + 360 = $730
It's not free if you pay for it...
Also its ornery not awnery.
"Or if you want, get it unsubsidized for $299, then what, no contract and no internet?"
Ornery and illiterate, it seems.
I'll reiterate and maybe throw in some more small words to help your understanding on the matter (I'll try and not make any more assumptions upon how much basic cognitive faculty you may or may not possess):
Refurb 8GB iPhone 3G with 2 year iPhone data plan: $99 + (24 months * $30) = $99 + $720 = $819
Refurb 16GB iPhone 3G with 2 year iPhone data plan: $199 + (24 months * $30) = $199 + $720 = $919
An unlocked/no contract new Nokia E71with data plan: $370 + (24 months * $15) = $370 + 360 = $730
Better, darling?
Nokia E71 price with the 99$ and 199$ iPhone logic is 10$. Cheap enough?
Why is there so much bitching about Apple not supporting cut and paste when they're not the only guilty ones out there?
Ever used Gmail on BlackBerry? Good luck doing any cutting and pasting there.
I'm not an Apple fan by any means, but I have a number of apps on my BlackBerry that don't support the functionality either.
It rarely ceases to amaze me how there are so many people who were born without a sense of humor but, much to everyone else's dismay, they adamantly demand that they are, in fact, funny. This is one of them.
As I think about it, you are funny. Like the kind of funny that people with brains laugh at.
Two things a person needs to have a sense of humor: intelligence and perspective. Having neither, I do suggest that you stick to your day job.
Not even a nice try.
Based on your disasterous photo, you seem to be a very angry person. Please...don't go away mad; just go away.
Very few people care about other people's opinions; fewer still care about the ignorance that fuels such obvious stupidity.
Ah ego, such lovely math.
Here's my aquasion:
Iphone 4gb refurb $250 + (10 months x $20 service) $200 + $200 (iphone 3G) + ( $30 x 14 months) $420 -$450 (unlocked 4gb sold it) total price $680...
Why'd you pay so much for an E71?!
Oh! Oh! My turn! My turn!
IPhone $99 + $200 ETF unlock, no contract, (use ego sweeties carrier 24x$15) $360 = $659
Why DID you pay so much for your E71 sweetie?
@All Engadget Readers:
My opologies for the 2 (now 3) in a row postings. eggothewaffle's girlfriend is over here tonight and, well, she just wanted in on the action (to explain the sweetie thing: that was Bubba, he's wondering why you never called?)
Awww Right after Christmas. Way to make people feel ripped off.
You feel ripped off now?
AT&T is obviously anxious to dump these models, and Macworld is coming up January 5-9. This isn't a good deal, this is dumping stock - Apple is going to have a new model in January. That's when you should feel ripped off!
I always thought it was ballsy of Apple to announce new products in January, but this is the last Macworld for Apple anyway.
Ripped off is when you and your spouse pay enough to buy 9 iPhones a year with your AT&T plan.
Ryan, the plans are as much as any Windows Mobile phone, don't be an idiot
Not sure if this is for everyone, but in the UK O2 is offering reconditioned iPhone 8gbs for free with the £35/mnth 18 mnth contract
Having just checked I think it's upgrade only though.
Although I upgraded from a simplicity contract, so you could take out a £10/mnth simplicity, then upgrade to iphone since it's a rolling ocntract
whatever that means
So sorry lu1de.
A Simplicity contact is a contract, provided by O2, where only a sim card is provided. It is a monthly rolling contract, so it can be cancelled pretty much whenever you like. However, on O2's sytem, it shows just as every other contract would, enabling you to upgrade, or switch tariffs using O2's system. Since the refurb iPhone I mentioned seems to be only available to current O2 customers, I suggested that if someone wanted a cheap recond. iphone, then they should sign up for the cheapest Simplicity contract (costing £10 a month), then upgrade to the 18 month, £35/month, iPhone contract. This means the 8gb iPhone, which normally costs £99 on the £35/month tariff, would only cost £10. It is reconditioned, but mine was in perfect condition when I got it, so I guess they would be ok!
Hope that clears that up for you, you sarcastic fellow you.
Chris
Maybe he was asking whatever £ means :P
That sounds like a good plan, but really, There are so many free phone choices here in the UK for that magical £35/month that are all awesome that I would take over the iPhone. And this is no flaming, just my rational observation.
how is it that you manage to sound British in just a single typed sentence? - i mean, ignoring the (i just realized i cant make a pound sign - lol) and all
"Ha, you or someone you love just paid full retail for an iPhone 3G a few days ago, didn't you?"
Merry Christmas, Engadget :/
full retail ?yeah i just paid $600 on wednesdazy for an iphone in usan now feel ripped off.,.,dee dee dee
Well, paying retail for a NEW one is different than paying less for a USED one...
Yeah, but it's a hundred dollar difference!
Awww Right after Christmas. Way to make people feel ripped off.
Awww, right after your other post. Way to make people feel deja-vu.
Hmmmm.... $100 off... Is it worth it? Have people had many problems with the refurbs? Very tempting...
Apple does refurbs differently than most companies. The phone you receive will never have been used by anyone before you. The casing and screen are new, as are any "consumable" parts like the battery. Some internal components (bluetooth card, dock connector, etc) probably came from a returned phone. Also, it comes with the same warranty as a new product, so if a part fails you can just get it switched out. You'll receive the same type of replacement phone as anyone else, as well.
(Full disclosure, I've worked at an Apple Store as a Mac Genius.)
Not to contradict what you're saying since you've worked as a Genius, but I believe AT&T is refurbing these phones a bit differently. They clearly say "iPhone refurbs may have some scratches" on their site, and the warranty may be "90 days or more."
I picked up one of the original refurbs this past spring for $250. AT&T advertised a 1-year warranty, but according to Apple's records, it began on the original sales date of Aug. 2007. I faxed my info to Apple and within a few hours they changed the warranty date to April 2009.
I've had a 4GB refurb for over a year, the only problems I had were related to the software updates, meaning it had nothing to do with the fact that it was a refurb. There were no scratches or ANYTHING wrong with it, I was super psyced. I bought it on the day the price went down, but before I knew the price went down. I thought I was paying $400 for it, I get home and find out I paid $250 for it. I was like HELL YEA!! Felt like winning $250 on a scratch off.
iPhone's not perfect, and Apple is overrated, but it's a great phone, and I have to commend their refurbs. Aside from myself, I've heard nothing but great things.
I actually wouldn't mind going with a refurb, my friend's 3G screen cracked and he sent it back and the refurb he got looked brand new, maybe he just got lucky
No, according to apple, all refurb ipod/iphones get a brand new battery and a brand new shell.
Is this online only or do they offer these in stores?
its not the price that's preventing me. its the network!
You mean NOTwork.
AMIRITE?
That's why you get the network with Verizon, silly!
but then the phone doesnt work silly :P
I'm not sure this is available for current customers. I just checked under my account and none of the iPhones show up when I do a line upgrade. I checked with a line that is ready for discounted upgrades and one that isn't; still no iPhones. This would be great since I'd like to have an iPhone and still keep my Bold.
U don't qualify. U r not iPhone upgrade eligible due to u received a subsidy on AT&T phone discount from AT&T within the last 18 months,.
I'm not sure why I wouldn't qualify, it clearly says online that my line (there are five total) is eligible for an upgrade (iPhone requires 2-year commitment). So why would that not apply to a refurb?
"Call us crazy, but we don't foresee these hanging around in stock for too awfully long."
Well I got this feeling that there's going to be plenty of refurbished stock...
Buy this, tell at&t you "lost it", proceed to buy a second at full price, return the day after and tell them you don't like it to return the second one and cancel service/ contract.
You keep the first one to unlock when dev.team releases their app in a few days.
Cost = $99 + taxes, $36 activation fee, $70 + taxes (first month of service)
Would this work?
It would until AT&T blocks the SSID (or w/e) from their networks.
Each iPhone has a unique ID that in the event of it being lost or stolen, could be used to render it useless on the network. I'm not sure how it works for other carriers, but it would at least prohibit you from using it on AT&T network.
Can someone explain to me why they would want to unlock their phone in the USA? You can't go prepaid on AT&T to get unlimited data for $20 anymore and you there isn't an unlimited data plan on T-Mobile.
I understand the point of unlocking if you're not in the US, but I just don't a way to go cheaper than the AT&T standard plan in the US.
Yeah but even if they block the IMEI from their network, if it is to unlock it you wouldn't use it on at&t network.
Though T-Mobile 3G network operates on a frequency the iPhone doesn't support, it can still be used on EDGE and of course it would be unlocked so for traveling abroad, it's great.
I forgot, this scenario would also have you hit with a 10% restocking fee at&t charges when returning an iPhone whether opened or unopened.
Also: Ethical--
@ Chris Y:
Not everyone needs the iPhone with a data plan on it. Granted it's designed for but not everyone needs it. I don't: I am in front of 4 screens 12 hours a day, the iPhone data connection is superfluous to me.
Also I travel a lot and abroad I just pop in one of my 8 or so pre-paid SIM cards depending on where I am. Unlocking is useful.
I have *a lot* of phones. I just can't find as a cool a phone as the iPhone.
Refurbished bothers me in fact. I would prefer to buy it brand new and would be happy to pay even up to $500 for it if it weren't for the silly monthly plan on at&t: it's just too expensive for what it is and they are milking the exclusivity.
I would unlock it just to spite them (not that they would care but you get the idea).
Y'know, I'm a pretty stiff WinMo fan, but for $99 bucks, I wouldn't mind getting one of these just to play around with. Once they've got refurb Touch 8gb going for that cheap, lemme know.
Please see the light, I implore you. Hell, go for S60 even!
WinMo fan... *sigh* I pitty you.
*pity (sorry for the typo).
Lol, you're damn lucky I'm even admitting that I wouldn't mind a $99 iPhone.
And if there were a decent S60 phone here in the States, I'd be more open to trying it, but for now, I'll stick with WinMo until I can get my hands on a good Android phone.
Richard,
Did the 'pity' typo come from typing on your iPhone?
*Disclosure: Comment came from an at&t Fuze running WinMo, copied and pasted this link into the notepad to check back to it later while running both my browser and xm radio in the background, minimized.
Jack you forgot to mention the you copy and pasted it with your finger nails because both the small screen and OS are not practical for touch use.
thedesolate,
Yes, but even on my iPod Touch i use my nails at times, but i can still copy and paste and typing is many times easier and faster on my phone.
@Jack Storm, interesting that you claim to use nails on your iPod touch, considering the fact that capacitive touchscreens detect only skin. Enjoy your WinMo resistive touch crapfest.
thedesolate, just because you don't have the accuracy of a resistive touch screen doesn't mean you can't come up with a ridiculously simple way of cut/paste. I thought hard about it before, and the best way I've come up with would work very well.
You know when you hold down you finger and the little magnifying glass comes down to place the cursor where you want it? Move the cursor to the beginning, then touch the screen somewhere else as you drag the magnifier to the end. The second finger on the screen will make the magnifier select the text, and when you unpress, the menu will come up. Bam, awesome iPhone OS copy/paste, no fingernail needed.
Although nothing beats the trackballs on like the G1 and BB's for cursor positioning in my book.
Glad I'm not a poor blogger; I can afford to piss away an extra $100 and don't have to settle for used gadgets.
wow, just shut up.
Yeah because only poor people enjoy saving an extra 100 bucks.
@Jack Storm: Don't be upset because your interest only mortgage is fucking you with no lube.
wow again, well I see someone named balls didn't get everything they wanted for Christmas and now is taking it out on bloggers.
btw where did that mortgage comment come from? i mean i know i cant afford a mortgage in Manhattan, so I stick to paying rent around here.
Of course if anyone just paid full retail for an iphone a few days ago, they opt-out of their contract (30 day grace period), and get a refurb model instead.
Yeah but even if they block the IMEI from their network, if it is to unlock it you wouldn't use it on at&t network.
Though T-Mobile 3G network operates on a frequency the iPhone doesn't support, it can still be used on EDGE and of course it would be unlocked so for traveling abroad, it's great.
How are they selling refurb iPhones for $99 and still manage to sell razrs for $199?
Well, you have kind of foreseen the price. I remember those posts about Wall Mart.
P.S. I don't think apple is going to roll out a new model. They are smart guys and now it is not the best time to come to the market with something new.
You must not actually know Apple then. They strike when the iron is still hot....or 6-10 months after their last model came out, whichever comes first...thought that would be one damn hot iron if left plugged in for 6+ months.
Well, but the crisis? People started to buy less, so they lowered the price. I guess this MacWorld will be quiet :(
They will push out a 32GB model soon (on par with the iPod Touch which already has a 32GB model).
The iPhone will always have half the capacity of the iPod Touch, because the iPhone's "phone" takes up the space of one of the two flash chips inside the iPod touch.
Yes there might be a 32GB iPhone, but it wouldn't be "On par" with the iPod Touch, because there would then be a 64GB Touch.
@Pheonix: The touch is also half as thick as the similar memory iphone, so how do you explain that smart ass?
I'll explain that: the iphone has a 3G radio and gps inside it, as well as a camera (though I don't think that takes up much room).
The iPhone's thickness is decided by the thickness of the radio components. The flash chips sit next to each other in the Touch, not back to back. In the iPhone, there is one flash chip beside the thicker phone components.
size has nothing to do with it - its all about price. You can buy a 64 gig flash drive and the chip is about 0.2 x 1 x 3 cm
Price is the limitation. Apple wants to keep prices under $500, and lower if possible. Since the iphone has more hardware, it cost more, so they generally try to keep prices low by adding less memory. However, with the cost of flash memory rapidly decreasing, a 32 or even 64 gig iphone is very likely, and I would not be surprised to see a 128 gig iphone hit $399 before the end of 2009, marking the end of days for the ipod classic.
Too bad this is for new customers only, i called them and they wont honor this price for current customers who wish to upgrade.
That's strange, because I just did exactly what you stated they are not doing. It's $100 more per model for existing customers.
@Jason care to elaborate? Did you do this online?
I logged into my A&TT account and clicked the upgrade link. After telling me that I was un-eligible, I proceeded onto the A&TT store and browsed the phone section, limiting the available phones to Apple. Referbs were listed among the available iPhones. 8GB models were selling for $199, and 16GB models were selling for $299, both $200 less than retail for those who are not eligible for an upgrade. I was able to add an 8GB model to my wife's account and the 16GB model to my own. Oh also, two day shipping is included for free!
$99 insane.,cheaper than storm android phone ,touch hd etc.,seems like apple/att ready to start domination here in the usa.,do u think other carriers will now be forced to lower other top smartphone prices.,???!?!?!?!?!?!?1
would anyone pay 99$ for iphone 3g??!?!?!?!?1
Once again, the iPhone is NOT a smartphone. Its a multimedia phone.
Let me elaborate a bit... ...the deal is online only, upgrading to the iphone is not available yet to do online, but you can go to a store to upgrade, if youre eligible, but they dont offer refurbs in the store.
Just called ATT via phone. I asked them (because I am entitle for an upgrade) to purchase the phone for $99. They said i'm not a new customer and could only get a refrb model for 149!!! I told them that makes absolutly no sense as I could easily back out of my contract today and go to Sprint or Verizon. She agreed but couldn't help me out.
Why does cell phone companies suck!!!
@christianwalters.,wow. multi media cellular phone??first time i heard that.u might want to tell wall street .guessing u dont own one.dee dee deee
And YOU might want to work on your grammar a bit more
or actually reply to my comment instead of making your own jackass....
THIS JUST IN!!!!!!!!i heard storm price down to 98$ plus will enable wifi for bb storm in usa.,in order to not get dominated by the iphone 3g.,aerly april fools joke.,dee dee deee.
Is it absurd of me to think that *AT&T, Apple or whomever should allow people to buy these for $200 WITHOUT a new contract? (Twice for what they are going for to new customers.) I'd pick up a refurb iPhone in a heartbeat at such a price!
Although, I suppose they don't have to offer incentives to current customers: We're already stuck with a contract.
Meanwhile, Kogan's making Android-based phones unlocked for about $140 USD cheaper than what AT&T/Apple's trying to wring for a new iPhone - and that includes shipping all the way from Australia! And AT&T hasn't said it'll offer a single Android phone. Are they trying to push customers away?
*Yes, I know it may be more AT&T than APP.
Can you buy these online without having to go to the damn store? if so count me in, if not, then screw it
no matter what att does am not going to buy an iphone what-so-ever :@
Just bought one for my wife and I. We are not eligible for an upgrade yet so we had to pay $199 and $299 for our respective 8GB and 16GB model. That's a $200 savings for each phone compared to retail cost!
For $99 it is totally worth it, even if it is the iPhone.
it seems you can only buy one iphone online per household. i need 2. i wonder if i can buy 2 refurbs separately on different accounts and then later connect them into a fam account.
Today is 12/26. AT&T has 30 day return/ price protection. So if u bought any form of an iPhone from AT&T after the 26th of November you atre covered price-wise.
You can upgrade online to the iphone if you're on one of their premier accounts. Just upgraded my wife's phone last week (bought new though $299 + 42 in taxes) for the 16GB model from my att wireless account online. Phone came in, activated it via their automated IVR. I had an ATT/HTC tilt/kaiser and was satisfied with it until playing with the iphone for awhile... got jealous and went to the ATT store to see if they would upgrade me (online said I wasn't eligible on my line)... got them to upgrade one of my other family plan lines and transferred the equipment to my line. The iphone puts the HTC Tilt to shame.... only thing it is really missing is true turn by turn navigation. I had TomTom on my Tilt and it was handy when I travelled on business. $99 is a great deal.... the data plan is a bit expensive but it's the same cost as other data plans for other "smartphones" including any of the crackberries. The iPhone UI is slick but the additional apps (paid and free) are what takes it over the top. Best phone ever in my opinion.
hopefully previous owner data are not recoverable or i smell lawsuit.