iPhone 3G finally available contract-free
By Paul Miller 
posted March 27th 2009 10:31AM
posted March 27th 2009 10:31AM
At long last folks with a contract phobia or just a general penchant for lawlessness can pay exorbitant amounts of money to get an iPhone 3G contract-free. As promised, 8GB models for $599 and 16GB ones for $699 are now available from AT&T and Apple stores, with AT&T requiring buyers to be existing AT&T customers, limited at one per, while Apple stores will sell the handsets to anyone wandering in off the street -- rebellious demeanor preferred.[Via Boy Genius Report]
It's a great phone but that price is crazy. With the rumors on a new version coming this summer it seems to be a really bad deal to buy these at those prices.
It's unlocked. Remember how expensive first-gen iPhones were on ebay, AFTER the iPhone 3G was out?
I'm almost 100% certain these aren't unlocked.
no thanks, i'll wait on the n97
Good choice. Better choice: The Tegra Android + qwerty. TmoJoe on tmonews forums says he's been holding it for quite a while... (says he has a 9 minute video of it... won't release it now so his source won't get fired)
What is rebellious about buying a phone that everyone and their grandmother has?
I don't understand how they can charge so much for these when I can get an ipod touch for $200. iPod Touch + Blackberry curve is a winning combination. Better email/messaging experience on the BB and web browsing for emergencies. If I'm in a hotspot I use the itouch. Plus the touch is much sleeker and nicer than the iphone, with a more powerful processor.
I just don't get it. This is terribly overpriced, just for the addition of a cell radio?
I don't quite understand your point. If you have a Curve, then chances are you signed an AT&T contract to get it anyway. Couldn't you have taken the $200 you spent on your iPod Touch and gotten an iPhone on contract? That way you wouldn't have to carry two devices and you'd be able to use Mobile Safari without Wifi access.
"chances are you signed an AT&T contract to get it anyway"
um... nope.
plus I actually like having multiple devices. That way when my ipod is plugged into my car radio, I can still freely receive calls without having to unplug the thing to answer them.
touch is good enough for me, especially considering the $400 cost differential.
I don't get it, if you have an iPhone, why do you still need to unplug your phone from the radio to answer a call? Unless your car has a built-in socket hidden inside the glove box without using AUX cables. I personally never use those because I enjoy having my iPhone right on the dash board so I can use the GPS, Music, videos, or phone calls while driving. Oh I never hold the phone to answer the call while driving, I use bluetooth headsets. You shouldn't be holding or talking on a cell phone while driving anyway. It's dangerous because it blocks your head turns to look around during emergency.
With the bluetooth, I can even "HIDE" my iPhone inside the glove box if I really really need to use the built-in iPod socket. Besides, the new iPhone/iPod firmware supports Bluetooth Stereo A2DP, I don't see a problem leaving the iPhone on the dash board to answer calls and have music constantly broadcast via Bluetooth to my car Bluetooth stereo.
My god, that is so damn expensive converted to Australian dollars. A 16gb off contract here costs roughly $800 Australian, they're selling them for roughly $1, 010.00 Australian. Ouch. I never really saw the appeal in credit. Credit only lasts a month, so you're gonna have to buy it once a month if you want to make a call any time, which is pretty much the same as a contract. If the plan gives you what you want for a reasonable price, I'm on a $39/month plan with 500mb and 100 free texts, then what's the point in having it off plan.
Are the off-contract iphones unlocked as well in Australia for that price?
I think the appeal of not having a contract is so that you can leave any time. If you want to change to a cheaper plan then you're able to, if you want to go to another carrier there's no early termination fee.
With that said, I don't quite get the point either. Most of the time they will let you switch to a different plan without any change to your contract, and if you want to switch to a different carrier you generally have to buy a new phone anyway, negating your savings. If you just want to be able to buy a new phone before your contract period is over, then they still let you do that for a higher price, but still partially subsidized. Any way I look at it, you're saving money by signing the contract.
THANK YOU.
Now dimwits who failed maths will be able to compare the iphone's price with other unlocked phones.
Hope the Palm Pre doesn't decide to match the iPhone's cost D: ("$600? NO. $590. BETTER DEAL YES?")
So when/if the new iphone comes out, and assuming they stop they "no contract" deal, and assuming someone has an iphone already, what would be the best way to upgrade?
What are your game plans?
Do you think they'll offer an upgrade deal to current iphone 3g's? Or maybe not since, they offered the 3g upgrade only cause people felt ripped off.
I'm interested to hear how people think this will all play out.
i'd pay this much for a phone just not this one. maybe 200 for this.
That's your loss. These no-contract iPhones will sell faster than Avian on the planet Mars. Chinese and Russian tourists love Apple bargains.
Finally Thank God, I just now heard throw the grape vine, that the iPhone will have an app that is a metal detector. Now I can be a beach bum now that I lost my job and home. I can look for buried treasures under the sands. Just maybe i can be iRich.
So they want to sell all the iphone 3g before JUNE haaan haan haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn...
I'll still wait for my N97 or maybe the Iphone coming out on June attracts me, which is hard to say.
I know u apple.. u can't trick me lol
Wow i just bought two used 3G for $80 on craigslist ... you guys better check that out first some people are dumb like that
So the point of a contract-free iphone is so that you can set it up for pay-as-you-go? So you have no problem paying $700, but would rather just pay $20/month for 200 minutes (with no data, making it a phone that's a nice ipod)? Surely people aren't going to buy them so they can port it to Tmobile?
This is for pple who wanna cancel there contract with "oops i dropped my phone excuse in the GrandCanyon", guess what buy a new one!
FAIL. Who cares about contract or no contract? Is this provider locked or not? Paying full price for a provider locked phone is the dumbest thing you could do. Apple is already selling unlocked iPhones is Asia from the get go, even the subsidized ones.
so does this mean that if you but it than you can set up a account with att and whenever you want to cancel you can with no canceling fees
Hmmmmm..... might be too much to ask, but will iPhone Next (4G, whatev) be contract free? I use jailbroke 2G and use TMO so me no want to use AT&T!
I want an iPhone. should I wait for June for the rumored new version or buy one now? I wouldn't mind having an extra 16GB if they're going to intro a 32GB model.
WHAT??? did i read that right? $699??? That's outrageous Apple and AT&T!!! Way too overpriced! Shove that iphone up your A$$
how can they just come up with that number? from $299 with contract and now $699 without? That's a total 2 iphones and some change
the 16GB should be $399 without contract.
Does this mean that if you buy a no contract iphone from the apple store online, will it be unlocked for use with any carrier internationally?
I'm amazed at how people are shocked at a standard Apple pricing scheme in $100 increments.
"I cant wait until someone swaps sim cards without activating a DATA PLAN!"
I'm an AT&T CSR, people do this routinely, and they routinely get $500+ bills. We have been rerating but with the economy being the way it is and pressure from on high to reduce credits, the people who think they're getting away with it (and have been) will be stuck with what they used when trying to be clever.
Allright Engadget, can you please for a moment act like a real news site and find out whether that price is unlocked or not? Clearly if it's not unlocked and not unlockable for a fee it's a stupid rip off that makes me wonder why they'd even offer it. If it is unlocked, it would be pretty reasonable.
from TFA: "While the phones are still technically locked to AT&T service, it is possible (but not supported) to unlock the phones for use with other mobile service providers".
Possible but not supported? That raises more questions than it answers...
nikster, it is not unlocked, that quote refers to the jailbreaking software that is out there
This outdated (specs and UI looks wise), sluggish, still crippled, and still missing dozens of features even after the 3.0 software update phone is not worth even half the price they are asking for.
i thought i saw this on the first page?
oh i get it. any troll will consider themselves to be put on the under the 1st comment as their post didn't appear on the 1st page. and u proved me right.
THIS IS GREAT NEWS. Now, as soon as they offer one AT&T free, then I will get on board the iphone train. That and a camera with a flash....or is there an app for that??
hi, when anybody buy the iphone on an apple store can anybody send it to his family in the world like latinamerica so they can have it cheaper and without contract or they register first ???
The ones on the Apple store are locked to a carrier, there's some asian country and some european country that sell it unlocked, you can track one of those down and use on any carrier, they cost even more than the one in this article though.
don't you guys think that AT&T is trying to prove a point: hey kids, stay on contract and it's the right choice folks!
so eventually, you'll still sign up to AT&T...
Why would AT&T charge you $275 to break the contract early? i know it is either $175 or $200 to break the contract early....