Apple's 8GB iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract

No interest in the iPhone 3G S? How's about an 8GB iPhone 3G for $99 on a new 2-year AT&T contract? That's exactly what was just announced at WWDC 2009, and yes, this new price is effective today. We're guessing any remaining 16GB iPhone 3G units will be scrounged up at closeout rates as well. Oh, and if you're mid-contract on AT&T (with any phone), you'll be asked to shell out a whopping $299 for one of these 8GB units or $399 / $499 for the 16GB / 32GB iPhone 3G S. Frankly, that upgrade deal reeks compared to the offer that was passed along to those who upgraded from the iPhone to iPhone 3G (mid-contract users paid the same as new / renewing contract users), but then again, the original iPhone was only sold in unsubsidized (and thus, crazy expensive) form.

Read - AT&T press release
Read - Apple pre-order page

Gallery: Apple's 8GB iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[igosl0w @ Jun 8th 2009 3:04PM]

smart release. right before fathers day

[iFargle @ Jun 8th 2009 3:04PM]

Awesome. iPhone 3G for $99, and I'm looking for a new phone...

[sk @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

Yeah, just to bad AT&T is still charging to much for its service.

[prateeko @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

You and millions of other people. Smart move by Apple to keep the 3G around and expand the userbase instead of a temp drop as they get rid of remaining stock.

[gabe @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

they need to drop the plan price point - still expensive

[Casper42 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:07PM]

Where is the AT&T Announcement of a cheaper data plan?

[AJ in the East Bay @ Jun 8th 2009 3:08PM]

@sk,

Yep. Even though $99 is REALLY good, the thing's that's been keeping me from getting the iPhone is the monthly plan. The cost of owning one always comes back and kills the deal for me.

[Fernando @ Jun 8th 2009 3:08PM]

What a rip off. I have to pay another $199 to get a freaking video camera on my phone, even though the one that I have right now can do it just fine. I am a huge apple fan but this is just ridiculous. Don't shaft me on features that this piece of hardware is well capable of doing.

[Michelle @ Jun 8th 2009 3:12PM]

The cost of the phone itself has never been the issue. The cost of the plan at&t forces you into getting IS the issue that ruins iPhones. $99 bucks for an iPhone doesn't change the fact that it's expensive as can be to own when you get hooked into an overpriced contract. Unless the plan itself has changed in price I am sadly still not getting one. Valiant effort Apple but until you fix everything pricewise the initial purchase price doesn't matter to most.

[xcrunk @ Jun 8th 2009 3:13PM]

tempted to just get one and break the contract. fuck monthly cell phone bills.

[sk @ Jun 8th 2009 3:17PM]

@Fernando, you can't get out of your existing contract for the old iPhone until 2 years have past anyway. AT&T screwed us again.

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 8th 2009 3:20PM]

O2 are already doing them for free on 24 months or £50 on 18.

Not a lot of interest though.

[tuaamin13 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:59PM]

I wholeheartedly agree. Price of the phone is cheap, that's nice, but I would rather spend the full $199 for a iPhone 3G (not even the S!) than to pay $69.99/$129.99 a month on contract (I'd probably be in for a second for the missus).

AT&T, fix your contracts and then we'll talk.

[Michael @ Jun 8th 2009 4:14PM]

@ Mark Anderson

I'm pretty surprised to see 24 month contracts in the UK. Wondering if they will really take off in the short term. Saw a guy purchasing an iPhone the other day, thinking he was a bit oblivious of a new one being announced - I guess he's pretty lucky seeing as it was overall pretty underwhelming.

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 8th 2009 5:15PM]

O2 changed the pricing to shift more units as it had kind of hit a plateau. The new one will sell well but the iPhone has kind of lost any differentiating factor it had in the UK so now it's really just one of many phones.

I think it'll be different in the US given the absolute suckage of the US phone market and the appalling lack of good carrier subsidised phones.

[Jordan @ Jun 8th 2009 5:46PM]

cheaper plans! cheaper plans! cheaper plans!...

[johnny5 @ Jun 8th 2009 7:01PM]

Wow, you people are spoiled. You don't have to pay $199 for a camera upgrade. Don't buy it. No features? It's TWICE as fast. Last time I bought a computer that doubled the speed of its predecessor for the same price was... um, the 90s?

[iKurt VI @ Jun 8th 2009 3:05PM]

RIP Palm.

[izzy @ Jun 8th 2009 3:08PM]

Indeed, too bad.

[Templarian @ Jun 8th 2009 3:10PM]

More like nice way of making AT&T look like the worst phone service.

Palm should be okay. They are comparing a phone that was just released with one that's just an upgrade on its last generation.

[Ryan @ Jun 8th 2009 3:11PM]

I don't see how this hurts Palm? Apple released only marginal upgrades.. Nothing aesthetic.

I bought the Palm Pre the other day to trial it, and it was very readily about to cancel my trial and hop onto AT&T. However, the keynote showed me nothing really new.

I'm already getting GPS turn by turn for free, wh would I want to pay for a Tom Tom app? I'm saving a ton of money each month.

Man..Apple. I really wanted you to blow me away. I really wanted you to sell me a new product. Grr..

[Giles @ Jun 8th 2009 3:11PM]

Seriously?

Pretty underwhelming if you ask me. "New features" that should have been included the first time around. I think Apple really screwed over the 3G owners.

[joe23521 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:14PM]

The only thing here that would hurt Palm, I think is the $99 3G model. The 3GS doesn't impress me that much, to be honest.

[DonatoM3 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:14PM]

Yeah I feel bad for all my friends who bought the 3G that are getting screwed on the no video option. Seriously no way Apple can say that the 3G's hardware can't handle video.

[napylopez @ Jun 8th 2009 3:16PM]

*yawns*

not everyone has AT&T, you know? not to mention cheaper palm Eos coming later this year, and the fact that palm is going to have phones on verizon as well next year while apple is stuck with at&t... palm is still well in the game. And I kinda get the feeling people are going not going to be buying 99 bucks iPhone when there is a shinier new iPhone with a vid cam. I mean, people payed 600 bucks for the first one >_<

In total seriousness though, nothing apple announced today I think is a serious threat to palm. It doesn't feel like the game really has changed. I thought in terms of iPhone related news, it was really underwhelming =/ Everything we pretty much already new, and the more exciting rumored features, like video chat, weren't even present. Not even steve jobs T_T

[jimmy @ Jun 8th 2009 3:42PM]

no way, dude. Pre is not an iPhone competitor, it's a Blackberry competitor. People who want keyboards will never buy an iphone. And no one (especially now) will catch up to the iphone in the near future.

Now, it's a fight for #2.

[Bailers @ Jun 8th 2009 4:05PM]

Sorry fanboys, but IPhone is already the #2 smartphone. Blackberry Curve is the top selling in Q1 2009.

Glad I didn't get an overpriced phone on an underpowered network.

[Charles @ Jun 8th 2009 3:05PM]

I want new iPod Touch. Where is the new version??

[Nomi @ Jun 8th 2009 3:08PM]

They always come out in September...the iPods that is...

[Mark @ Jun 8th 2009 3:05PM]

Way to go Palm. You're toast.

[ALBGunner04 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:32PM]

So the iPhone getting features that phones back in 2004 had makes Palm toast?

[Victoid @ Jun 8th 2009 3:07PM]

underwhelming.

[G33K3D uP @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

My a** hurts!!! Apple just raped me!!!

[Absolute92 @ Jun 8th 2009 3:13PM]

lmao, I almost died lucky I had my Iphone 3gs Heart Meter app running to save me.

[Chris @ Jun 8th 2009 3:36PM]

Don't worry you'll get used to it the longer you use them.

[ash @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

This is phenomenal. I'm looking forward to the possibility of cheaper plans but that was a satisfying litany of announcements nevertheless!

[Brian @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

who cares? man this was disappointing.

[sk @ Jun 8th 2009 3:09PM]

Mostly the 3 mega pixel camera, common apple, it is 2009. 8 or 10 mega pixel please

[General_Trelane, (retired) @ Jun 8th 2009 3:07PM]

AHAHAHHA!!

You stupid greedy humans just got THE SHAWSHANKED!

iPhone 3Gs is what the iPhone 3G should have been..

Now Applet has you fools locked into a contract and the goodness that is the 3MP video camera is what you paid for the crap 3G that does not even get you 3G speeds on AT&T ROGERS crap networks...

You should have remained humble and stayed with the 1st gen metal iPhone and upgraded NOW!

AHAHAHAH!!!

Trelane, General, Esquire, (retired)

[Brian @ Jun 8th 2009 3:08PM]

I hate you, but you're right.

[redcard @ Jun 8th 2009 3:10PM]

Maybe you only have enough money to upgrade your phone every 3 years? Some of us have a bit more cash lying around

[General_Trelane, (retired) @ Jun 8th 2009 3:11PM]

The palm pre is your Redemption!

@ Redcard... Oh come now my good man, taking the money for a phone from your mom's whoring days is not gentlemanly of you now is it?

What did you learn?

[ash @ Jun 8th 2009 3:12PM]

Applet sure showed us!!!

HAHAHAHAHAA HAHA

Crap post... you will fade away now.

[superhobo @ Jun 8th 2009 3:25PM]

Still no Flash and Front camera, looks the same so the tards can't even show off.

[superhobo @ Jun 8th 2009 3:27PM]

Oh, and Multitasking. lol

[Kyle @ Jun 8th 2009 3:31PM]

When the 3G Iphone was released last year, at&t automatically made everyone who had purchased the 2g model eligible for upgrade...I am hoping the same will apply for this release.

[PedoJokerBear (aka Deeznuts) @ Jun 8th 2009 3:29PM]

the word crap has gained stock.

[G @ Jun 8th 2009 3:33PM]

it's what the original iPhone should have been, the features look pretty much like 2007 to me

[damiaking @ Jun 8th 2009 3:06PM]

the new one looks just the iphone 3g just get the 3g one and tell your friends is the new one

[Jeff @ Jun 8th 2009 3:12PM]

super meh. some fluff added to things that should have been there to begin with.