Apple's 8GB iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 8th 2009 1:48PM
posted Jun 8th 2009 1:48PM
Read - AT&T press release
Read - Apple pre-order page
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smart release. right before fathers day
Awesome. iPhone 3G for $99, and I'm looking for a new phone...
Yeah, just to bad AT&T is still charging to much for its service.
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.
they need to drop the plan price point - still expensive
Where is the AT&T Announcement of a cheaper data plan?
@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.
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.
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.
tempted to just get one and break the contract. fuck monthly cell phone bills.
@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.
O2 are already doing them for free on 24 months or £50 on 18.
Not a lot of interest though.
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.
@ 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.
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.
cheaper plans! cheaper plans! cheaper plans!...
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?
RIP Palm.
Indeed, too bad.
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.
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..
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.
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.
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.
*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
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.
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.
I want new iPod Touch. Where is the new version??
They always come out in September...the iPods that is...
Way to go Palm. You're toast.
So the iPhone getting features that phones back in 2004 had makes Palm toast?
underwhelming.
My a** hurts!!! Apple just raped me!!!
lmao, I almost died lucky I had my Iphone 3gs Heart Meter app running to save me.
Don't worry you'll get used to it the longer you use them.
This is phenomenal. I'm looking forward to the possibility of cheaper plans but that was a satisfying litany of announcements nevertheless!
who cares? man this was disappointing.
Mostly the 3 mega pixel camera, common apple, it is 2009. 8 or 10 mega pixel please
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)
I hate you, but you're right.
Maybe you only have enough money to upgrade your phone every 3 years? Some of us have a bit more cash lying around
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?
Applet sure showed us!!!
HAHAHAHAHAA HAHA
Crap post... you will fade away now.
Still no Flash and Front camera, looks the same so the tards can't even show off.
Oh, and Multitasking. lol
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.
the word crap has gained stock.
it's what the original iPhone should have been, the features look pretty much like 2007 to me
the new one looks just the iphone 3g just get the 3g one and tell your friends is the new one
super meh. some fluff added to things that should have been there to begin with.
Any idea what out of contract price will be? $199?
12th apple post in a row jebus christ
Microsoft's E3 alone destroyed this conference.
1: What's the impact on unlocked pricing?
2: What does this price-point do to the market for iPod Touches, and will they see a price cut when the store comes back online?
1) You can't buy them unlocked from a retailer, so nobody really cares. If anything it will help the 3g unlocked pricing.
2) It will probably encourage people to buy iPhones, like Apple wants. Then once the hype dies down, they intro new prices (or specs) for iPods in September, and continue to profit.
What about the prices for the plan. A $100 cut doesn't mean much if the 2 year contract set you back over $1000. Call me when the monthly plans are $19.
Call me when the monthly plan for voice+data on ANY carrier with ANY device ANYWHERE is $19 a month.
How would we call you? Y'know, without a plan and all...
my plan is $21 a month, i'm just not in the US
you people are really getting screwed
...Slow news day???
j/k
the ONLY reason i am getting the 3GS is because my 3G's screen is cracked. otherwise i would not have upgraded.
they totally gave palm the upper hand with this crap, there is no real improvement. they didnt even bother with a redesign.
Except on price - if people were comparing the iPhone 3G and the Pre before hand, that "twice as expensive" price delta makes the 3G much, much more appealing to people in this economy.
However, I can't see how people can continue to justify a $100 phone and a $80/month phone bill...
Im slightly confused. I have AT&T and need a new phone. My current one is pretty much dead. Can I go to a store and pick up a iPhone if I am under contract for these prices or are there only the prices for new members. How much would it cost me to buy an iPhone today?
You're screwed. You can't get one. I don't think they're selling it outright.
Really? I can wait the week or two but my current phone is useless. How do people get new phones when I am not allowed to get them at the prices they flash on big F*ing projector screen!
Go check your account online. If it says you're eligible for a new phone you can get the new iPhone for $199 but you also have to sign for another 2 years.
You should be fine. In that situation don't they just require you to start a new 2-year contract?
If you're lucky, AT&T will let you extend your contract by another two years (from its original expiration date), in which case it'll cost you the amount on the screen.
People get it for the amount on the screen when they're not under a long-term contract already. If you are... well, that was your choice. :)
Alright thanks guys.
Does this mean I can get an Apple 2G for beans? Because I don't need 3G or GPS and I'll 3.0 the firmware.
QUESTION: If i have 3g with AT&T can I upgrade like before for the new contract price?!
This was a weak conference. Apart from some apps, my Nokia E71 still blows the iphone away!!!! Who still uses a compass??
How are you liking the E71? I like Nokias and was checking it out, but the menu button midsection seems crowded...
Hipster Boy Scouts.
I love the E71. I've had the iphone (which broke) and replaced with the Nokia. It's no comparison. It's already got 3MP autofocus camera, FM radio, internet radio, 3G GPS (works great with google maps), tons of battery life, background apps no problem and best of all, a real keyboard.
You will not be disappointed,
decision made!...i'm getting a N97 now for sure...
Thanks, Wayne.
Have the Nokia E71.. keyboard is way tooo small
Can't feel my typing and I always end up correcting my self
Bad location for the number keys as well
I have tried them all Blackberrys, Treo's, HTC Touch, iPhone, HP Win 5.0 Smartphone
keep comming back to my Bold ...
Totally underwhelming. $99 for 8gb more memory. Still, plenty of suckers out there.
This is getting ridiculous, apple is trying to destroy the mobile phone bussiness model developed over the years. With the 99$ iphone 3G, it should be hard for anyone else to sell any smartphone for much more.
I see a cisis coming. Palm Pre appeared doomed to me with such aggresivelly priced iphone 3G.
It blows the iphone away in what way?
Web browsing? No. Music? No. Video? No. Ease of Use? No.
it blows the iPhone in the fact that it is the one he owns.
@mark
Are you kidding me? I was one of the thousands of people watching this keynote, trying to decide between the pre and iphone 3G[s] and it is safe to say that I was expecting a lot more out of the new iphone. I feel like i speak for many of the people in the middle for the fact that we wanted something different our of the new 3g[s} besides a new operating system and a video recorder. We werent deciding whether we should go buy the 3G or the Pre...it was between the 3G[s] and the Pre. Although the Pre did have some launch difficulties today...there is no doubt they can get it under control. This was the a great keynote in many area's but i feel confident in saying that you can see me with my new pre in a couple of weeks.
I called it, WWDC 2009 a HUGE disappointment.
The 3GS is now on the hardware level of the rest of the phones, with it including MMS, video recording, higher megapixel camera :). Very disappointing conference, better luck next year.
You've convinced me to get a Pre, Apple. Thanks for sticking with shitty AT&T.
I agree. Spring just called me and said they have one in stock for me. (I slept late on Saturday).
If Sprint was smart, they would drop the price on their everything plus plan for the Pre. Imagine how many users the Pre would get if you got unlimited data and texts for around or under $50.
500 minutes, unlimited everything... is $59.99 / month.
Amen to that. Then the SERO people wouldn't even feel burned.
As stated above you can already get 450min/unlimted everything for 59.99, and also couple that with if you try even in the least you can almost certainly get a discount with sprint. Most large employers and the .gov have employee discount setups with sprint. It seems like a large disparity when you can get a 450min unlimited everything account along with an unlimited broadband card all for the same price you would be paying on att for just an iphone and a normal plan.
Except Sprint has basically no reception where I am, while I get 3G reception with AT&T. If it were purely a question of phones, I'd definitely be checking out the Pre and doing some comparison shopping (I haven't actually seen one in the flesh yet). But because Sprint's network has terrible coverage in my state, it looks like it'll be the iPhone 3GS for me.
I currently have the original iPhone and love it, so it'll be a bit more of a bump for me than if I already owned the 3G. If I currently had an iPhone 3G, I doubt I'd shell out the money for the 3GS. But I don't think Apple's really expecting many people to make that move, anyway- they're trying to lure people away from Sprint with the $99 3G and maybe convince those of us still using the original iPhone (and there's a fair number of us, from what I've seen) to finally get with the program and make the move. And personally, I've been wanting an iPhone that could completely replace my 30 gig iPod in terms of storage space, and now I can get one. That's of way more consequence to me than video capabilities or an extra megapixel in the camera.
I am curious to see whether they do the whole, "Everyone who already has an iPhone gets upgrade pricing regardless of their contract status!" thing again.
whats the big deal? 99$? in austria you can get the 3G on contract for 0€
finally I can get an iphone 3G for my 5-year old to trash! lol
Palm Pre is looking better and better.
UPGRADE MY ASS
For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB)
yeah thanks for rewarding your peeps apple...
FAIL
Its not Apple, its AT&T.
Remember, they subsidized the 3G, so you got it for like $200-$300 cheaper than the ones with contract.
You could, in theory, take your 16GB 3G, unlock it, and sell it for $400 on ebay, and make a profit on it (since you only paid $299 for it).
I say wait for teh refurbs, or unlock and sell ur iphone.
Great, now how about they start selling Never-locked phones at a decent price directly so I don't have to deal with AT&T?
shveet!
You can pre-order the phone now.
But the site is hammered!