Many people (including the many Malaysians that approached The Mobile Hornet) want to know how to circumvent the tie-in telco contract with the iPhone 3G and of course just as many want to buy the iPhone 3G unlocked.
Macworld has compiled some frequently asked questions about the new iPHONE 3G and hope that will help to clear your doubts on what to do next. The FAQ has reference to AT&T iPhone 3G plan. Other telcos in other countries may have similar kind of arrangements and pricing as Apple try to have a global standard :
- SO THE iPHONE COSTS US$199 (RM656) OR US$299 (RM986), RIGHT?
- Sure, Steve Jobs has touted the US$199 price tag for the iPhone 3G, but as with anything where a non-Apple company is involved, the truth is not quite that straightforward. If you’re a new customer to AT&T, you will pay US$199 for the 8GB model or US$299 for the 16GB model, as long as you also sign up for a 2 year contract.
- If, however, you are an existing AT&T customer, the price you pay for an iPhone 3G will depend on other factors. If you bought an iPhone before July 11th or you are eligible for an upgrade discount at the time of purchase (check your My Account page AT&T’s website to find out if you qualify), you can also take advantage of the US$199/US$299 pricing. Otherwise, you can purchase an “early upgrade” which will run you US$399 (RM1,316) for the 8GB or US$499 (RM1,646) for the 16GB model. Both of those cases will require you to extend your current contract for another two years, and you’ll have to pay an US$18 (RM59) upgrade fee to boot.
- Just anecdotally, let me add this: I switched to AT&T from Verizon for the iPhone last year and signed up for a two-year contract. My account page says that I am indeed eligible for an equipment discount, so if you’re in a similar boat to me—and I suspect that many of you are—you may qualify for the cheaper pricing.
- CAN I GET AN iPHONE WITHOUT SIGNING UP FOR A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT?
- No. Well, not yet anyway. According to AT&T, a “no-commitment” version of the iPhone 3G (perfect for those of us with commitmentphobia) is “coming soon”, and will run US$599 (RM1,976) for the 8GB model and US$699 (RM2,306) for the 16GB model. Yowch.
- WHAT ABOUT PREPAID PLANS? CAN I SIGN UP FOR ONE WITH THE iPHONE 3G?
- ‘Fraid not. According to AT&T’s cutely named iReady checklist, prepaid plans are not available for iPhone 3G.
- I WANT TO BUY iPHONES FOR ME, MY DOG RALPHIE, AND MY AUNT MARGE; CAN I DO THAT?
- Nyet. AT&T says you may purchase only 1 iPhone per person in line. Your Aunt Marge and Ralphie will have to wait in line for their own.
- IF I BUY A NEW iPHONE 3G, HOW DO I TRANSFER DATA FROM MY OLD IPHONE?
- Fortunately, iTunes will take care of that. Make sure you sync your existing iPhone with iTunes before trying to sync your new phone so that all your data is current.
- WILL MY NEW iPHONE 3G BE ABLE TO RETRIEVE MY EXISTING VOICEMAILS?
- Apparently not. AT&T says “Check and clear your voicemail. Any existing voicemail messages will be lost once your new phone is activated.” So if you were hoping to retain that hilarious message your friend sent you from their bachelor party, you might want to find some other way of recording it.
- WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD iPHONE ONCE I’VE GOT MY SHINY NEW iPHONE 3G?
- Well, whatever you want, really. You can hand your old phone off to your friend or family member who can then activate it themselves via iTunes. AT&T provides full details for how to do so at their site. If you decide not to pass your old phone on, here are some suggestions for what to do with your old unit.
- Alternatively, there are software programs out there that will probably let you turn it into a pretty functional iPod touch.
- CAN I ADD AN iPHONE 3G TO AN EXISTING FAMILYTALK PLAN?
- Heck yeah, you can.
- HOW ABOUT ADDING AN iPHONE 3G TO AN EXISTING FAMILYTALK PLAN…THAT ALREADY HAS AN ORIGINAL iPHONE ON IT?
- Sure, no problem! Anything for family.
- SO, SAY I HAVE AN ORIGINAL iPHONE, AND I BUY AN iPHONE 3G.
- That’s not really a question, but you intrigue me. Go on.
- IF I GIVE MY iPHONE AWAY TO A FRIEND, FAMILY, OR STRANGER ON THE INTERNET WITH LOTS OF MONEY, AND THEY ACTIVATE IT, WILL THEY HAVE TO USE THE NEW iPHONE 3G DATA PLANS, OR CAN THEY STILL SIGN UP FOR THE SAME ORIGINAL iPHONE PLANS?
- That’s quite a long question, but the answer is clear: the existing plans for the original iPhone (i.e. the US$20 (RM66) unlimited data plan) will still be available to those using the original iPhone plan. AT&T will not force you into using the 3G data plan—which, frankly, makes sense, right? I mean, that would be evil.
- SO WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THAT NO-COMMITMENT OPTION FOR THE iPHONE? IT’S NOT AN UNLOCKED iPHONE, IS IT?
- Indeed not. The “no-commitment option” that AT&T is providing, whereby you pay US$599 (RM1,976)for the 8GB iPhone 3G or US$699 (RM2,306) for the 16GB iPhone 3G, basically allows you to snag an iPhone without the 24-month contract. But you’re still pretty much tied into getting an AT&T plan if you want to use it as a phone; you won’t just be able to pop in a T-Mobile SIM card. However, should you wish to cancel that AT&T plan, you will not have to pay an early termination fee, since you have no contract.
