14 DAY TRIAL // AT&T, the largest North American mobile carrier and the only operator to offer the iPhone 3G in the US, has just unveiled the official prices and plans for Apple's new handset which will become available starting July 11.
The big news is that, after all the initial iPhone 3G craze is through, AT&T will also be offering the new handset free of contract. The double-T carrier doesn't say when exactly this will happen, but it does give the prices for the contract-free iPhone 3G: $599 for the 8GB version and $699 for the 16GB one. Well, there goes the "twice as fast, half the price" myth, as $599 is in no way half the price when compared to the price of the first-gen iPhone.
Still, the initially announced $199 price is a real one, but only for the 8G version of the handset and with a 2-year contract agreement that requires a monthly plan of at least $69.99 (which includes unlimited data). This price is only available for the following categories of customers:
- users who acquired the iPhone 3G before July 11, on pre-order; - users who activate a new AT&T line; - users who are AT&T customers and are eligible for an upgrade discount (at the time of iPhone 3G's purchase).
The 16GB iPhone 3G has a price of $299, provided that all the aforementioned conditions are fulfilled.
Those who don't fall into the above-listed categories will only be able to buy the new iPhone 3G stating at $399 (the 8GB version) and $499 (the 16GB version).
As you may already know, the iPhone 3G will be available on July 11, starting early in the morning, at 8 AM local time. According to AT&T, its stores will operate on a "first come - first served" basis. Hopefully, this doesn't mean that users will get into fights in order to be "the firsts."
"We can't wait to offer iPhone 3G to our customers, and we want to make sure the buying process is as easy as possible. Considering all the great new features of iPhone 3G, we think our pricing and monthly plans present a tremendous value for consumers and businesses alike," declared Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T's wireless unit.
For full details on AT&T's iPhone 3G prices, you can visit the carrier's website, found at this address.