Official iPhone 4 thread (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

I thought about Applecare too. You know what, it might be worth it. It's a mobile device and I get it for every Powerbook and Macbook Pro I own. After the warranty is over and it dies, and if it wasn't due to moisture, then at least you're covered.


This moisture issue is a surprise. I wouldn't use it at the gym then if you sweat a lot!

And I happen to speak to an AT&T store near me yesterday. They said if you're the first 50 at that store on the 15th, you are pretty much assured an iPhone on release day. But nothing was said about 1 per customer. That probably varies per store.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au


I'm going to the local AT&T store tomorrow. My questions are stacking up:

• How do I pre-order two iPhone 4 for two phone #s?
• Do both qualify for the subsidized pricing?
• Can they be shipped to me? (I don't want to do in store pickup)
• How do I get my #s ported from Verizon?
• How do I get them on a family plan?
• How do I get my corporate discount (FAN) applied?
• Can I add a texting plan afterwards, if I decide it's useful?
• What's the upgrade policy on both phones in the next year? Two years?

 

[Nelson Au]

I stand corrected! Good luck with your questions.

 

[Dennis*G]

Dave, keep us posted as those are my exact questions!


Though I really do not care if I pre-oreder or get the phones the very first day, but sometime before the year is out I will purchase them.

 

[DaveF]

Went to my local AT&T store and chatted with a friendly rep. Here's what I was told; any editorial on my part is parenthetical.

• How do I pre-order two iPhone 4 for two phone #s?

AT&T's corporate policy, on-line and in store, is one phone per household for new customers. But individual stores / reps are exercising discretion. My rep said he'll pre-order us two phones in store, no problem.

• Do both qualify for the subsidized pricing?

Yes.

• Can they be shipped to me? (I don't want to do in store pickup)

No. In-store pickup only with in-store pre order. However, they are held for seven days, so you don't have to get the release day. (Though I certainly want to).

• How do I get my #s ported from Verizon?

• How do I get them on a family plan?
• How do I get my corporate discount (FAN) applied?

Yes, these are all done during in-store setup. So pre-order in store, pick-up in store, and setup account and details in store. (My rep was clearly a fan of in-store setup. He might underestimate how much can be done wholly online now, but I'm persuaded that doing a new customer, multi-phone pre-order, with a family plan, FAN discount is best done in store.)

• What does FAN apply to?

All portions of contract costing $25 or more. Primary phone line: yes. Additional line at $9.99: no. Data Plans: yes for $25/2GB; but no for $15/200MB. Getting two $15 data plans doesn't matter, as each is under the $25 limit.

• Can I add a texting plan afterwards, if I decide it's useful?

Yes. No change to two-year contract.

• What's the upgrade policy on both phones in the next year? Two years?

After 18 months, both phones can be upgraded at two-year contract price.

• When should I pre-order?

Please pre-order on the 15th, to guarantee you'll get the iPhone at release. Pre-ordering later has, in some past years, delayed getting the phone.



Some personal thoughts:

The pre-order process is clearly setup for the individual buying a single iPhone for themself. Presumably, Apple is guarding against mass pre-orders for eBay, gray market, overseas sales (as we saw with the iPad).


If you want to pre-order a single iPhone and avoid the lines, online is the way to go. If you don't care about pre-ordering and want to buy multiple iPhones, when there are no lines or waiting, go to you AT&T store in a month or three and you're set.


If you want to pre-order multiple iPhones and setup a family plan, and etc., it seems that your lot in life is to contend with the other crazies at the store AT&T on the 15th and the 24th.


I welcome other information or approaches. But I'm taking my chances with the crowds and plan to go to AT&T Tuesday morning.

 

[Nelson Au]

One other thing I'll add and you can take it or leave it for what it's worth.


When I spoke to the Apple Store, the guy told me it would likely be faster to set-up in store. On release day, they expect that the lines will be jammed up because everyone will be trying to activate their iPhones on release day and it could take longer by doing it at home vs at an Apple Store and I imagine the same is true for an AT&T store.

 

[DaveF]

It's probably faster once you've gotten a rep to help you. But waiting in line to get to that point...And I'll be part of the problem

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Macworld turns in a very positive review of the iPhone 4


Going to Radio Shack tomorrow morning to get an
appraisal on my phone and turn it in if the price is

right.


I hear that value may lower as we get closer to

launch date.


I can go almost two weeks without my current iPhone.


Will let you guys know how I do tomorrow and how

many phones my local RS expects to receive.

 

[mattCR]

Jailbroken 3GS are still fetching about $300 on Craigslist here.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by DaveF

Went to my local AT&T store and chatted with a friendly rep.

And as I read the iPhone forum at MacRumors, I see various comments contradictory to what I was told. In particular, that in-store pre-orders can be shipped home (in-store pickup not required), which is contrary to the info I was given. Regardless, I'll act on the info from my local rep.


There's a lot of confusion, perhaps even including AT&T CS Reps I'm sure it will all work out in the end. But I hope for a smooth process.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just returned from Radio Shack.


I turned in my 32GB 3GS (with all accessories)

which was in almost excellent condition except

for a chip and a scratch and received a $247 credit.


They handed my SIMM card back to me so essentially

the phone is rendered useless.


That falls between what their website pays for

a pristine phone ($301) and a moderate wear ($226).


So, not bad, a $247 credit off of iPhone 4.


Radio Shack is taking preorders starting Thursday.

Essentially, they special order the phone for you.

That pretty much guarantees you a phone on opening day.

All you need to do is leave a $50 deposit when ordering.


They are not certain if they will have the phone

accessories or not.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

So ... Ron, what are you doing for a phone for the next week-and-a-half?? I couldn't go without an iPhone for that long of a period!! (Actually, for me, 10 hours would be too long; much less 10 days!!)


BTW, I just checked my upgrade eligibility using "*NEW#" and found that not only was I eligible for the upgrade but that the $18 upgrade fee would be waived. (Not surprising, since my contract has been up since August of last year!)

 

[TonyD]

Originally Posted by Joseph Bolus

So ... Ron, what are you doing for a phone for the next week-and-a-half?? I couldn't go without an iPhone for that long of a period!! (Actually, for me, 10 hours would be too long; much less 10 days!!)


BTW, I just checked my upgrade eligibility using "*NEW#" and found that not only was I eligible for the upgrade but that the $18 upgrade fee would be waived. (Not surprising, since my contract has been up since August of last year!)

I have seen on howardforums.com someone posted that you can do the trade now and turn in the iphone on the day you pick up the iphone, unverified though.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Joseph,


Congrats on your upgrade eligibility.


Uhm, will be without a cell phone for the next two weeks.


I decided to give up my phone now because I understand the

closer you get to release date of iPhone the possibility that
the value of your current phone decreases.


I wanted maximum trade-in value which is why I risked

giving up my phone.

 

[Sam Posten]

Wow, I have a real quandary. I happened to go to Freehold mall at lunch today with a coworker who needed to head there so I decided to set up a genius appointment via my iPad while we were driving there. I wanted to see how expensive it would be to get a hairline fracture in the case fixed, which I had heard conflicting reports on multiple sites that Apple would or would not fix these issues under warranty. The genius got two good laughs out of me, apparently mine was the first phone they've seen in store with 4.0 on it (which I found hard to believe) and today was the last day my phone was covered under the original 1 year warranty. Apple just replaced my day 1 3GS today with a brand new unit at shall we say a VERY VERY VERY reasonable fee.


What good fortune! So now I have a still in plastic covered 3GS with my original sim card transferred to it. I can make and receive calls but have no content on it. If I wasn't going on business travel this week I might do what Ron did and trade in a week early. I wonder how much I could get for a new 3GS next tuesday afternoon...

 

[TonyD]

you had to pay something towards the replaced iphone?

I have the hairline cracks all over my phone.

 

[Sam Posten]

I can not confirm what I paid (if anything) in fairness to Apple =)

 

[TonyD]

You could probably sell that through craigslist or somewhere else for more right now, then you would get for trade, even more if you jb and unlock it.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Since the 3Gs will be able to run iOS4 (including multitasking) I would think that it would be able to retain a fair amount of its resell value.


The only real differences between the 3Gs and the iPhone 4:

* A4 processor for better speed.

* 40% longer battery life

* "FaceTime" with front facing camera

* Higher-resolution rear camera w/LED flash and 5x zoom supporting 720p HD video recording

* Gyroscope with 6-axis motion sensing

* "Retina" double-resolution display

* Slimmer form factor w/integrated-into-frame antennas for better reception


OTOH, forget about it!!

 

[DaveF]

I cleared off my work calendar for tomorrow, so I'll be going to AT&T sometime -- hopefully waiting in a *short* line -- to pre-order our pair of iPhone 4's I'm eager to get this done and phones in hand. The iPhone 3GS and iOS 3 gave everything I wanted in a phone; and we were financially ready to buy six months ago. It's been a wait, and I'm excited about re-organizing my life and again having a mobile calendar, contact list, etc.