How low can you go? iPhone 3G 8GB refurb now available for $79, 16GB for $129
When Apple announced that the iPhone 3G would drop in price to $99 with the introduction of the 3GS, it was a big deal. It wasn’t much of a surprise of course as we had been expecting the iPhone to dip below $100 for quite some time already, but a big deal none the less. As was also expected, AT&T has just issued its first round of refurbished iPhone 3G models since the price cut and the prices, though not nearly as reduced as we’re used to seeing, are lower still: $79 for an 8GB model and $129 for a 16GB model. This poses the question, is the iPhone 3G any more attractive at these price points? Of course the real barrier for many is the additional cost of ownership over two years — a minimum of $1,680 plus taxes and fees on an individual plan. We know that lines up well with flagship phones from other carriers but a $79 handset isn’t competing with flagship phones anymore where cost and demographics are concerned. After all, $79 phone is what people spend on a phone when they don’t care what phone it is; the cost of owning said phone will likely come in at just over half of what an iPhone will cost over two years. What do you guys think — is an $80 iPhone 3G a great buy or is AT&T wasting its time with these new lower price points?
[Via TUAW]
The more the merrier.. I guess.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).
nice love the price but i will never sing a contract with at&t no way
How quickly the iPhone is becoming the new RAZR. Pretty soon they’ll be free all over the place.
I loved the iPhone at first but now it’s too overplayed. Everyone and their grandma have them now.
ATT will no doubt sign up a lot of users at this price point, but it makes me wonder if this is a knee jerk reaction to an overall slowdown of new postpaid contracts. The cheapening of the Apple iPhone brand is commencing and commencing fast.
My personal opinion: ATT has put all its bets on the iPhone. Unlike Verizon which doesn’t need an iconic device to draw subs in ATT quite frankly does.
With the Pre, the new myTouch 3G and the new Tour, ATT is pulling out all stops to keep current subs from defecting and winning those still on the fence about signing up with them in the first place.
Some Americans are dumb. Sometimes we only look at the initial hardware cost as the biggest factor when choosing a wireless provider. ATT is smart and playing on this weakness. Get ‘em in on the cheap and then rape them with the MRC (monthly recurring charge).
I realize it is just a typo but I would love to hear someone sing a contract with AT&T
@Melanie: Very good points, but I’d like to add a couple.
To me, ATT is the only viable alternative for those of us who like sim cards. T-Mobile is nice, but their 3G footprint is tiny and almost no manufacturer supports their bands. I would rather pay a premium price for the service, but have the ability to switch my phone on a daily basis if I choose. I realize of course most people don’t even know what a SIM card is or the difference between CDMA and GSM carriers.
I still think its silly for people to sign a 2 year contract over the older model, the $100 is a single month of service…
Sigh
Americans dumb? unPossible!!1
$49- 8GB
$99- 16GB
At rogers.ca
you get $50 from a rogers encore phone
Rogers Encore phones are phones that were returned by customers within the 30 day warranty period.
They are either unused or lightly used and they must pass rigorous final Quality Assurance testing before their sale.
Phones do not come with ear phones or other accessories
I wonder if ATT is subsidizing this phone with Apple’s blessing? (I’m not saying they need it but you know….) Sure they want to move a lot of older units, but it’s definitely not Mac-Style.
Apple prides itself in keeping hardware prices higher as it considers itself a premium brand.
Very interesting indeed.
Anon Said:
@Melanie: Very good points, but I’d like to add a couple.
To me, ATT is the only viable alternative for those of us who like sim cards. T-Mobile is nice, but their 3G footprint is tiny and almost no manufacturer supports their bands. I would rather pay a premium price for the service, but have the ability to switch my phone on a daily basis if I choose. I realize of course most people don’t even know what a SIM card is or the difference between CDMA and GSM carriers.
I still think its silly for people to sign a 2 year contract over the older model, the $100 is a single month of service…
Sigh..yeah gsm is great and way better that CDMA and sim card are great and really easy to change from phone to phone but at&t is too expensive i have sprint an there service is really good where i live
Umm several of my friends have an i phone 3G and live in the Los Angeles Metro Area, as far as T-Mobile’s 3G footprint however small its at least consistent. At&t’s 3G is hardly there and it does it seems to appear and disappear with a cool breeze. I think the reason At&t’s 3G is the “fastest” its because its the “fastest” to lose its 3G signal. I was seriously considering going to At&t for the i phone. But its essentially rape on their plans, and the supposed charge for MMS later this summer on a i phone. With a cap on how many and size requirements?
These cheap iphone refurbs are a gateway drug into the cult that is Apple. It’ll eventually lead them into the purchase of a macbook, imac or Mac Pro desktop, as well as countless t-shirts, caps and mugs with the apple logo.
@Danny,
You are high. Everyone has a pearl or curve now. They give that crap away
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Fairborn United States
ATT probably bought a million extra units and is trying to get rid of them…..
As far as whether it’s a great buy or not, some people just want an iPhone…they don’t even know how to use it, so for them it’s a great buy. Not everybody is a technology freak (myself included) that needs that latest and best as soon or before it comes out!!!
@StevenGlansburg
8320 Curve is still quite a bit on contract from at&t, although the Pearl, in desperate need of a revision, is cheaper.
i dont like how the iphone has become so accessible
Why would anyone buy the refurb when the new is only $20 more? Once the difference is $50 or more then it is worth considering.
@Melanie
Excellent point. I for one do have an iPhone and I enjoy it. One thing is true, if ATT did not get the iPhone, I do wonder where ATT would be. As far as the prices, yes, they are expensive but what can i say. We can bitch and complain about the prices but the fact is that the providers dont give a ****. They just want their money. I dont typically jump from provider to provider because that may seem like a hassle.
On a different note, it looks like other providers may be trying to find a Jesus phone too. Correct me if I am wrong, but Sprint and the Palm Pre / Verizon and Storm. Its all about how they market the phones. So far ATT and Apple have found a sweet spot. I do agree, sooner than later they will fall from that pedestal.
Not bashing on anyone in particular, i am just saying thats all.
iPhone is going to meet the same wall Blackberry met. There are only so many consumers willing to pay for data.
The bigger question is where are all these 3G’s coming from?
I pay $85/mo for unlimited voice, data and 200 texts. AT&T would charge me $50 extra. I could buy 6 new iPhone 3GSes or 12 3Gs for the privilege of signing onto AT&T for 2 years. No thanks!
I picked one up at the $99 price. Added to my share plan to replace my busted 1g touch. Well worth the price and it drives data plans for AT
@David Thande™,
They aren’t going to charge more for iPhone mms. Their unlimited plan is $20 no matter if it’s a smart phone or a dumb phone. And as far as I know, I’ve only seen phones limit the size of an mms, so it will depend on apple’s choice on how large of an mms file we can send.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Chandler United States
Pretty soon the iClone is going to be free w/contract and At&t will start accepting food stamps as payment toward iClone voice and data plans for the poor white trash who presently find themselves overwhelmed by the cost of carrying the world’s greatest false status symbol.
The next logical step of course is the GPS equipped personal identification/command chip that, with At&t’s full cooperation, will be implanted into the brain of every human being so that the government can have complete control over it’s lemmings at all times. Everyone raise your heads up to jesus.
I think it’s a reaction to the market and how people are beginning to realize that the similar luxuries found on the iPhone can also be had on the MyTouch 3G, Pre and Tour. No, none of those phones do EVERYTHING the iPhone does, but nonetheless, they are great phones in their own rights and can be owned for much cheaper on a monthly basis.
I also think AT&T is realizing that people can easily buy an iPhone on craigslist or eBay for 300-400 dollars and have it unlocked to use on TMobile’s network for MUCH cheaper. I have my iPhone unlocked and I use it on TMo for about 60 dollars a month. That included unlimited texting and data (via the Blackberry plan for those curious). The savings over a 2 year period easily warrant paying 300-400 dollars up front for the phone itself.
don’t understand how people on craigslist ebay think they can get 350+ for ‘used’ phone when you can get one now for $80 + 180 etf cancel then use as @joe says above w unlocked tmo. Are these guys really getting $500 for a 16g on craigslist/ebay?