When the new iPhone 3G S was announced at the 2009 WWDC in California, the price was to be $199 with a new AT&T contract. Unfortunately, for many iPhone 3G customers who pre-ordered the new iPhone were treated to a nice price tag of $399 or $499 for the 32GB model. In a cry of outrage, iPhone users took to the blogs, forums, and twitter pages to voice their opposition to this greedy policy by AT&T.
Here's what happened: The iPhone 3G S was released 11 months after the iPhone 3G. Therefore, there were hundreds of thousands of iPhone 3G users who wanted to upgrade to the new phone, but were literally just weeks away from being eligible for the discount pricing. You would think that AT&T would have worked this out beforehand considering what a large constituency the iPhone user base is and because of how much they pay per month for service.
AT&T did listen to the complaints and made some quick revisions to their policy. They are allowing iPhone users to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G S if their discount eligibility begins in either July or August of 2009. For those who have already bought the iPhone, especially through the pre-ordering system, make sure that you're getting the right pricing. There is a refund available for those who pre-ordered but were charged the higher prices.
This is just another example of how AT&T isn't putting enough thought into their relationship with Apple or with their iPhone users. If they want that contract renewed, which they do, they really need to start operating according with better thought and planning. Apple has thought through so many issues to make such a fantastic phone that the world loves, but in the U.S., its users are stuck with a second rate carrier.
It's good of AT&T to adjust its policy, and they did so quickly. Hopefully, further issues with upgrading to newer models of the iPhone will be less painful. They need to realize that the iPhone is not just another smartphone. It is an icon and a part of an Apple community, or an Apple cult as some have called it.
