AT&T iPhone 3G S uprade pricing change

If you're one of the many people who've decided to wait to buy the iPhone 3G S until they are eligible for the best upgrade price, you may be in luck. Due to complaints from early adopters who bought their iPhone 3G when it first arrived last July, AT&T has slightly revised their upgrade pricing. Now if you're one of the people who would qualify for the upgrade pricing later this June, or sometime in July, August, or September of 2009, you can get your iPhone 3G S at the highest discounted price of $199/$299 for 16 GB/32 GB now instead of waiting a couple of months or paying more and fuming about it.

If you've already pre-ordered your iPhone 3G S, you don't have to do anything. If you're picking up your phone at an AT&T store, the price will be adjusted there. If you're getting your phone delivered from AT&T, you'll be issued a credit. If you pre-ordered from Apple, it's not yet clear if the price will be slashed at the store at the time of pick-up, but if you're eligible, you will get the credit.

This is great news, and kind of a hahaha to all the people (probably eligible for the upgrade already themselves) who have said the complainers were whining unreasonably. My view is that Apple/AT&T breeds the early adoption longing, and for re-upping your contract, complete with hefty data and texting fees, you should get the partially subsidized price. After all, at some next year, you may be able to get an iPhone that's not tied to AT&T.

My complaint? I have a three iPhone family plan, bought the iPhone 3Gs (that's plural, not the new model) last July when they came out, have a HUGE bill that's well over $300 a month, have never been late on a payment and yet somehow I am not eligible for the early upgrade, and won't be eligible for the full upgrade price until December. Why? My cynical side says that my billing profile screams someone who will impatiently buy the iPhone 3G S anyway, without financial incentive. This seemingly arbitrary system of awarding upgrades at different times, with vague explanations of a "formula" is definitely incentive enough for me to consider going elsewhere with my iPhone, as soon as I can. Also, stupid AT&T- I and I would think most people who pay their bills on time, can't afford a $700 phone.

The online eligibility tool to determine your highly individualized, seemingly random date of obtaining your iPhone 3G S at the upgrade price will be updated at some point tomorrow to reflect the new, less harsh upgrade policy.

2 Days to go! And I will be reviewing the iPhone 3G S (harshly, haha), just not buying one on Friday.