As long as people have their widgets, all is right with the world

Apple is usually pretty good about that. If you buy something of theirs and they update it within a month, they will usually let you upgrade. It offsets how secretive they can be about upgrades.

When buying any Apple product, one should always expect something newer and possibly better to be released within 6 to 9 months.

This is what happens when your self-esteem and self-worth is derived from an object you carry around in your pocket.

@BenderRodriguez: You can scratch Apple from that sentence for just about any area of computer or other electronics purchase.

@SteveBMD: How about items on your wrist, ears, neck and certain other anatomy's? They count also I hope?

Anyone know if you can do this with the refurbished models?

@SteveBMD: This

@SteveBMD: I don't understand the relevance of your comment. It seems like a lot of people think the only reason iPhone users have the thing is for some sort of status. I could care less what people think of my phone, its a goddam phone for crissakes. I just like the thing.

@brandonmaldonado: Yes. You'll just have to pay the difference between the refurbished price and the new 3GS price, in addition to the restocking fee.

@Chmeeee: Plus there's a certain irony in how invested some people are in not having an iPhone, which is just as brand-centric as wanting to have one.

Grr. I think I bought mine a little before that. I wonder if they'll still let me exchange it.

The Macrumors.com web site has a nice "Buyer's Guide" feature that lists each Apple product, along with a history of upgrades and a recommedation to "buy" "wait" or "neutral" depending on its typical upgrade cycle. Not foolproof, but very useful for people who don't keep track of every product upgrade.

Since the iPhone is always updated in early June at WWDC, doing some basic research would have spared her some hassle.

@Chmeeee: I usually think the best metaphor for things like this is back when guys (probably still do) compare horsepower or engines of each others car. " Mine is a V8 with 465hp...yeah well mine has a turbo injection which creates 50 more horse power than yours!"

Once the iPod first came out, everyone was comparing how much music (I have 4GB...I have 6.7GB, I have 4000 songs...I have 10,000 etc) they have verse each other. It would literally turn into a debate or a pissing contest...more a pissing contest.

It is just a matter of pride that you are up to date and have the lastest and greatest, but isnt that what advertising and this country is all about?

I called 866-499-8008 (AT&T's online sales company), and was told I could have the $100 credited back to the card I used for the purchase of the phone (I bought it last week; it's a long story why, and I knew I was taking a gamble that the new iPhones would be announced on Monday. But, whatever.) I'm holding my breath until that actually happens, though. I also had to call AT&T twice before I got a hold of someone who knew what was going on.

The first lady I talked to told me that I'd have to mail the phone back to AT&T, they'd reverse my upgrade, and then I could rebuy an iPhone at the reduced price of $99. That seemed really stupid/insanely genius on AT&T's part, so I called back and talked to someone else who gave me the other number to call.

@pecan 3.14159265: I bought mine on the 3rd, so I'm not sure either.

@acknight: Yep...was just going to say that. Apple is not the only one who updates an average of 6 months or so. They are just widely known for doing since Jobs' keynotes and their secrecy.

@Chmeeee: Some people have a really hard time with that concept. It seems that someone can only be in one of two mindsets:

Either they worship everything Apple does and have to have an iPhone because it somehow completes them and makes them worthy of walking the earth, or they disdain Apple and everything it stands for and can't comprehend how anyone would be so slavishly devoted to a company that they just have to own their products.

There doesn't seem to be a "hey, it's a pretty useful device and it does what I need it to do in a way that I like" camp.

Of note: The restocking fee is 10% of the new lower $99 price, so actually should only be around $10.

Also, these policies are for iPhones purchased from AT&T channels - online, AT&T corporate stores, etc. People who purchased devices from Best Buy, Walmart, or even Apple, will need to return to the point of sale for information on how that chain plans on handling returns and price guarantees.

@SteveBMD:

Maybe I want a cell phone that has access to

- Great functionality, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc.

- Various & useful apps.

- A slick interface.

Those millions of iPhone owners would tell you that the phone fulfills all of those functions. Hell I would want one for those reasons. The only thing holding me back right now is the price.

So, yes, I'm sure some people equate certain phones with status symbols. I, on the other hand, will look at an iPhone, and the first thing in my mind is "$70/mo".

@SteveBMD: I was always under the impression that that was normally kept it our pants (for men at least).

hm...

@SteveBMD: You're projecting your own insecurities onto the OP. Nowhere in the article does it mention she needed the newest phone in order to feel good about herself. If I had a choice between the two phones, I'd choose the 3gs as well, because it's a better phone.

@LegoMan322: Although true, only Apple products and the surrounding hype around them manage to completely make you feel like a douche for not having the latest and greatest.

I recently bought a video card one generation behind the current one yet I don't feel nearly as bad as being the one holding the 1st generation Nano mere weeks before they released the less scratch-worthy 2nd gen.

@Joshua Davis: Not everyone follows the product release dates of phones.

Most people who buy cell phones will go into the stores and buy whatever they like. Perhaps one could say the Apple/AT&T employees should have told the customer a new phone would be coming out?

So in this instance, she did nothing wrong. She went and bought the phone she wanted, she probably even went to the Apple website which made no mention of a new version coming out. Basic product research was covered.

Whenever you buy an Apple product, you have 2 weeks to return it, and have to pay the restocking fee. So even if a new product comes out, if it's within 2 weeks, you can return your old one, pay the restocking fee, and get the new one. I'm not thinking that AT&T was so much prepared for it, but was simply following Apple's protocol.

@Joshua Davis: My problem is that I needed a phone, and my contract with Verizon was ending before Apple was going to announce their new phone. So either I could go without a phone at all for a month and a half (impossible), or I could get a free phone (but then I couldn't get the discounted upgrade on an iPhone because I would be neither a new customer, nor eligible for an update).

So I got the 3G knowing that it was possible a new one would roll out in the summer or fall. I did get on the phone with the store, though, and they'll call me back when they find out whether I can exchange my phone, considering I'm only like 4 days outside the cutoff - which does seem a tad arbitrary. Why May 9? Seriously? Why not just make it May 1.

@tkdnate: I talked to an Apple store sales person today, and that's exactly what he said. That each store is handling things differently, and there's no "across the board" guideline.

I'm pretty sure their policy is to let a customer exchange ANY phone within 30 days of purchase, so it's not that extreme.

honestly i don't know why this is getting so much press. this happens with all phones. I bought a verizon env2 for really cheap because i re-upped my contract. They then came out with the env3 which i no longer can get at the cheap new contract price. I would have to pay twice as much. so i'm sorry that iphone users don't have the latest and greatest but it happens. just think, when your contract is up and you have a credit towards a new phone again, you'll be getting a newer phone while all those iphone 3gs users are complaining.

@morganlh85: True; but they are essentially extending the return period to include those purchased 30 days from the date of the announcement, up to the date of release.

@pecan 3.14159265: May 9 is 30 days before the announcement of the new phone. :)

@bravo369:

Really, no joke! Thats like buying a car and getting mad when the next years model comes out.

@SteveBMD: Not sure what stick is up your butt, but plenty of iPhone users have them because they're useful, functional and aesthetically pleasing. Would you tell Blackberry users they're putting their self esteem in their pockets? Or Pre users? Or G1 users? The iPhone is a device, like those others - the fact that you so obviously hate Apple and the people who use its products is clouding the fact that a lot of people just like having gadgets that work well and help them accomplish a lot of daily tasks.

@cabjf: This isn't an Apple decision, it's AT&T. Apple just provides the product, AT&T sells it.

@tkdnate: The announcement of a new phone was going to be made at WWDC, but there was speculation that the phone wouldn't actually launch until July or maybe later in the fall. I knew it was going to be announced at WWDC, but I thought it was probably too far off for me to wait and go without any means of communication (aside from email).

well, you can usually google and check which apple models are due for an update. And they only have big releases a few times a year, with warnings of what those days will be. It takes about 10 minutes of googling to see if what you are buying will be replaced soon...which is a hell of a lot easier than other companies. The cult has its uses.

Also, does anyone know if you are allowed to upgrade your phone, but keep your original contract? can they deny you the option to renew your current contract?

@SteveBMD: I have my phone so I can access e-mail, goof around on the internet, and play games every so often. It's just a neat little gadget that is a hell of a lot of fun to play with. My self-esteem and self-worth are most certainly not derived from an object I carry around in my pocket.

Well, unless you count my enormous genitals, that is.

Well, my experience has been, I've tried the iPhone. The people I know in my circles hyped the hell out of it until I finally caved and got a Gen 1. Still have the Gen 1, but have also had 2 3G's. It's been over a year now and I honestly can say that, while the iPhone is kind of cool in a "hey-check-out-this-other-silly-thing-it-can-do,-it's-kind-of-cool" way.... it really seems to be just a ton of excess.

I've got 3 screens of apps on it of which I use maybe three of the main ones that actually came with the phone. iPod, Settings, Phone. The rest really is just fluff and useless junk that I lived without perfectly fine before. Does anyone really need these retarded apps? The whole thing is just a massive money leak. The phones are expensive to begin with, the plan is expensive, and the ongoing purchasing of childish pointless apps just keeps the leak going.

I've given this thing about a year and a half worth of trial and evaluation and I fail to see how this is benefiting the human race in any way. I've concluded that it really is just wasteful. Especially with the constant need to keep getting the latest and greatest. It never ends. It's never good enough.

I've since terminated the 2 3G phones (and paid the ETF) and will be terminating the Gen 1 next week and going back to an inexpensive non-"smart" phone with a pay-as-you-go plan reducing my monthly phone expense to about $10 and without the need to continually upgrade to impress people sitting at the next table at freakin' Olive Garden. I don't expect my computers to make phone calls, and I don't expect my phone to edit video, play feature length movies and produce spreadsheets.

How much of your day is spent staring at your phone, pecking away at the screen? And how much of that time is actually productive? There is life beyond your phone. All this madness and mayhem this week over these phones is stupid. Having remorse over your phone is stupid.

It's a phone.

@SteveBMD: You know very little about the woman that this article was about, and yet you assume that her self-worth is based on a cell phone? Really?

@BZMedia: Who installed three screens of apps on the 3G? Mine came with only half a screen of apps that were all the standard ones. No one is making you purchase apps, and a lot of them are free.

@Chmeeee: "I could care less what people think of my phone, its a goddam phone for crissakes."

Aaah, so there is still room to care!

@mikesfree: ...No one was getting mad.

@SteveBMD: Mine's not so much *in* my pocket, but I think I get the genreal idea.

@pecan 3.14159265:

I did. It's tough to be talking about something unless you've experienced it. If I said I never installed ANY apps, you would be saying that I don't know anything because I've never tried any.

Well I have tried them. I KNOW they are useless.

@BZMedia: For someone who is so blase about a cell phone, you sure went on forever.

@pecan 3.14159265:

Just a question. At the end of your contract with Verizon are you allowed to go month to month? Or are you required to sign a new contract? T-mobile allows you to go month to month at the end of your contract (for the same cost and terms).

My point is if that was the case, I don't see the rush to sign with a new carrier. But I have never been a Verizon customer, so I don't know.

@nakedscience:

Wasn't my intention to be blase. Just my review of the iPhone experience over the last year & a half. Not just with the phone itself, but everything surrounding it. The new releases, the pressure and expense of upgrading, the plan cost increase with every new release, the million apps that let you pop virtual packing bubbles or watch electronic fish when you get bored, etc.

In a nutshell, I've been, I've seen, I have not been impressed.

For what it's worth, my wife and I switched from Verizon and got two 8gb iPhones about 2 1/2 months ago since my employer has a deal with AT&T for 20% off service. Last week two "mysterious" $100 credits showed up on my AT&T account.

As for @BZMedia and his post above mine... $99 for an 8gb iPhone isn't really all that bad, compared to other phones on other carriers with similar features. Some people only want/need something that makes/receives calls, others want more of the features that the iPhones offer.. I've found mine extremely useful on a few occasions. Using the GPS/Google Maps on a recent trip to Connecticut when I had to find something to eat for dinner, and being able to forward an e-mail to someone who needed something while I was out and not near a computer are two fine examples. Sure, there's a lot of wasteful apps on the iPhone. But one could say the same thing about the other carriers like Verizon that offer those games like Bejeweled that you can buy for $7.00 and play on a tiny screen, or all of the stupid ringtones.

Also, nobody's forcing you to use all of the apps on the iPhones. I bet AT&T loves the fact that they're making all of that money off of your early termination fees.