Effective Living > Technology > Apple

Summary. This page is the central directory location for a variety of iPhone support resources.

Click here to read about the new iPhone 3GS.

Purchase Price. The retail price of a new 3G iPhone is about $400 for the 8GB or $500 for the 16GB unit (or $399 and $499 respectively). When phones are purchased, they must be put on an ATT 2-year contract at the time of purchase. A $200 discount will be applied at the time of purchase if the 2-year contract is for an additional phone or an existing phone that is eligible for upgrade (meaning a phone contract that is 20 months old). ATT sells phones at discounted prices knowing that they will make that money back over time. The 2-year contract allows ATT to give discounts of up to $200 on phones. This $200 discount can be thought of as a rent to own plan or a loan that is paid back through the monthly service charges. Below are some scenarios.

  • Question: I want to purchase an iPhone and I currently don’t have a cell phone or my cell phone service is with another company. How much will the new 3G 8GB iPhone cost? Answer: $200
  • Question: I want to purchase an iPhone and I am currently an ATT customer. I entered into a new 2-year contract (or renewed my contract) more than 20 months ago. I have four months to go. How much will the new 3G 8GB iPhone cost me? Answer: $200. After fulfilling 20 months of a 24 month contract, you can upgrade to a new phone.
  • Question: I want to purchase an iPhone and I am currently an ATT customer. About a year ago, I purchased a sim card for an existing phone so it could work with ATT. How much will the new 3G 8GB iPhone cost me? Answer: $200, assuming there is a 1-year contract for the SIM card.
  • Question: I want to purchase an iPhone and I am currently an ATT customer. My existing phone is less than 20 months into the 2-year contract. How much will the new 3G 8GB iPhone cost me? Answer: $400

Monthly Service Plan Cost. The monthly service contract cost will depend on your expressed use of the phone. During the phone setup, you will be asked, “”Will you use iPhone primarily to access corporate email, intranet, or for other proprietary business applications?” If you answer yes, the data plan will be $45 per month. If you answer no, the data plan will be $30 per month.

Two iPhones are Better Than One. There are many benefits to having two iPhones:

  • Battery Life. If you’re using your iPhone throughout the day, having two gives you a full day of battery life.
  • Greeting. By having two iPhones and two separate phone lines, it is possible to have a published public phone number as well as a business phone number. This makes it possible to personalize your outgoing greeting message for personal calls or business calls.
  • Memory Storage. If you like having extra video, music, and photos, carrying two iPhones offers twice the storage.
  • Reliability. As you become increasingly dependent upon the efficiency of having an iPhone, having a backup ensures that you’ll be able to keep going even if one crashes on you.

Clothing. Carpenter pants are the ideal clothing for the iPhone because they come with two side leg pockets that are the exact size of the iPhone. Cargo pants are good as well since they have pockets with flaps to ensure the iPhone doesn’t fall out when seated with legs up (such as a soft couch or bucket seat).

Support. In addition to the iPhone Support Page on the Apple website, the following support resources should prove to be useful.