Unlike the previous times, when it was compulsory to buy iPhone under a fixed tenure contract covering the user, the service provide and the mobile manufacturer, you can now actually purchase the iPhone without entering into the contract. However if you decide to buy the iPhone without the contract restrictions, you will have to shell out a higher price.
For instance, if you are a U.S resident you could have bought a 8GB iPhone bounded by a 2 year agreement for USD199. If you do not want to be bound down by the two year contract, you can still buy the same iPhone (8 GB), but for a higher price of USD599 from your nearest AT&T store.
Similarly in the U.K you can buy the iPhone 3G without being bound down by the contract of O2 you will have to pay approximately double the price of an iPhone covered under a contract.
Also note that in many countries , it is actually illegal to bound down the buyer by the need for entering into a contract. In such countries iPhone 3G is compulsorily being sold without any underlying contract.
What does this mean for a buyer ? Does it make any difference if you buy the iPhone 3G (without any contract) from the service provider or from the Apple Store.
Yes it does make a difference.
To begin with there might be a difference in the prices if you buy it from say AT&T and if you buy it from Apple Inc. (its not different here in U.S but it may vary in other countries)
However the most major difference occurs on how the seller sees it. If you are buying it from the service provider say AT&T, you can purchase the iPhone 3G from them without the contract only if you are also purchasing the AT&T connection. Further AT&T has also specified different prices for buyers who are eligible for an upgrade account and buyers who are not. However if you decide to buy the iPhone 3G from an Apple store you are free to choose your service provider. Moreover if you are purchasing the iPhone without any contract from the service provider, they will only give one iPhone per individual only. If however you are buying from the Apple inc store, you can buy as many numbers of iPhone 3G as you wish. Further to this, there is a difference in the way your phone is activated. If you are buying the iPhone 3G (without contract) from the service provider, you might have to pay the activation fees (most of the service providers charge that) and the activation is to be done at the back end by the service provider.
However if you are buying it from the Apple store, you can activate your iPhone online though the iTunes .
Now the question as to what is better, buying the iPhone 3G with contract or buy iphone 3g without contract ?
The answer to this would totally depend on what are the preferences of the user. If you have no preferences with regard to the service provider and find the services of AT&T in your are good and upto your expectations, there is no point shelling out extra bucks to buy an iPhone 3G. However if the answer is otherwise, you now have an extra option of being able to buy the iPhone without entering into any restrictive contract.
Check Out These Too:
- Apple CEO Steve Jobs Takes $1 Salary Apple is now one of the largest companies in the world and they have a wide range of premium products that have attracted hundreds of thousands of users overt eh…
- Apple Launches Final Cut Pro X It was rumoured last week that Apple would be releasing a new version of their Final Cut Pro movie editing software this week and yesterday, Apple unveiled their latest product.…
- iTunes Match - Teaser of Latest Apple Technologies… New Apple Technology - iTunes Match Apple comes up with new technologies almost in every quarter of a year surprising and elating it users. Apple has started giving developers a…
- China Telecom to offer iPhone in the Last Quarter Reports said on Wednesday that China Telecom Corp Ltd is planning to launch Apple Inc iPhone to its 106 million subscribers starting November this year. This leap would actually help…
- Mobile Phone Battle - BlackBerry Versus IPhone Mobile Phone Battle - BlackBerry Versus IPhone. When it comes to picking out a mobile phone that would be right for you, the task can be quite difficult and time-consuming.…
- Special Orange Deals - Why You Should Sign Up With Orange Special Orange Deals - Why You Should Sign Up With Orange. If you're thinking about choosing Orange as your mobile service provider, here's what you need to know about all…
- How to Get Free iPhone 4? How to Get Free iPhone 4?. Everyone wants the most recent and best gizmos, and this contains the really cool Free Apple iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the cost of the iPhone…
- How to get an older iPhone for a low price Now that the iPhone 4S has been released and unveiled by Apple, many of the other iPhone models will be in a lot less demand which is great if you…
- Latest iPhone 3Gs Enhances the Smart Phone Experience Yes, with the release of iPhone 3Gs in some countries, Apple has reached top position in changing the meaning of the phone altogether. It has almost revolutionized the idea of…
- Apple Offers iPad Owners a Refund A few days ago, Apple announced the release of their next generation model of their popular tablet computer; the iPad. The iPad 2 will go on sale at the end…
- iPod Touch 4th Generation (4G) Release date Update:Now people searched for the next generation of iTouch, so they really want to know about: iPod touch 5th generation release date. The iPod Touch 4G has no fixed release…
- Where to Buy iPhone 3G? Where to Buy iPhone 3G So you want to buy an iPhone 3G ? Apple inc, the manufacturers of iPhone offer you two options to do that. You can either…
- Wait Is Over For The New iPhone 4 New iPhone 4. iPod Touch Games, The new iPhone 4 has been announced. It is revamped in more than just a few ways from the older 3GS and 3G models.…
- Original Apple Contract Sold At Auction for $1.6 Million Last month it was announced that the original founding contract for Apple would be sold at auction this month, originally analysts and experts predicted that it would sell for around…
- Apple Officially Begins Selling Unlocked iPhone 4S For the first time Apple is now selling the popular iPhone 4S as unlocked, no contract phones to users that wish to use the iPhone 4S on a network of…
- Apple to make Mini iPhone 5 A new rumour has emerged about Apple today and that is regarding the iPhone device. It is thought that Apple will actually be releasing a version of the iPhone later…
- Why Apple Steer Clear of AT&T If you have owned one of Apple’s beloved iPhone devices at some point in the past in the United States, then there is a chance that you will have had…
- Apple Tops Retailer Satisfaction Ratings The news just broke that Apple has earned a very coveted award for their service and work last year. Apple has earned the number one spot in terms of customer…
- Apple iPhone 5 release to be held back With the recent release of the iPad 2 from Apple, it is thought that Apple will now be working on the release of the iPhone 5 which has been thought…
- iPhone 3G Ringtones - Create the Custom Ringtones in… iPhone 3G comes with a number of ringtones that you can use for incoming calls, clock alarms, messages and clock timers. In addition to default ringtones you can also assign…
- HTC One X Vs. Apple IPhone 5 - Is It ONLY About Image? We find out why the HTC One X when compared to the Apple iPhone 5 came out on top. When we look back to September 2012 we see very clearly…
- Are You Looking For The Best IPhone Deals? Are You Looking For The Best IPhone Deals?. With the iPhone the excellence is in the details. Similarly, the best iphone deal is found when you can go through the…
- How to Prepare for the Release of Phone 5 Over the last few months, Apple has released its latest version of the iPhone device; the iPhone 4S and it has been selling at an incredible rate ever since. However,…
- Retailers will Now Carry iPhone 4 on Launch Day! Are you tired of standing in long lines at AT&T and Apple stores the day of a big launch? Or do you not live near one of these retail outlets…
- Apple iPad 2 on Sale Today Following the release of the original iPad from Apple last year, they have now created the fantastic iPad 2 device which is packed with new features. Apple announced the release…
- Jail Breaking Your IPhone 5 - The Ins And Outs Jailbreaking Your IPhone 5. iPhones are the most popular brand of mobile phone that the world has ever seen. The speed, ease of use and sleek design coupled with Apple's…
- Instagram Earns App of the Year Award Apple announced this week that they have officially selected their app of the year; Instagram is the app that took the coveted award and for good reason too. Instagram is…
- Apple Developers Receive Patent Threats Apple’s iOS devices were the devices that kick started the online app store revolution and today, although there are many others such as the Android app store, Apple’s version still…
- The Future Of The Apple Store Whats in store for apples outlets. Over the last 12 years the Apple Store has become an increasingly important landmark on the high street, firstly in America and now all…
- iPhones For Sale Cheap With the release of the iPhone 6, the iPhone 5s price has gone down into half its original price. You can now easily buy an iPhone 5 from various big…
