Comments on: Yes Virginia, there is a $99 iPhone

By: Ted, Pasadena, CA

Ted, Pasadena, CA — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:10:02 +0000

These are not refurbished phones. As is AT&T's policy, they simply put returned phones back in their original packaging and resell them at a discount. They leave it to the manufacturer, in this case Apple, to deal with any actual issue with the hardware. Don't fool yourselves. Buy a new one, so that you get the full warranty. The 'refurbs' offered by AT&T will come with the balance of the warranty from the date of original purchase.

I am a former Apple retail employee, and know this to be true. As an Apple employee we were constantly reminded not to comment on these practices by AT&T, but were well aware of what they were doing. We were constantly putting out AT&T's fires. In many cases the phones still contained customer data from the previous owner. Completely unacceptable. Buy a new one, and save yourself grief and a visit to an Apple Store to clean up AT&T's mess…

By: Chuck Konfrst, Peachtree Corners, Georgia

Chuck Konfrst, Peachtree Corners, Georgia — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:53:26 +0000

They're now $49 (8GB) and $149 (16GB) through December 31.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phones/refurb-phones.jsp

ex ped: Looks like $99 to me.

By: apa new york new york

apa new york new york — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:16:35 +0000

BC wrote:

"The $99 iPhone becomes $199 for those of us who are “not upgrade eligible”, which is still much better than the $399 for a brand-spankin new one."

How were you able to get the 8gb version for 199.00, I am not eligible for an upgrade and I cannot purchase a refurbished phone at all….they suck

By: Dreamdeceiver, Silicone Valley

Dreamdeceiver, Silicone Valley — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:43:13 +0000

The smart thing would have been to sell the refurbed 8 GB phones for $49 and the 16 GB for $99 exclusively at Walmart. Walmart probably has a policy against sell used goods.

By: Margaret, San Jose, CA

Margaret, San Jose, CA — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:33:01 +0000

But, when will we see an iPhone Pro?

http://tinycomb.com/2008/12/29/iphone-pro-photos/

http://gizmodo.com/5119445/the-dream-iphone-pro?skyline=true&s=i

By: anima9

anima9 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:40:04 +0000

WOW…an iphone that's actually affordable o_O i just hope the price is also slashed here

By: Frederic Golden Santa Barbara CA

Frederic Golden Santa Barbara CA — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:08:53 +0000

Bummer! I recently lost my original IPhone on a flight from LAX to JFK. I asked both Apple & AT&T if they had any refurbished phones available. They said no & forced me into a new contract. So much for corporate candid in the age of Madoff.

By: mandeewidrick

mandeewidrick — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:25:59 +0000

I've had my iPhone for not even a year yet. I bought mine for a whopping $500 just two months before they came out with the cheaper iPhone. I love it but even for $500 it was not without it's faults. I had to send the phone in for a complete replacement because it died for no apparent reason not long after I purchased it, and even Apple couldn't figure out what went wrong. Being a die-hard Apple fan, I was disappointed to pay so much money only to have such bizarre problems. Wish I'd waited for this sweet deal they're offering now.

By: BC, Houston, TX

BC, Houston, TX — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:07:14 +0000

The $99 iPhone becomes $199 for those of us who are "not upgrade eligible", which is still much better than the $399 for a brand-spankin new one.

By: Stan Kerns, Greeley, CO

Stan Kerns, Greeley, CO — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 05:53:43 +0000

A chink here (Walmart) and a chink there (ATT)–when the first round of 2 year contracts comes due this summer ebay is going to be awash in iphones with no strings attached–at which point the whole poisonous scheme is going to crash–and I will be buying a phone–without the accompanying ring through my nose–YEA!!!