Comments on: Will O2 let UK iPhone users upgrade to the 3G iPhone early?

By: Stew Dean

Stew Dean — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:28:02 +0000

Upgrades? I think there’s some confusion here. The iPhone you effectively buy and then have a contract to use it. So the iphone is not like other phones in the UK in that there is no upgrade policy in place with the contract.

So when the 3G is available expect just to buy the phone, full price, and switch your service to that phone with no alteration to you new contract. When your contact runs out you renew it for another 18 months - the contract would just apply to what ever iPhone you where using it with. I would be very surprised to see any discount for existing iphone owners as that’s the equivalent of getting money off a new laptop or car just because you’ve owned the same brand before.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:42:18 +0000

Is there a release date for these yet?

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:02:45 +0000

However, you have to remember that manufactures such as Nokia, Samsung, Motorola release new and updated mobile phones every month with no offer of a free or discounted upgrade to their newer model. If you already have their previous model, you have to remember you have entered into an 18-month airtime agreement with O2 so legally you are tied in, with no early upgrade until month 17.

I do think you have a valid point though, as all other mobile phone contracts with mobile operators do offset the price of the handset and include it as part of your mobile agreements meaning they have to actually buy the phone, but in this case with the Apple iphone you have already paid for the device in full. – I do strongly believe O2 been O2 will have some sort of offer for us pre-existing iphone users, but I also think it’s wise and healthy to put yourself in the mindset that you may have to buy the 3G iphone all over again.

On the flip side of this you also have to look at Apple, they do love to set fixed prices, and fixed terms and conditions a sort of ‘do as I say’ attitude especially with the iphone, in all honestly O2 better be prepared for its hands to be tied on who gets and upgrade and how much.

By: David

David — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:15:01 +0000

I think that O2 should let iPhone Contract customers purchase the 2nd Generation iPhone (when or if it comes out) for it’s Apple RRP (lets say £299 this time) and then reset the customers contract from ‘date of purchase’ to another 18 month contract. In turn, O2 will be keeping their customer for a longer period. O2 will not be getting any percentage of the iPhone device profit, so the only thing O2 have to make profit on is getting people to sign up with them, and what better way to offer a new contract for iPhone 2nd Generation for 1st Generation iPhone O2 contract customers.

If O2 do not let existing customer change immediately to a 2nd Generation iPhone contract, they will loose customers coming back. Who’ll want to buy the 2nd generation iPhone 12 months after it has been launched by Apple (when your 18 month iPhone contract has just ended in May 2009!) on an even longer contract? By then we’ll have found away around getting an iPhone 2nd Generation on a contract and have no need to stay with O2. (just like the people who jailbreak their 1st generation iPhone already).

By: James

James — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:08:55 +0000

When they say “encourage” they better mean “discount”. I love my iPhone, but as a loyal apple customer I’ll be annoyed if I’m asked to pay full price for an upgrade so soon after shelling out for the phone.