Archive for category iPhone 3G S

Over One Million iPhone 3G S Models Sold Opening Weekend, Says Apple

Jun 22

Posted by Alan in Apple Inc, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS | No Comments

Apple has announced that over one million units of the iPhone 3G S were sold during its opening weekend and that over 6 million customers had downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software by the end of Sunday. The press release even quotes Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January of 2009:

Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

Does this mean Steve Jobs is back?

Link:

Apple: “Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models”

Apple Offering $30 in iTunes Store Credit for Activation Delays

Jun 22

Posted by Alan in Apple Inc, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS, iTunes | No Comments

Apple is compensating customers who experienced delays in activating their iPhones by offering them $30 in iTunes store credit. Customers affected should see the credit added to their iTunes accounts starting on Monday and receive the following email:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team

AT&T’s 7.2Mbps Network Speed Increase Not Yet Evident

Jun 20

Posted by Alan in AT&T Wireless, EDGE, HSDPA, HSPA+, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS | No Comments

The iPhone 3G S supports the new, faster 7.2Mbps HSDPA network, which AT&T is supposedly rolling out across the country starting this year and finishing up in 2011. AT&T has been running trials of the faster network in Chicago, but tech blog Engadget has found no evidence of dramatic speed increases yet to the network there.

As a fellow Chicagoan, I can confirm the findings and also notice there is little difference in speeds between the EDGE and 3G networks in the city. Just as with the implementation of MMS and tethering, AT&T seems a little slooow these days.

Link:

Engadget: “iPhone 3G S data isn’t really faster than the 3G’s in Chicago”

(Image via Engadget).

Art of the iPhone’s Poll of the Week

Jun 20

Posted by Alan in iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS, iPhone Poll Questions | No Comments

Are you upgrading to the iPhone 3G S, or are you keeping your old iPhone for another year?

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iPhone 3G S Launch Day Notes

Jun 19

Posted by Alan in O2 iPhone, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS, iPhone Activation Problems | No Comments

Lines again formed outside Apple stores for the launch of the new iPhone 3G S, albeit much shorter lines than for last year’s launch of the iPhone 3G. Despite the lower attendance, overall sales appear to be quite brisk, with an AT&T spokesman telling AppleInsider that AT&T had “sold hundreds of thousands through our preorder process prior to launch.” AppleInsider predicts Apple will “handily” sell over a million iPhones this weekend, noting that Apple’s preorders are likely to be much higher than AT&T’s.

Ralph De La Vega, AT&T Mobility President
One mobile carrier experiencing increased interest over last year is the UK’s O2. The company reported on their blog that, by lunchtime, it had already sold more of the iPhone 3G S than they did the iPhone 3G launch. Further, they expect to sell 50% more total iPhones by the end of the day compared with the 3G launch day.

O2 also noted that the black iPhone 3G S is outselling the white 3:1.

Activation Problems

Forum posters at Macrumors as well as Slash Lane at AppleInsider are reporting problems with the iPhone activation process. Starting around noon on Friday, many customers started receiving a “Waiting for activation” warning on their iPhones during the activation process as well as an iTunes popup warning that activation could take up to 48 hours. The first-gen iPhone and last year’s iPhone 3G experienced activation problems on launch day as well.

Now Available in Stores: The iPhone 3G S

Jun 19

Posted by Alan in Apple Stores, Retail, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS | 1 Comment

Yes, it’s finally here. The iPhone 3G S. Where can you get one? Cruise on down to one of these fine retailers near you:

Round up the kids, put grandma in the trunk, and head on out for some sexy, cutting-edge tech at Walmart.

AT&T Wireless Alters Early Upgrade Policy for the iPhone 3G S (Most Still Out of Luck)

Jun 17

Posted by Alan in AT&T Wireless, Early Upgrade, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS | 2 Comments

AT&T has altered its stance on just who qualifies for a fully subsidized iPhone 3G S ($199 16GB, $299 32GB). If you were previously told you were eligible for the subsidized upgrade starting in July, August, and September of 2009 (basically those who bought the original iPhone when it first came out), you can now get the lower price.

Despite the “change,” most iPhone 3G customers will still find themselves out of luck. Those who bought the iPhone 3G last summer and purchased the lowest-tier contract and data plan still won’t qualify for the lower price.

You can check if you qualify at AT&T.com/iphone.

How to Get Cash for Your Old iPhone (And Other Ways to Afford the new iPhone)

Jun 17

Posted by Alan in AT&T Wireless, Early Upgrade, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3GS, iPhone Bargains, iPhone Upgrade | 2 Comments

Want to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S but don’t want to pay the early upgrade price? Wired and Cult of Mac have come up with some clever ways to help iPhone 3G owners afford AT&T’s Early Upgrade pricing for the iPhone 3G S ($400 16GB/$500 32GB).

Wired suggests the most hassle-free method: sell your 3G to a website like Gazelle.com, which buys used electronics. I was able to get a price of $192 for an 8GB iPhone 3G and $232 for a 16GB. And if you sell your iPhone this week, you can get an extra 10 percent by entering in the coupon code “iPhone.” Some similar sites are NextWorth, BuyMyTronics, and Cash for iPhones.

If you do sell your old iPhone, make sure you erase your data and do a full restore before sending it off to its new owner. To do a secure erase of your iPhone:

1. Tap the Settings icon on your iPhone
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll down and tap Reset.
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
5. Tap Erase iPhone for the two warnings that pop up.

Note that it can take up to two hours to do a secure erase of your iPhone, but it’s very thorough.

Cancel Your AT&T Account, Then Resubscribe

Cult of Mac has some other interesting ideas, including canceling your current AT&T account and paying the pro-rated termination fee. You can then open a new AT&T account and get the subsidized price. It could save you a couple Andrew Jacksons. According to Cult of Mac:

AT&T permits its customers to terminate their contracts early for a fee of $175. This fee is pro-rated: Under your AT&T contract the termination fee is reduced by $5 per month of the contract completed. For example, for those of you who bought your iPhone and renewed your plan in July 2008 your termination is approximately $120 ($175-$55 = $120) since you probably have completed approximately eleven months of your contract.

So what do you say, lemme upgrade ya?

Links:

Wired.com: “How to Avoid Paying the iPhone 3GS Upgrade Tax”

Cult of Mac: “How To: Make a Profit Upgrading To The iPhone 3G S“

Apple Delays Early Delivery of iPhone 3G S Preorders

Jun 17

Posted by Alan in Preorder iPhone, iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3G S Preorder | No Comments

Customers who had preordered an iPhone 3G S early had a brief moment of excitement when some started seeing June 17 and June 18 as their delivery dates. But, as with past product launches, Apple has asked the shipping companies to withhold delivery until June 19, the official launch date.

How to Get an iPhone 3G S for $129.35

Jun 15

Posted by Alan in AT&T Wireless, iPhone 3G S, iPhone Bargains | 1 Comment

Forget buying the previous-gen iPhone 3G for $99. Why not toss in another $30 and get the new iPhone 3G S?

Bing.com (formerly Microsoft’s Live search) has a cashback program, and they’re offering 35% cashback ($70) on the purchase of a 16GB iPhone 3G S. To take advantage, just follow these instructions (note this deal is for new AT&T customers only):

1. You’ll need to sign up for the Bing Cashback program first, which can be done at Bing.com/cashback.

2. When finished, go back to Bing.com and search for ATT Wireless. You’ll see this:

3. Click on the Bing Cashback gold coin that appears in an advertisement at the top of the page. It’ll take you to AT&T Wireless’ website with a special pop-up window.

4. Follow the instructions on ATTwireless.com to purchase the iPhone 3G S:

You’ll then get a check sent to you in a couple months or transferred into your Paypal account if you like. Yes, you can make Microsoft pay you to buy an iPhone. Insert Apple-fanboy maniacal laughter here.