If you are an existing Rogers customer and you have are
eligible for an upgrade you will get your upgrade to an iPhone
on Friday July 11 (depending on stock of course). It is the
same as any other phone upgrade.
For instance: I currently have a voice plan and a data plan. I
have agreed to the 3 year contract so my 8GB iPhone 3G will
cost me $224.00 with a $50 mail-rebate (remember this is
Rogers!) So it will cost me $174.00 – with no change in
my voice plan or data plan!!! I pay Rogers a lot of money
every month and I’m a “preferred client” and
according to my source, “Rogers may be thick but
they’re not stupid.”
On the Rogers web site it says:
Already an existing customer?
If you are an existing customer, you may keep your existing
voice service plan and add a separate data plan. To check your
upgrade eligibility, please call 1 888 ROGERS1 or visit your
nearest Rogers retail location.
The plans that are
posted
are for NEW activations and you can mix and match once
you’ve got the iPhone.
With respect to the 3 year commitment – the iPhone is a
GSM phone so you can only use it with Rogers – where
else are you going to go? To get out of the commitment it will
cost you $20/month remaining on your contract up to a $400
maximum. Rogers is also subsidizing the cost of the iPhone by
at least $450 – so it would cost you a bundle to buy the
iPhone unlocked.
Rogers may be prepared to disable unlocked iPhones in advance
of July 11 launch in Canada.
Rumor has it that the prices will be $199 and $299 each with a
three year contract. There’ s no word on what happens if
you are not currently eligible for an upgrade or what Rogers
plans to do for the 40,000+ current iPhone users. It would
seem fitting that they would destroy the relationship with
current unofficial installed base. An installed base of users
who are ultimately championing the platform in Canada.
Rogers is subsidizing the cost of the iPhone in Canada –
which will cost the dealers about $500 a piece. And there is
no confirmed data plan packages yet. There will not be any
unlimited packages as AT&T and Tmobile have already lost
billions with the unlimited packages.
Apple is planning to make an iPhone announcement next week.
Speculators are suggesting that they will add new countries to
the iPhone users. Canada (Rogers) may be part of that
announcement. Stay tuned…
a Treo user that I know told me that Rogers has a data plan
that gives you 1GB of transfer for $65 a month. It’s
intended for “non-Blackberry” phones and wireless
data cards. You basically have a wireless handheld pda in your
hand. Rogers may not allow you to use this service becuse thay
will tell you that the iPhone is not supported…
But then you knew that when you bought the phone and hooked it
up on Rogers! Didn’t you?
$65 bucks a month! Yahoo!
Bye bye Blackberry!
BTW I just read that Rogers may have them as early as January
18, 2007
Read more…
i am writing this post on an iPhone that was delivered to me
today. It was purchased in the states for just over $430 USD.
I managed to unlock it in under an hour and i have been using
it all day since. It is a really nice work of engineering and
only has a few shortcomings. Like the Newton before it,the
iPhone does have a learning curve and its the user who must
adapt. It makes my blackberry seem primative. i’m using
wi-fi and have made one call on it. i havent been able to
browse with Rogers sim card tho. No edge network available. At
least that will keep the data costs down