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