AT&T and online Apple fan sites said yesterday that some customers left stores without a working phone because of problems linking the device to Apple’s iTune service, the last step in the activation process. AT&T told buyers told to link to iTunes from home.
Topday AT&T formally announced details regarding the iPhone, including customer eligibility and different pricing plans. The 8GB 3G iPhone will cost $199, and the 16GB iPhone will cost $299. These prices will be available to customers who purchased an iPhone before July 11; to new customers; and to any customer who is eligible for an upgrade discount. Customers who are not eligible for a discount may pay $399 for the 8GB model or $499 for the 16GB model. Either way, a new two-year agreement is required. At some point in the future, AT&T will offer no-contract availability of the 3G iPhone at the full retail price of $599 and $699 price for the 8GB and 16GB models, respectively. The iPhone will require one of four plans, which bundle voice minutes with unlimited data for web and email use. The unlimited minutes and data plan will cost $130 per month, the 1350-minute plan will cost $110, the 900-minute plan will cost $90 and the 450-minute plan will cost $70. Separate family plans are also available. Messaging is not included in any of these plans and must be added separately. $20 buys unlimited messaging, $15 buys 1500 messages, and $5 buys 200 messages per month. As noted previously, any iPhone customer seeking corporate email support will need a $45 business data plan.
